Category: FATCA

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Warns Industry to be Braced for Further FATCA and GATCA Complexity

Complexity of regulations means first adopters will gain competitive advantage, newly released white paper notes The banking industry should be braced for further complexity when it comes to the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and the looming Global FATCA (GATCA). And those institutions that move more quickly to… – Continue reading

Better global rankings underline India’s potential

The World Bank has placed India twelve notches higher than last year in its Ease of Doing Business rankings for 2016. This comes close on the heels of the country’s sixteen place leap on the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness index. These rankings underline the impact of the recent spate… – Continue reading

Praise for Gibraltar government from Washington D.C.

DESPITE repeated allegations from the Spanish government that Gibraltar is a tax haven, news is regularly received that suggests this is far from the case, and that the government has been doing all that it can to ensure that it complies as fully as possible with international standards, whilst generating… – Continue reading

FATCA – correlation of the global economy with the US economy

Already from December 1, 2015 come into force provisions requiring all financial institutions calling their clients to make statements about their residence tax (FATCA – Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act). It is the first significant action since records to OPF. FATCA imposes on foreign institutions, including the Polish reporting obligations… – Continue reading

Americans in Hong Kong, Asia could lose their passports for unpaid taxes

The eight million Americans living overseas, including In Hong Kong and the rest of Asia, should “ensure their financial affairs are in order and compliant” before the New Year, or face having their passports revoked, warns the boss of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory organizations. Nigel Green,… – Continue reading

Ambassador Hull: Region should not be strong-armed into becoming tax collectors for the US government

LK Hewlett St. Kitts-Nevis Permanent Representative to the OAS, Dr. Everson Hull has expressed strong views on the impact of FATCA on the region’s banking system. Delivering a presentation to over 200 banking executives and other stakeholders in the financial services sector from across the Caribbean at the recent Caribbean… – Continue reading

IRS Updates FATCA Registration Website

The IRS has upgraded the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Online Registration System, enabling sponsoring entities to register their sponsored entities to obtain a global intermediary identification number. The upgraded system also will allow users to update their information, download registration tables and change their financial institution type. The… – Continue reading

Curaçao Attended The STEP Latin America Conference 2015

WILLEMSTAD – A 20-member delegation from Curaçao participated in the STEP Latin America Conference (STEPLatAm) 2015, which was held on the 22nd and 23rdof October at the Renaissance Hotel in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The STEPLatAm conference is a leading conference for wealth structuring and trust and estate practitioners. During the… – Continue reading

Make note of new disclosure requirements

Towards compliance with tax information sharing laws put in place in recent times, all financial intermediaries are mandated to seek information from account holders. They are also obliged to share information of your account with relevant authorities. SEBI too has issued guidelines on identification of beneficial ownership and mandated all… – Continue reading

More Banks Spill Tax Evasion Secrets To Avoid Criminal Charges, Account Holders Beware

Lately, the IRS is warning offshore account holders to disclose before it’s too late. Under FATCA, banks everywhere want to know if you are compliant with the IRS. And the cost of compliance for many people is growing. The IRS updated its list of foreign banks where accounts trigger a… – Continue reading

Made bureaucracy accountable: Modi

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government had taken several steps to make the bureaucracy performance-oriented and accountable even as it was committed to ensuring probity and protecting public servants from frivolous allegations. He said the focus of his government was on providing system-based and policy-driven governance. “A… – Continue reading

Swaziland to collect tax from US citizens, firms

Swaziland will implement the United States Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act FATCA 2010 by collecting tax from US individuals and companies operating in the country.APA learnt on Friday that the act, whose objective is the facilitation of the exchange of financial information between US and other countries where its citizens… – Continue reading

Govt to implement United States FATC Act of 2010

THE United States of America (USA) wants all companies of US origin, individuals and body corporates that are resident in Swaziland to report their financial information in their home country, the USA. This development is a result of Swaziland government announcing that it will implement the United States Foreign Account… – Continue reading

Turkey: The Information Exchange Agreement Has Been Signed Between Turkey And USA Within The Scope Of Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act

It has been announced on the official website of the Directorate of Revenue Administration on July 30, 2015 that the “Agreement on Increasing International Tax Compliance through Extended Information Exchange” was signed in Ankara between Turkey and USA within the scope of Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA“). Under the… – Continue reading

U.S and Azerbaijan to sign an additional interagency agreement on FATCA

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Azerbaijan and the U.S. are likely to sign another agreement in support of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). Deputy Taxes Minister Natig Amirov has stated that the general agreement on cooperation has already been ratified by the head of state. “Work is underway over the signing… – Continue reading

The Intractable Problem of Tax Havens

Perhaps in theory there are ways to fix tax avoidance, but they aren’t politically feasible. Libertarian anarchists used to say “taxation is theft.” New research by economist Gabriel Zucman suggests that there is some truth to this—when tax havens are taken into consideration. In his new book The Hidden Wealth… – Continue reading

Top tax havens for the rich

Offshore tax havens came under fire after the global financial crisis in 2008. Front and center among the countries calling for transparency was the U.S., which made a stand against Switzerland in particular, by demanding release of the names of ultra-rich account holders. So it might surprise you to learn… – Continue reading

2,000 Firms Use BearingPoint FATCA Service

BearingPoint’s FiTAX catches on while a FATCA critic says that more Americans are renouncing their citizenship because of the controversial tax law. While controversy swirls around the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), management and technology consultancy BearingPoint reports that between March and August 2015, more than 2,000 financial institutions… – Continue reading

Global Tax Network Will Impact Every Investor

Global tax is set to face the biggest shake up ever that will affect every saver and investor with accounts in any of the world’s major financial centres. Financial firms and governments are readying to start the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) from January 1, 2016. CRS is a souped up… – Continue reading

Tax Transparency – the Common Reporting Standard: Implications for South Africa

Globally, taxpayers are becoming more interdependent, and engage in cross-border financial activities with more regularity. With this, comes the need for enhanced co-operation and understanding across countries on issues such as tax administration and transparency, to curb tax evasion and ensure a fair allocation of taxes to tax jurisdictions. “The… – Continue reading

DYK: You have to update your KYC details for mutual fund investments

Fund houses and R&T agents have already started alerting investors to furnish Fatca and KYC details Mutual fund (MF) investors have to submit declarations to their fund houses to comply with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (Fatca), which was passed in the US in 2010 (read more on this… – Continue reading

Luxembourg rated as “Largely Compliant” by the OECD Global Forum

On 30 October 2015, the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes published a supplementary peer review report for Luxembourg. Luxembourg, which was rated “Non-Compliant” in November 2013, has since implemented a number of recommendations made by the Global Forum, leading to an upgrade of its… – Continue reading

FATCA Helps IRS Net £5 Billion In Lost Tax

The US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) has helped grab £5.17 billion in lost tax held in secret offshore bank accounts. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has revealed the figures in a FATCA update. The IRS says the controversial law has made identifying offshore cash and investments that taxpayers… – Continue reading

Common Reporting Standard (CRS) effective 1 January 2016; self-certification forms/ documentation update (13 November 2015)

The Common Reporting Standard (CRS) impacts Irish funds from 1 January 2016. The CRS framework represents a globally coordinated approach to the disclosure of income earned by individuals and organisations in order to combat tax evasion. It emerged from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in February 2014… – Continue reading

DAVIS: A refresher on foreign asset reporting requirements

Recently, the Internal Revenue Service announced the exchange of financial account information with certain foreign tax administrations as the next step in efforts to combat offshore tax evasion. This is a significant portion of the IRS’s efforts to enforce FATCA, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, which was enacted in… – Continue reading

Belgian fight against tax evasion

As a reminder, the international automatic exchange of financial account information is considered by most countries as particularly efficient in the fight against tax evasion and international tax fraud and is becoming the new global standard (considering the US FATCA legislation, the OECD Common Reporting Standard). The Belgian Council of… – Continue reading

Preparing for FATCA

By the summer of 2015 more than 90% of Russian banks joined the FATCA Now they need to how to implement the next steps (grant to the March 30, 2016 data on US tax residents), and prepare for the future requirements of FATCA. To send the required information to the… – Continue reading

What is FACTA compliance?

US citizenship, Greencard, can no longer be a way of saving tax for some, as India has agreed to provide information for compliance with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), which became law in March 2010. Either US citizens or institutions cannot refrain from paying tax on their investments… – Continue reading

Financial Sector Must Be Vigilant, PM Harris Says to Banking Sector

Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 13, 2015 (SKNIS): The Caribbean Association of Banks (CAB) 42 Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM) was deemed as important and should not be underestimated, especially at a time when the industry continues to be under increased scrutiny, said Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr…. – Continue reading

LUXEMBOURG: “DAC 2” LEGISLATION INTRODUCED; CRS-LIKE REGIME

A bill submitted to the Luxembourg Parliament in November 2015 would transpose, into Luxembourg domestic law, an EU directive amending a 2011 directive for administrative cooperation and concerning the exchange of information on request. The directive (2011/16/EU) as amended, is referred to as “DAC 2” (the updated “directive on administrative… – Continue reading

Green card may no longer be a valuable asset for NRIs as Fatca sword hangs over their heads

MUMBAI: A US passport doesn’t look like such a priced possession anymore. Some Indians even want to surrender their hard-won green cards. India and the US are set to freely exchange financial information about their citizens, leaving no asset concealed. This could mean US tax officials imposing punitive levies on… – Continue reading

Becoming An Ex-American

According to the Star Spangled Banner, the United States is the land of the free and the home of the brave. So how come the number of Americans renouncing their citizenship is hitting new heights? More than three thousand people have given up their US nationality so far this year…. – Continue reading

UK: Common Reporting Standards: The Governments Want Even More Information– Is It Just Another Form Or Something More Sinister?

Some time ago we wrote an article on the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (‘FATCA’) which says that although the FATCA tentacles are fairly intrusive, at the end of the day, it represents just another form for tax payers to complete. Rather to my surprise this article elicited a threat… – Continue reading

FATCA Reporting: Clients Using BearingPoint’s FiTAX Solution Successfully Reported All Around the World

Thanks to the FiTAX tax reporting solution, some 2,000 financial institutions successfully met the reporting requirements of tax authorities. FiTAX FATCA covers more than 45 countries. ZURICH, SWITZERLAND—(Marketwired – Nov. 12, 2015) – 2015 marks a turning point in the FATCA timeline: for the first time, Financial Foreign Institutions (FFIs)… – Continue reading

FATCA to promote tax transparency between India and US

Hyderabad: Customers of several public and private sector banks across the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are finding fault with their bankers for asking to fill up more forms under Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), and Common Reporting Standard (CRS). The new rules have come into effect from November 1,… – Continue reading

St Kitts & Nevis pursuing quiet diplomacy to recalibrate international relationships – PM Harris

The nine-month old Team Unity administration has been pursuing quiet diplomacy to recalibrate international relationships for the benefit of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis, reports SKN Vibes. So said St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris at last week’s press conference at government headquarters…. – Continue reading

The FATCA window

The implementation of the Foreign Account Tax Compliant Act is showing consistent progress with thousands of banks in over 150 countries agreeing to share financial accounts data of their US clientele with US taxation authorities. This clearly indicates the firm resolve of the US administration to make this initiative a… – Continue reading

The Common Reporting Standards – New Global Tax Information Exchange Regime Begins January 2016

The Common Reporting Standard (“CRS”) will impose new investor due diligence and reporting obligations on funds and other financial institutions based in “early adopter” participating jurisdictions, with effect from January 1, 2016. According to the OECD, all major financial centres have now signed up to the standard. Financial institutions should… – Continue reading

Angola and Us Sign Intergovernmental Agreement

Luanda — A substantially Intergovernmental Agreement under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) was signed Monday in Luanda between the Ministry of Finance and the government of the United States of America, represented by its ambassador to Angola. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the US tax authority,… – Continue reading

Implementation problems in connection with the FATCA Agreement

The BMF has application letter sent to the chief financial authorities of the countries associated with the between the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States of America concluded by 31.5.2013 FATCA Agreement. Background Background of extensive, comprehensive 71 pages, application letter from the Federal Ministry of Finance on… – Continue reading

Gov’t approves support for SMEs until 2020

Transportation and other issues also taken up by the Cabinet Prague, Nov 9 (ČTK) —The Czech government today approved the Industry and Trade Ministry’s program Expansion, under which Kč 9.5 billion (€350 million) should be provided in support of small and medium-sized enterprises until 2020, Deputy Prime Minister Pavel Bělobrádek… – Continue reading

deVere Group CEO Slams FATCA, “Fiscal Imperialism”

The chief executive of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory organizations unambiguously condemned the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act in a recent series of comments. deVere Group CEO Nigel Green likened the act, which went into effect in July 2014, to a “masterclass in fiscal imperialism and the… – Continue reading

Notice 2015-66 is received with welcome relief

On September 18, 2015, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Notice 2015-66 announcing its intention to amend certain of the regulations under Chapter 4 of the Code (the “FATCA regulations”), to extend the period of time that certain of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) transitional rules will apply,… – Continue reading