Category: Activity

Guy Wildenstein Ordered To Pay €20m Over Tax Avoidance Allegations

The Court of Appeal in Versailles has ordered the elusive international art dealer Guy Wildenstein, to pay a €20 million as a security deposit against tax avoidance allegations which have been levied against him. The funds must reach the court before by 15 October, according to the Le Monde newspaper…. – Continue reading

Prada chiefs in tax evasion probe

Troubled Italian fashion giant Prada stonewalled questions over its tax affairs on Monday after it emerged that its top two executives are being investigated for allegedly not disclosing many millions in overseas earnings to Italian authorities. Chinese fashion titans look to Italy for value (29 Sep 14) Global fashion circus… – Continue reading

eBay pays just £620,000 tax on £1.3bn sales

eBay accused of tax avoidance, but insists it complies with letter of the law By Emma Woollacott, Sep 29, 2014Updated: September 30, 2014 7:24 AM Online auction site eBay got away with paying just £620,000 in tax on sales of over £1.3 billion last year, its latest accounts reveal. The… – Continue reading

Transfer pricing, tax evaders and IT: HMRC UK to assist FBR on tax reform initiatives

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) UK will assist Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on tax and customs reform initiatives encompassing development of special skills to identify cases of transfer pricing, techniques to catch tax evaders and use of IT to control tax avoidance. It is learnt on Monday that the… – Continue reading

It’s Very Difficult To See How George Osborne’s Google Tax Could Possibly Be Legal

George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer over here in the UK, has just announced at the Conservative party conference that he’ll be changing the tax laws to make sure that Google GOOGL +0.16% and other tech multinationals (Facebook, Microsoft MSFT -0.17%, possibly Apple AAPL +0.64%, among them) end up… – Continue reading

Tax shelter shake-up hits home

A federal crackdown and a new act make life tougher for lawyers and accountants. Criminal tax attorney Robert Fink views the conviction and sentencing of his client Dr. Michael Canale—on tax fraud charges in New York state federal court in 2012—as representative of everything that’s wrong with the government crackdown… – Continue reading

Crackdown on Apple in Ireland Opens Front in Tax Avoidance War

The European Commission’s crackdown on the deal between Irish tax authorities and Apple Inc. marks an expansion in the growing global war on tax avoidance by multinational companies. Governments that enable it are now a target. Tuesday, the European Commission said the Irish tax authorities failed to conform to international… – Continue reading

Prada chiefs in tax evasion probe

Troubled Italian fashion giant Prada stonewalled questions over its tax affairs on Monday after it emerged that its top two executives are being investigated for allegedly not disclosing many millions in overseas earnings to Italian authorities. Chinese fashion titans look to Italy for value (29 Sep 14) Global fashion circus… – Continue reading

Brussels probes Luxembourg over tax deal for Fiat

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Brussels has challenged Luxembourg over a tax ruling offering potentially illicit support to a Fiat subsidiary, opening a… – Continue reading

EU says Ireland swapped Apple tax deal for jobs

The European Union has accused Ireland of swerving international tax rules by letting Apple shelter profits worth tens of billions of dollars from revenue collectors in return for maintaining jobs. European Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia told the Dublin government in a letter published on Tuesday that tax deals agreed in… – Continue reading

Government warned that ATO not up to catching tax avoiders

Tax attack Bill Shorten accuses the government during Tuesday’s question time of going soft on corporate tax avoidance; Tony Abbott says Labor did nothing in government. Autoplay ONOFFVideo feedbackVideo settings Bill Shorten: Corporate tax avoidance costs Australian business The Pulse Live: Judith Ireland blogs live from Parliament The Abbott government… – Continue reading

United States and Brazil Sign FATCA Intergovernmental Agreement

The United States and Brazil have signed a “Model 1” intergovernmental agreement (“IGA”) with respect to the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”). The Brazilian IGA is intended to simplify FATCA information reporting and reduce compliance burdens for Brazilian financial institutions.

Isle of Man court can hear fraud case filed against Mumbai-builder Hiranandani

MUMBAI: The Isle of Man appellate court last week rejected builder Niranjan Hiranandani’s appeal, challenging its jurisdiction over a case of fraud and misconduct filed against him by Hirco Plc. Hirco, a property investment fund, had raised Rs 3,000 crore from global investors in 2006, to be invested in Hiranandani’s… – Continue reading

How is Google Inc (GOOGL) Paying Service Tax and Facebook Inc (FB) Not Paying Any Taxes in India: Delhi High Court

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) are conducting their business operations in India. Former BJP leader, Govindacharya has filed a case, raising concerns against the usage of e-mail  services by offshore providers for official purposes by government officials. His Public Interest Litigation (PIL) also mentioned the tax evasion by… – Continue reading

Big business ‘shirks’ fair share of tax load

Almost a third of Australia’s largest companies are paying less than 10¢ in the dollar in corporate tax, a report that exposes a gaping hole in government revenues over the past decade shows. As Australia prepares to host world leaders at the G20 summit in Brisbane in November, where a… – Continue reading

Apple’s foreign tax rate tumbled after 2007 Irish ‘advanced opinion’

The European Commission is expected to announce today that Apple, now one of the world’s biggest listed companies, got special treatment from the Irish authorities, when the American company sought assurances on tax issues in 1991 and 2007 – – from the latter year, Apple’s foreign tax rate tumbled compared… – Continue reading

Prada bosses under investigation for alleged tax evasion

Prada shares have also lost 30% of their value this year because of weak investor sentiment Continue reading the main story Related Stories Prada profit hit by fall in sales Prada shares fall on luxury warning The fashion business Prada’s two chief executives are being investigated by Italian authorities for… – Continue reading

Another tax-avoidance scheme is getting scrutiny

While it’s said that death and taxes are inevitable, enough money and clever maneuvering can apparently help sidestep the latter. Witness the so-called dividend arbitrage, which is raising concerns from regulators thanks to its ability to allow big banks to create $1 billion per year in revenue, according to The… – Continue reading

Europe to probe Apple further over Irish tax deals

European regulators are set to examine whether Apple violated EU law by striking special tax deals with the Irish government. The European Commission opened an initial investigation into Apple’s tax affairs in June, looking at whether the company’s two percent tax rate in Ireland — far less than the standard 12.5… – Continue reading

Philippines signs convention to fight tax evasion

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has signed a multilateral agreement to boost its efforts in fighting tax evasion and improving compliance of taxpayers. Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Henares, through special authority from the Office of the President, signed the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters… – Continue reading

Osborne plans crackdown on tech groups with new anti-avoidance rules

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f0564d62-4803-11e4-b5ad-00144feab7de.html#ixzz3EsBYd5vW Technology companies “that go to extraordinary lengths” to cut their tax… – Continue reading

Mauritius eyes more India investments, lures film industry

Port Louis: Pitching itself as the gateway for Africa, the scenic Mauritius is looking to attract more Indian investments across diverse sectors, including education and deep sea mining segments.The island nation provides “liberalised investment procedures and ease of doing business” while film shooting is another area that offers benefits for… – Continue reading

Taxman targets multinational profit stripping

Inland Revenue has gone shopping for a database to help it fight erosion of the tax base and “profit stripping” by multinational corporations. The database will help the taxman to independently assess the level of profitability companies should be returning for tax purposes by benchmarking the prices multinationals charge their… – Continue reading

Korea investment in tax havens hits 25 tln won in past 7 years

Korean companies and individuals have invested more than 25 trillion won (about $23 billion) in 50 tax haven countries over the past seven years, according to a report submitted Sunday by the National Tax Service (NTS) to the National Assembly. “Investments by small-and medium-sized companies and individuals are in decline… – Continue reading

Court seeks clarification on tax evasion by Internet companies

The Delhi High Court has sought clarification from the Union Government on the issue of tax evasion by Internet companies with regard to their business operations in the country. The Court also asked whether the recipients of services would be liable to pay tax if the service provider was outside… – Continue reading

New tax-dodge rules prompt AbbVie to seek more Shire financing: sources

(Bloomberg) — AbbVie Inc. is examining plans to raise additional financing to complete its takeover of Shire Plc, after U.S. officials imposed new obstacles to so-called tax inversion deals, people with knowledge of the matter said. AbbVie may seek to borrow as much as $7 billion more than it originally… – Continue reading

Hiding Assets Under Pet Names Looks Willful, Even For Lionel Messi With 400 Goals

There is nothing illegal about tax planning. Yet some things are legal while others are not, and the lines can sometimes get fuzzy. Add to that the fact that some people go to extraordinary lengths to avoid paying taxes, and it can be a recipe for disaster. Increasingly, if you… – Continue reading

Leicester City defender Matthew Upson linked with Inside Track tax avoidance?

Leicester City defender Matthew Upson is being linked to a scheme that is currently being investigated for tax avoidance. According to the Leicester Mercury, the 35-year-old could end up paying out thousands of pounds as a result of the investigation. The former England international reportedly invested in the Inside Track fund, which gives benefits… – Continue reading

Another view: Low tax rates no way to build economy

Canada should not count on building its economy by luring U.S. multinationals over the border with low tax rates in light of an announcement from the U.S. Treasury Department this week. The department outlined new measures to block companies from escaping U.S. taxes by moving earnings outside the country. This… – Continue reading

IRS scam targets financial professionals, too

Now some in the financial services industry, as well as some consumers, are being warned that they could get a call one day from a fake IRS agent seeking bank account information. We’ve heard about the con artists who pretend to be from the Internal Revenue Service and demand immediate… – Continue reading

Germany may close foreign ‘patent box’ tax loophole: report

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble is working on closing a tax loophole whereby German firms use so-called “patent box” tax breaks available abroad on profits generated from patented research to minimize tax bills, according to a magazine report. Business weekly Wirtschaftwoche said a potential new restriction on the practice, similar to one in… – Continue reading

GoCoin CEO Steve Beauregard: “The Isle of Man Offers Many Competitive Advantages Over the US, UK, Luxembourg and Singapore”

Nearly 200 entrepreneurs, enthusiasts, private sector representatives and governmental officials were convened last week for the Crypto Valley Summit 2014 in the Isle of Man to share their points of views on numerous topics involving digital currencies and discuss the opportunities and challenges that is facing the industry. The two-day… – Continue reading

Trillion Dollar Scandal – the biggest heist you’ve never heard of

The World Bank analysed the world’s biggest corruption scandals over that past two decades. Seventy per cent involved anonymous shell companies Take a guess at how much is lost to developing countries each year through international corruption? $1 billion, maybe $10? Even more? The shocking truth is that $1trn a… – Continue reading

Government seeks banking information on 97 cases from Mauritius in one year

PORT LOUIS: Mauritius has provided details on majority of information requests received from Indian authorities in the last one year, according to a government official. India has concerns that Mauritius, which is one of the top sources of foreign direct investments into the country, is being used for round-tripping of… – Continue reading

Billionaire Brothers Avoided Taxes by Hiding Stock

Back in the eighties and nineties, the Wyly brothers ran, and owned huge stakes in, a weird bunch of public companies, including some craft stores, some software companies, and a reinsurer. These companies were good and made the Wyly brothers a lot of money. An odd biological fact is that… – Continue reading

OECD: tax avoidance rules must avoid “collateral damage” on fund management industry

The fund management industry could be exempted from new global rules intended to combat tax avoidance by multinational companies if further work finds that they may “hamper legitimate transactions”, according to the Office for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).26 Sep 2014 Corporate Tax Corporate tax Tax Disputes and Investigations Investment… – Continue reading

Holder legacy as tax-cheat catcher — But not everyone viewed him with rose-colored glasses — GOP to Holder: Good riddance

HOLDER LEGACY AS TAX-CHEAT CATCHER. Attorney General Eric Holder, who on Thursday announced he’s stepping down, made some pretty huge contributions to tax land during his six years on the job. Continuing the work his predecessor started prosecuting Swiss bank UBS, Holder maintained the department’s laser focus on tax evasion, starting… – Continue reading

The Skinny on Corporate Inversions

Corporate financial accounting and taxation are complex subjects. For this reason, many people tune out when issues that involve corporate tax practices rise to the level of public debate. Unfortunately, many legislators shy away from these issues for similar reasons. But while corporate taxation can be mind-bogglingly complex, nontax experts… – Continue reading

Tax avoidance under scrutiny

European Union Tax Commissioner Algirdas Šemeta has welcomed a raft of new measures to combat international tax avoidance, in agreement between the finance ministers of the G20 at a meeting in Cairns, Australia. The ministers have agreed on a several recommendations that were made to address key areas which were… – Continue reading