Category: Miscellaneous

Tax lawyers to grapple with new changes

With elements of the Liberal government’s 2016-17 budget coming to fruition, tax lawyers must stay up to date with the changes as their workload increases, according to a global firm partner. Speaking with Lawyers Weekly, DLA Piper tax partner Jock McCormack (pictured) said tax lawyers can expect to be busy… – Continue reading

HMRC explores tougher methods for publicising tax fraud by the wealthy

Public Accounts committee criticised HMRC’s lack of strategy HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is exploring how it can better publicise fraud investigation outcomes and increase the impact of the sanctions it uses, in order to dispel the myth “people are getting away with tax evasion”. The department said it wants… – Continue reading

Ghana losing tax revenue to extractive sector over lack of data

The absence of adequate data on the operations of businesses in the extractive sector continues to impede the GRA’s ability to fully implement Ghana’s transfer pricing policy. According to the Deputy Commissioner in charge of Policy Programs at the GRA, Edward Gyamerah, the issue makes it difficult to fully assess… – Continue reading

Post-Brexit Britain WILL secure strong trade deal with EU, insists leading economist

BRITAIN will thrive outside the European Union by using its influence to secure a strong trade deal, according to a senior economist. Dr Michael Ivanovitch said the Government has “huge leverage” in its trade negotiations after it triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and leaves the union. He insisted… – Continue reading

GAAR not to apply on income from investments before April 1

The industry has been demanding that GAAR provisions should apply prospectively To clear the air on retrospective applicability of the stringent anti-avoidance GAAR rule, the I-T department has said the same will not apply to income from transfer of investments before April 1, 2017. General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR), which will… – Continue reading

NSW Budget 2016: Foreign property buyers in NSW to be hit with stamp duty and land tax hikes

Stamp duty will be doubled for foreign buyers of a median priced Sydney house under changes to be introduced in next week’s NSW budget. Based on the Sydney median house price of $995,804, the stamp duty bill for a foreign investor will increase by almost $40,000 – from $40,305 to… – Continue reading

Income tax: Know your taxes and exemptions

CHENNAI: The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax, is what Albert Einstein had famously said. Amid the long list of taxation categories, to assimilate what is taxable and what is exempted is hard. Even harder is to pay them, of course. As the June 15… – Continue reading

Irish corporate tax regime attacked in EU debate

Sinn Fein’s Matt Carthy has launched a stinging attack on Ireland’s corporate tax regime, arguing that Ireland’s reputation as an “enabler of massive tax avoidance for large corporations” is justified. Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, the Midlands-North West MEP criticised the last government’s move to abolish the… – Continue reading

FBR seeks powers in Finance Bill to prevent tax evasions

The FBR has proposed powers through Finance Bill 2016-17 for entering into treaty with bilateral or multilateral forums for exchange of information to ensure prevention of tax evasions in the aftermath of Panama Leaks disclosure that many Pakistani influential owned offshore companies abroad. In totality, the FBR took tax measures… – Continue reading

Global Tax Update – June 2016

Asia Pacific The January – March edition of tax highlights for the Asia Pacific region highlights industry developments from Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore including: Australia’s new tax system for Managed Investment Trusts The final stage of China’s B2V reform to be rolled out from… – Continue reading

Google tax kicks in starting June 1

The finance ministry has notified that the equalisation levy (popularly known as Google tax) introduced in this budget, will come into force from June 1. As of now, it will apply to payments for online advertisements made by Indian business entities to non-residents (such as Google,Yahoo, Twitter, Facebook) where the… – Continue reading

Will new tax treaty with Mauritius turn India into a fund management hub?

The new tax treaty between India and Mauritius may achieve what last year’s budget tried to do, albeit unsuccessfully—encourage offshore fund managers to relocate to India, in the process making the country a fund management hub, much like London, Dubai or Singapore. With the new agreement restoring parity between domestic… – Continue reading

Panama Papers: Further revelations about New Zealand’s role as a tax haven

Reports published last week, based on the Panama Papers, cast further light on New Zealand’s role as a location where wealthy individuals around the world are able to hide their fortunes. Last month the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released millions of leaked documents revealing that Panama-based Mossack Fonseca, the… – Continue reading

EAC fail to reach consensus on common tax rates

East African Community member states have failed to reach a deal on a common tax rate as the bloc’s smaller economies worry about significant revenue losses. The failure to harmonise value added tax, income tax and excise tax rates has left the regional bloc deliberating on how to harmonise legislation… – Continue reading

Transfer Pricing in China 2016 – New Publication from China Briefing

Transfer Pricing in China 2016, the latest publication from China Briefing and Dezan Shira & Associates, is out now and available for purchase through the Asia Briefing Bookstore. Transfer pricing is a reality for any multinational company. As a result of a globalized economy and increasing complexity in business models,… – Continue reading

Tax havens accuse US of ‘hypocrisy’ over tax avoidance

A group of tax havens have accused larger countries like the United States of “hypocrisy” when it comes to cracking down on tax avoidance. With the issue of offshore finance high on the agenda in light of the fall out from the so-called Panama Papers scandal, world leaders convened in… – Continue reading

Government of Canada Signs International Agreement on Enhanced Tax Reporting by Large Multinationals

National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier announced today that the Government of Canada has taken another step to stop the unfair practice of aggressive tax planning by signing an international agreement to implement stronger international reporting obligations for large multinational enterprises (MNEs). Thirty-one other jurisdictions have also signed the agreement. The… – Continue reading

Australia Moves to Remove ‘Double Taxation’ on Digital Currency

For a month starting May 3, The Treasury of the Australian government will be accepting submissions from interested parties to comment on a newly-released discussion paper entitled ‘GST treatment of digital currency’ as part of the 2016-17 Budget. The Treasury says the government has realized that consumers are ‘double taxed’… – Continue reading

UK: Proposed Changes To The Non-Dom Regime From April 2017

The tax treatment of non-domiciled individuals is changing again from April 2017. The changes were first announced in the 2015 Summer Budget, and a Consultation document was issued in September 2015 setting out further details. The proposed changes target three key areas: The taxation of non-domiciled individuals who have been… – Continue reading

Canada’s record on finding tax evaders is dismal

Only a week after the so-called Panama Papers burst into the media spotlight early last month, the Canadian government issued a news release vowing to “crack down on tax evasion and tax avoidance.” The leak of a staggering 11.5 million documents from a Panama City law firm promised to reveal… – Continue reading

Japanese money in offshore tax havens could solve a lot of problems at home

TOKYO — Do the rich and powerful really dodge taxes? They do. The “Panama Papers” – 11.5 million or so documents leaked from a Panama law firm specializing in tax shelters of various kinds and degrees of ingenuity – are shocking, however, not only to the naively innocent but to seasoned… – Continue reading

Australia announces multinational tax avoidance in federal budget

Australia announced a further crackdown on multinational tax avoidance in its annual budget on Tuesday, including the planned introduction of a UK-style diverted profits tax (DPT), that it expects to raise A$3.9 billion over the next four years. The government is creating a new Tax Avoidance Taskforce of 1,000 specialist… – Continue reading

European Commission publishes anti-avoidance package

On 28 January 2016, and in response to the OECD’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project, the European Commission published a package of anti-avoidance measures as part of its ongoing plans to ultimately introduce a common consolidated corporate tax base (CCCTB). The package comprises: a draft anti-avoidance Directive, with… – Continue reading

UAE – Jersey trade relations: from a tax haven to taxonomy

As with any offshore financial centre, secrecy has been synonymous with the Channel Islands of Jersey. But the reason for the strong relations between the self-governing British dependency and the United Arab Emirates – still not known to many – is not confidentiality alone. It has not been so long… – Continue reading

Equalization levy resistance shows up BEPS’ challenges

The Internet and Mobile Association of India’s (IAMAI’s) pushback against the equalization levy on e-commerce transactions introduced in the union budget shows up the difficulty revenue authorities will have when they try to protect their tax base. The last word on this subject hasn’t been said and the original budget… – Continue reading

Australia to Have Public Register to Record Tax Avoidance

Australia is following the path of the United Kingdom and is planning to create a public register that will unmask the shell company owners who take advantage of tax avoidance by the international companies. The Guardian reported that the Canberra government has expressed on making a public commitment to put… – Continue reading

In Absence of GST, Service Tax Lawsuits on Rise: Experts

Service tax litigations have risen substantially in recent years and that may be because of the absence of a pan-India Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime that can potentially remove several ambiguities around indirect taxation, experts maintain. A total of 75,314 litigations were pending with the Department of Revenue, the… – Continue reading

HMRC launches consultation on new tax evasion offence

The Revenue has published its consultation on proposing to make companies criminally liable for failing to prevent their staff facilitating tax evasion The offence was first proposed in the 2015 Budget and was expected to come into effect in 2020. The Panama papers leak and subsequent scandal has put significant… – Continue reading

U.S. Treasury readies new tax rules as G20 vows to fight evasion

The U.S. Treasury Department is finalising new tax rules aimed at combating the use of shell companies to evade taxes, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said on Saturday amid increased pledges by global finance leaders to cooperate on tax issues. In a statement to the International Monetary Fund’s steering committee,… – Continue reading

UK To Fast-Track New Tax Evasion Offense

The UK Government will bring forward plans to introduce a new criminal offense for companies that fail to prevent their staff from facilitating tax evasion. Prime Minister David Cameron said that the offense will be introduced in legislation this year. Cameron explained: “This Government has done more than any other… – Continue reading

EU wants companies to disclose where they pay taxes

The European Union’s executive wants thousands of multinationals to disclose in what member states they make money and pay taxes, an effort to close loopholes and crack down on the use of tax havens. Reacting to public anger over tax avoidance by some of the globe’s best-known companies and by… – Continue reading

IMF cautions on wider impacts of loss of correspondent banking in Belize and the Caribbean

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued its most recent report on Belize on Monday, following its September 2014 mission to the country, led by Jacques Bouhga-Hagbe. Much of the economic data included in the report has been the subject of recent discussions in Parliament in the context of the 2016-2017… – Continue reading

Minn. Senator Proposes Taxing Corporations Based in Havens

March 31 — Minnesota Sen. John Marty (DFL) introduced legislation that would require corporations headquartered in 46 tax havens to be subject to the same taxation as domestic companies. While it’s still early in the legislative session—the bill was introduced March 29—a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce told… – Continue reading

International tax update- April 2016

United Kingdom Budget The United Kingdom (UK) Budget: was handed down on 16 March 2016. Some of the key measures announced include: a reduction in the corporation tax rate to 17 per cent by 2020 (previously due to fall to 18 per cent) more details on the implementation of Base… – Continue reading

The missing billions of multinational tax

It’s easy to stoke outrage at multinationals’ low taxes but harder to do something about it. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – the so-called rich-countries club – tax avoidance by multinational companies is worth US$100-240 billion a year. That’s 4-10% of total global corporate income… – Continue reading

Multinationals warn of tax hit on earnings

The number of multinational companies warning investors about the risk of higher taxes doubled in the past year, according to analysis by the Financial Times. Nearly a fifth of the US companies who warned on taxes were technology companies, the Financial Times found in a study of company filings. A… – Continue reading

India’s tax systems withstand scrutiny over data confidentiality

Both the US and the global forum working on automatic exchange of information under OECD have endorsed the data safeguards put in place by India New Delhi: India’s tax systems have withstood international scrutiny over data confidentiality and other safeguards put in place by the government before the revenue authorities… – Continue reading

Closing tax havens will create fairer global society: U.S. economist

UNITED NATIONS, March 30 (Xinhua) — Stopping abuse of tax havens and promoting global tax cooperation will help create a fairer global society, Jeffrey Sachs, U.S. economist and UN special adviser on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) told reporters here Wednesday. Sachs made the statement at a press conference here… – Continue reading

Canada Revenue Agency’s 2014-2015 annual report to Parliament: Focus on compliance measures

The Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) released its Annual Report to Parliament (“Report”), outlining the CRA’s performance and key statistics for 2014-2015. This article highlights some of the measures that the CRA has undertaken to combat non-compliance. During 2014-2015, the CRA assessed over $1.7 billion in additional taxes owing and identified… – Continue reading

KPMG: Moves to curb international tax dodges

Global international tax takes from multinational companies will almost certainly increase in the next 5-10 years as governments around the world look to level the taxation playing field. Commenting on the New Zealand Herald’s series examining ‘the tax gap’ – multinationals channelling earnings to lower tax regimes, disadvantaging some of… – Continue reading

CBDT signs 11 more advance pricing pacts with taxpayers

The Tax Department has signed 11 more Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with taxpayers covering overseas transactions within group entities so as to reduce litigations. “Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has signed 11 unilateral APAs on March 28, 2016. With this signing, India has entered into 59 bilateral and/or unilateral… – Continue reading

UK Tax Technicians Slam SDLT Surcharge

The Association of Tax Technicians (ATT) has expressed its disappointment that the UK Government intends to press ahead with plans to introduce a stamp duty land tax (SDLT) surcharge on purchases of second homes from April 1. Higher rates of SDLT will apply to purchases in England, Wales, and Northern… – Continue reading

Google tax’ looms large: Marketing spend might go up

Court cases likely over interpretation of the new levy proposed in the Budget for digital economy The government’s plan to expand the scope of equalisation levy proposed in the Union Budget, seeking to bring more transactions in the digital economy under the tax net, has left many e-commerce players fuming…. – Continue reading

S Korean Companies Unprepared For BEPS: Survey

The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) has disclosed that 81 percent of respondents to a survey of South Korean companies professed that, although they were aware of the OECD’s base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project, they were not, as yet, making any preparations. The South Korean Government is preparing… – Continue reading

Canadian Budget Focuses On Tax Compliance

The first Budget tabled by Canada’s new Liberal Government provides for a major crackdown on tax evasion and avoidance, and streamlines the domestic tax credits system. The Budget was delivered by Finance Minister Bill Morneau on March 22, 2016. He told Parliament: “Today, we begin to restore hope for the… – Continue reading