Category: Base Erosion & Profit Shifting

G20 economies to tackle corporate tax avoidance

G20 finance ministers have endorsed a package of measures to tackle corporate tax avoidance, but questions remain about whether certain countries will follow through on the plans or leave loopholes multinationals can exploit. The ministers agreed to back proposals drawn up by the OECD, which aim to shake up rules… – Continue reading

Facebook paid £4,327 corporation tax despite £35m staff bonuses

Staff at Facebook’s UK arm took home an average of more than £210,000 last year in pay and bonuses, while their employer paid just £4,327 in corporation tax. Facebook made an accounting loss of £28.5m in Britain in 2014, after paying out more than £35m to its 362 staff in… – Continue reading

AUSTRALIA: BEPS AND TRANSFER PRICING; COMPARISON TO AUSTRALIAN APPROACH

The OECD’s base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) final reports that focus on transfer pricing are comprised of a number of updates to different parts of existing OECD transfer pricing guidance. In particular, BEPS Actions 8-10 are designed to provide that transfer pricing outcomes are aligned with value creation, and… – Continue reading

UK: BEPS IMPLICATIONS FOR UK TAXPAYERS; COUNTRY-BY-COUNTRY REPORTING, PATENT BOX

The UK government released draft regulations for country-by-country (CbC) reporting, to implement Action 13 of the OECD’s base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project. The draft UK regulations broadly reflect the OECD reports, released 5 October 2015, and specifically make reference to the model legislation. Key points of the CbC… – Continue reading

Jaitley bats for global implementation on a fully reciprocal automatic exchange of tax Information

Keen to put in place a system to prevent international tax evasion and avoidance, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in the Commonwealth finance ministers’ meeting has reiterated the need for global implementation on a fully reciprocal automatic exchange of tax Information under Common Reporting Standards. Jaitley welcoming the final guidelines on… – Continue reading

KPMG Webcast Will Examine OECD’s Final Recommendations On Base Erosion And Profit Shifting Initiative

NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — KPMG’s Tax Governance Institute (TGI) will examine the final recommendations from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) and discuss what they could mean for U.S. multinationals during a live video webcast on Tuesday, Oct…. – Continue reading

Puerto Rico must wake up from its tax haven dreams

On October 5, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) unveiled the consensus plan reached by the Group of 20 and more than 40 other countries regarding its base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project. BEPS refers to tax-dodging tactics by multinationals that erode a home country’s tax base… – Continue reading

Osborne Signals Tax-Dodging Crackdown in U.K. Autumn Statement

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne suggested he’ll announce measures next month to enshrine in U.K. law an international plan to crack down on tax dodging. Osborne said Friday the so-called base-erosion and profit-shifting plan will be implemented by Britain at the “next fiscal event,” indicating it will form part… – Continue reading

Swiss Government Welcomes BEPS Recommendations

The Swiss Government has tasked the Finance Ministry with responding to the OECD’s recommendations on base erosion and profit shifting. Welcoming the OECD’s proposals, the Council said: “In general, the project outcomes will allow for [the] better coordination of international tax law rules and make it possible to close the… – Continue reading

Lew: Treasury to implement international tax recommendations

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said Friday that the Obama administration would implement new rules that would lead to sharing business’s information with foreign governments. Lew praised the final recommendations from an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development project meant to battle offshore tax avoidance, saying there was a “critical need… – Continue reading

Australia Ahead Of The Curve In BEPS Response

The fallout for Australian firms from the BEPS project “won’t be radical in Australia, as we have already moved pre-emptively to strengthen our laws,” Assistant Treasurer Kelly O’Dwyer has said. Commenting on the release of the OECD’s final BEPS reports, O’Dwyer said: “The Coalition Government’s measures line up with the… – Continue reading

Conference on Base Erosion & Profit Shifting; Confederation of Indian Industry

EVENT OVERVIEW Globally, countries are campaigning for watertight tax regimes and gradually but definitely towards commercially driven business practices, and BEPS seems to be the way to it. Around 44 countries, including India, have come together to create a code to enable looking at transactions with a borderless lens for… – Continue reading

United States: The Final OECD BEPS Tome Has Arrived

Remarkably on schedule, the OECD this week issued a comprehensive and integrated set of measures to attack base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) on a global basis. Comprising 15 “Actions” on central issues such as transfer pricing, country-by-country reporting and transfer pricing documentation, treaty abuse, preferential tax regimes, permanent establishments,… – Continue reading

Quarter of businesses to miss BEPS deadline

A quarter of companies say they won’t meet the first deadline proposed by the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in its base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) action plan, reports Economia. Globally, 74 per cent said they will complete their country-by-country analysis by the first due date, December… – Continue reading

UPDATE 1-Germany wants monitoring of new regime to fight corporate tax dodging

Oct 8 (Reuters) – German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Thursday he would propose a monitoring scheme to ensure the full implementation of a proposed system to overhaul the way international companies are taxed. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published proposals on Monday to change outdated… – Continue reading

Singapore backs international plan to curb tax avoidance

Singapore has given the thumbs up to an international plan that aims to clamp down on tax avoidance by multinational firms, reports the Straits Times. The Republic says if the plan is soundly implemented, it will help foster free and fair economic competition. Singapore agrees with the main principle of… – Continue reading

OECD report not the last word on Ireland’s FDI corporation tax regime

The global war on corporate tax avoidance doesn’t look like being so gruesome after all. The OECD reckons that governments are losing out on at least €213bn per year from aggressive tax planning by multinationals, reports the Irish Independent. A new book by a Berkeley University economics professor estimates that… – Continue reading

Commission asks public for views on CCCTB proposals

The Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base is strongly opposed by Ireland The European Commission has opened a public consultation into its proposed scheme for a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB) ahead of its planned re-launch next year. The EU’s executive arm is seeking insights from stakeholders by January 8th… – Continue reading

Tax Execs Expect Major Tax Changes from OECD BEPS Project

Senior tax executives are preparing for changes in the tax landscape as a result of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s base erosion and profit shifting project. A new survey by Ernst & Young, presented Thursday at its 34th Annual International Tax Conference, found 88 percent of tax directors… – Continue reading

AUSTRALIA: BEPS IMPLICATIONS FOR MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISES

There are implications for multinational enterprises in Australia with this week’s release by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) of final recommendations for substantial international tax reform under the base erosion profit shifting (BEPS) project. OVERVIEW The final BEPS package follows on from, and is largely consistent with,… – Continue reading

Call for care on tax changes

New Zealand needs to be careful not to get out of step with the rest of the world in implementing tax changes on multinational companies seeking to minimise their tax obligations, Deloitte Dunedin tax partner Peter Truman says. The Government this week released a report on Base Erosion and Profit… – Continue reading

Govt amends ‘Netflix’ tax bill for GST on digital goods

Multinationals selling more than $75k into Australia asked to comply. The Australian government has released its revised exposure draft of legislation that would see GST added to all locally-bought digital products and services sold by overseas vendors by July 2017. In May this year former Treasurer Joe Hockey revealed plans… – Continue reading

Automatic exchange of information key to prevent international tax evasion: Jaitley

New Delhi, Oct 8 (KNN) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has emphasised the need to ensure that Common Reporting Standards on Automatic Exchange of Information are implemented globally on a fully reciprocal basis as this would be a key to prevent international tax evasion and avoidance. Jaitley was speaking at 49th… – Continue reading

Canada: International Tax Reform 2015-BEPS Final Reports

On October 5, 2015, the OECD released its final reports relating to the OECD/G20 base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project (the Final Reports). The BEPS project began in 2013 and has received unprecedented attention from governments and the private sector. The Final Reports outline the OECD’s recommendations and the… – Continue reading

ATO widens its multinational tax avoidance net to 80 companies

The Australian Tax Office will open negotiations with 80 multinational companies to encourage them to “restructure” in order to pay more tax on profits generated in Australia. The move represents a near tripling of the ATO’s multinational watch list after it embedded staff inside 30 companies to learn more about… – Continue reading

Uber and Airbnb confirm they send profit offshore

Uber and Airbnb have revealed in submissions to a federal inquiry that they route profit through companies in the Netherlands and Ireland, where taxes are lower. Uber and Airbnb have told a Senate corporate tax avoidance inquiry that while they comply with Australian tax laws, their Australian operations merely provide… – Continue reading

Singapore’s tax jurisdiction largely in line with OECD’s tax proposals: Experts

The proposals are aimed at preventing aggressive tax planning by multinationals. However, experts warn that the risk of double taxation may increase. SINGAPORE: Tax experts have said that Singapore’s tax jurisdiction is broadly in line with new tax proposals announced on Monday (Oct 5) by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation… – Continue reading

OECD proposals could save countries US$240bn in lost taxes

With the bulk of the OECD’s work on the BEPS project complete, attention will now turn to the implementation of the recommendations by member countries and others. Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan said that he welcomed the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (Beps) report, and that the OECD’s proposals would… – Continue reading

EU: AUTOMATIC EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION, CROSS-BORDER TAX RULINGS AND APAS

EU finance ministers today agreed to introduce provisions for the automatic exchange of information on cross-border tax rulings—the latest development concerning the European Commission’s initiative to address tax avoidance and harmful tax competition. Detailed provisions to be included in a directive are expected to be finalized before the end of… – Continue reading

CORRECT: NZ’s biggest companies may face ‘enormous compliance burden’ from OECD tax dragnet

Oct. 6 (BusinessDesk) – Fonterra Cooperative Group is likely to be among some 20 New Zealand companies left dealing with increased red tape to comply with wide-ranging reforms to corporate tax rules proposed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and expected to be endorsed by the world’s 20… – Continue reading

BEPS plan puts companies in the firing line, say experts

The OECD-G20 plan to stop multinational tax avoidance could put companies in the middle of border disputes between revenue authorities, tax experts have warned. But civil society groups say the plan has not gone far enough and could make it easier for some multinationals to dodge tax. Treasurer Scott Morrison… – Continue reading

25% of Global Companies Say They Won’t Meet BEPS Deadline

One-quarter of corporate tax and transfer pricing directors surveyed say their companies will fail to meet the first deadline proposed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in its Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan. Finance ministers for the G20 countries called on the OECD to… – Continue reading

OECD: countries commit to minimum standards on international tax dispute resolution

Countries should commit to minimum standards on the resolution of international tax disputes, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said in a report published as part of its base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project.06 Oct 2015 The standards would include a commitment to “seek to resolve” cases… – Continue reading

US firms pan international tax proposal

The architects of a sweeping set of recommendations to battle offshore tax avoidance insist their project won’t allow foreign countries to simply grab cash from U.S. companies. The business community isn’t convinced. Senior officials at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a Paris-based research group sponsored by almost… – Continue reading

Ireland tweaks tax regime to divert avoidance criticism

The Irish government is set to make further changes to the country’s corporate tax regime as it seeks to align itself with a global initiative to clamp down on corporate tax avoidance, reports the Financial Times. The change being considered will oblige companies that have global headquarters in Ireland to… – Continue reading

OECD poised to release new tax dodge rules

Senior EY partners Andy Archer and David Snell look at some looming changes to international tax rules. In what will be the biggest change to the international tax rule book since it was put in place before World War 2, the OECD will tomorrow (4 am Tuesday 6 October) release… – Continue reading

Foreign governments ready cash grab on U.S. earnings

Opposition to foreign taxes on American investment and hard work has been coded into our national DNA for almost 240 years. Yet almost two and a half centuries after resolving that we would not stand idle while others decide how to tax us, Americans once again must take decisive action… – Continue reading

Plans to overhaul global tax system to be published

A plan for overhauling the global system for the taxation of multinationals, to be published on Monday in Paris, will contain major challenges and opportunities for Ireland’s vital foreign direct investment (FDI) sector, according to tax experts, reports the Irish Times. The culmination of two years’ work, the report by… – Continue reading

Why landmark OECD tax reform is doomed before it starts

The OECD’s final package of proposals for reforming the international system for taxing companies brings to an end the two-year BEPS project led by the OECD and other G20 countries which also included participation by representatives of developing countries, business, academia and NGOs. Developing the BEPS, or Base Erosion and… – Continue reading

S. Korea, China, Japan finance ministers to hold talks in Lima

SEJONG, Oct. 5 (Yonhap) — Finance ministers of South Korea, China and Japan will hold talks to coordinate policies on the sidelines of the Group of 20, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank meetings in Peru this week, the government said Monday. The finance ministry said the meeting, scheduled… – Continue reading

Bye bye Mauritius? With BEPS, tax havens will be viewed differently

With the final draft of the OECD’s BEPS initiative – Base Erosion and Profit Shifting – out later today, the taxman’s ability to tax international transactions as well as those of foreign firms operating in India will go up dramatically; the idea behind the initiative is to treat all cross-border… – Continue reading

Political & Economic week ahead: will TPP deal close?

Two big offshore deals kick off the week. The first is the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. The long-awaited deal is a bit like the Jabberwocky poem in Alice in Wonderland – the alarmism means the political atmosphere is full of strange and threatening noises which only leave a general impression that… – Continue reading

A Tax Revolution in the Making in EU

Europe’s stiff-neckedness is difficult to cure. To come to an agreement for supranational treatment of a certain issue there needs to be a large cataclysm or at least a large scandal. In the case of taxation policy the problem begins to gain urgent and most importantly European status after the… – Continue reading