Category: K-P

Ireland cuts tax for IP profits

Ireland has announced a new 6.25 per cent corporate tax rate for intellectual property research Ireland’s 12.5 per cent corporate tax rate is already one of the lowest in Europe, Economia reports. Now, companies investing in research and development (R&D) will be able to avail of the even lower rate… – Continue reading

IRS Calls on Coca-Cola to Pay Up

Coca-Cola might owe an additional $3.3 billion in federal income taxes following an audit, says the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Following a five year audit of the company, the IRS concluded that the company’s strategy of lowering its taxable income through transfer pricing, underestimates the amount the company should’ve been… – Continue reading

INVESTIGATION: How MTN ships billions abroad, paying less tax in Nigeria

MTN has consistently prided itself as the foremost telephone company that is getting Nigerians talking the most. Now the South African company is about to set tongues wagging across networks with revelations that it has routinely been shipping billions of naira overseas to avoid paying its fair share of tax… – Continue reading

Relaxed tax residency rules to help MNCs

Foreign companies with Indian shareholders won’t have to pay taxes here for their worldwide income unless they are managed from India on an everyday basis. If these foreign companies are managed from outside India, whether or not they are promoted by resident Indians, they will have to pay taxes in… – Continue reading

UK: Data, Privacy And Taxation – A Very Modern Conflict

Since the revelations on government surveillance and data capture by Edward Snowden, journalists have rightfully raised concerns about governments’ insatiable appetite for data collection and the resulting encroachment on citizens’ civil liberties. In the EU an individual’s right to privacy is regarded as a human right in accordance with Art…. – Continue reading

Ireland: Finance Bill shows signs of scrutiny of corporate tax regime

The key corporate tax measures in the Finance Bill show clear signs of the international scrutiny now surrounding multinational tax. The main new measure, the knowledge development box offering a lower tax rate on profits earned as a result of research and development, has been strictly drawn up to comply… – Continue reading

Challenges for family offices in emerging markets

Leading family offices in Latin America and the Caribbean are going through a transitional period, says Steven Cantor, managing partner of Cantor & Webb, a Miami-based law firm, reports the Financial Times. “As the world moves to tax transparency, with a crackdown on undisclosed tax savings in Swiss bank accounts,… – Continue reading

As Maruti and HUL show, royalty is a small price to pay

While stocks such as Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and Maruti Suzuki have outperformed the markets by a wide margin in the last couple of years, the stocks have sustained the performance even over longer periods. Despite the hue and cry over royalty payments by Indian subsidiaries of multinational companies, these companies… – Continue reading

CHANNEL ISLANDS: CRS MEASURES IN JERSEY

Pending draft regulatory measures in Jersey would give effect to the Common Reporting Standard (CRS). In general, the draft regulations would impose an obligation on “reporting financial institutions” in Jersey to identify, review, and report on “financial accounts” maintained by these institutions of accounts held by residents for tax purposes… – Continue reading

Satori launches Hong Kong offshore pension plan aimed at employees

Global fund distribution company, Satori Consultancy, has launched a Hong Kong registered offshore pension plan structured by Legacy Trust Company (LTC) as an occupational scheme. The International Pension Plan, which has five risk graded investment portfolios run by Marathon Capital & Apollo Multi Asset Management, is a Hong Kong-based exempt… – Continue reading

Shell companies’ patents to come under domestic tax net on adoption of BEPS

MUMBAI: Technologies that are developed in India but their patents registered in tax havens may come under the domestic tax net from the next financial year, when the country is expected to adopt a new world standard aimed at preventing abuse of double taxation avoidance agreements. Many multinational and local… – Continue reading

Chevron ordered to pay millions in Auz taxes

Chevron lost an appeal in Australian federal court that will see the US supermajor pay more than US$232 million (A$322 million) in back taxes, in addition to fines, after losing a case with the Australian Tax Office (ATO). The Aussie federal court ruled against Chevron, stating the company wrongly shifted… – Continue reading

MNCs in India may find it difficult to dodge taxmen

Multinational companies (MNCs) in India which have been evading tax on profits created due to a function carried out in the country by shifting contractual risk to some other location may soon find it difficult to escape the domestic tax net. Experts closely working with the government on how to… – Continue reading

Mauritius eyes Africa as pressure mounts on offshore business

Mauritius beats Singapore as the world’s top route for foreign investment to India and is a hub for thousands of firms managing half a trillion dollars in assets. But there are only a sprinkling of office blocks in Ebene Cybercity, the heart of the tiny Indian Ocean island’s financial services… – Continue reading

Tax Justice for Social Justice

By Martina Neuwirth and Thomas Kattnig [This blog article published on July 9, 2015 is translated from the German on the Internet, http://blog.arbeit-wirtschaft.at.] June 23 was the international day of public services. Did you know that? Provision of these services – water, hospitals, schools, culture, energy, streets, public transportation and… – Continue reading

After Blow to Europe Tax Havens, Some Promise More Staying Power

Luxembourg and the Netherlands lost a bit of luster as tax havens for some of the world’s biggest companies this week, as the European Union fired its latest salvo aimed at multinational tax dodging. Yet the Netherlands is on pace to maintain its attractiveness as a tax-friendly address for multinationals,… – Continue reading

Asset Managers To Take Centrestage In Business: PwC Report

Foretelling significant changes in tax structures around the world, newly released PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) report reveals that the future of businesses is dependent on how well their asset managers deal with this emergent tax risk. Titled, ‘Asset Management 2020 and beyond: Transforming your business for a new global tax world’, the… – Continue reading

Markets retain early gains amid a range bound trade

Indian equity markets retaining their early gains were trading in a range in early noon session, on value buying activities by market-participants. Sentiment got boost with the statement of finance ministry that the country will grow by 7.5 per cent in the current fiscal, slightly higher than international rating agency… – Continue reading

Apple Stakes Raised as EU Orders Starbucks, Fiat Tax Repayments

Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. got a preview of what the European Union may have in store for them after regulators ordered Starbucks Corp. and a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV unit to repay millions of euros in back taxes. The EU said the coffee company and the Italian carmaker were… – Continue reading

EU: “TAX RULINGS” IN LUXEMBOURG, NETHERLANDS DEEMED ILLEGAL STATE AID

The European Commission today announced a decision that Luxembourg and the Netherlands granted selective tax advantages to two multinational corporate entities, and as such, these “tax advantages” are illegal under EU state aid rules. The EC concluded that the tax rulings granted by the tax authorities in Luxembourg and in… – Continue reading

OECD crack down on corporate tax shelters is a risky double edged sword

Companies who have been accused of shifting profits to low-tax jurisdictions or those seeking tax shelters need to beware—these practices are coming under fire, and could possibly come to an end. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) just released details of their far-reaching plan that would require companies… – Continue reading

Revealed: How foreign buyers have bought £100bn of London property in six years

Wealthy investors have snapped up at least £100 billion of property across London using overseas companies in the past six years, new figures reveal today. Official data seen by the Standard shows that since 2008 there have been 27,989 purchases of homes, buildings and land in the capital by shadowy… – Continue reading

London Wants to Become the Center of Chinese Currency Trading

Three years ago, Chinese officials said U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron had “seriously damaged” relations by meeting with the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader. As planned talks between the two countries were canceled or failed to take place, worries emerged that Britain would miss out on building deeper economic… – Continue reading

Sevan’s agent implicated in Petrobras bribery scandal

An agent who brokered offshore contracts between Sevan Marine and Petrobras in Brazil has come under scrutiny after receiving up to $40m of Sevan’s money into its offshore bank account, Norwegian reports say. The agent’s company is now part of the investigation into whether ex-Sevan Marine employees made bribes to… – Continue reading

Australian government welcomes tax support from Labor

Shadow Assistant Treasurer Andrew Leigh will tell parliament on Monday that his party plans to support the coalition’s multinational tax avoidance crackdown. The federal government has welcomed support from the opposition for its planned crackdown on multinational tax dodgers. Extending the olive branch, the federal government is also prepared to… – Continue reading

IRS Offshore Account Penalties Go Up, More Banks Sign U.S. Disclosure Deal

The number of banks with deferred prosecution agreements with the U.S. government keeps growing. The subject is tax evasion involving American account holders. Today, under FATCA, banks everywhere want to know if you are compliant with the IRS. And the IRS keeps updating its list of foreign banks where offshore… – Continue reading

Caribbean likely to suffer collateral damage from tax havens crackdown

A little over a week ago the British parliamentarian, Sir Eric Pickles – a cabinet member until May of this year and a former Chairman of the Conservative Party – told the London Guardian that the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, was determined to have the BVI and the Cayman… – Continue reading

Mauritius Wants To Be To Africa What Dubai Is To The Middle East

Concerned about the impact of tax havens, world powers are tightening the noose on multinationals seeking tax advantages. India wants changes to its tax treaty with Mauritius, forcing the island’s new government to re-examine its business model and focus elsewhere. There is debate in the new government, which took office… – Continue reading

Karnataka’s e-commerce tax will fall flat in court: Experts

BENGALURU: The Karnataka tax department’s recent proposal to e-commerce firms, considered a face-saver, may not be legally tenable, tax experts said citing High Court and apex court rulings. The Karnataka commercial taxes department, last week, asked e-commerce firms including Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal to deduct 1% of the money payable… – Continue reading

As tax havens disappear, global revenue wars begin

We are entering a new world of tax revenue wars, and no one can say who will emerge as the victor. All we know is that there will be tension over the next five years as governments seek to implement the global plan to end to tax havens from Luxembourg… – Continue reading

MTN bullies SA with jobs threat

South Africa is allowing MTN potentially lucrative tax credits on money sent from its African operations to a letterbox company in Mauritius. Last week, amaBhungane and Finance Uncovered, a global reporting project, exposed how MTN’s African subsidiaries send billions in management fees to MTN International in Mauritius. The Mauritian entity… – Continue reading

Orica fights $50 million tax bill over ’round-robin’ financing

Orica has again found itself at odds with the Australian Taxation Office, this time over the circular financing arrangements the explosive maker put in place in 2002 to improve profits for the then struggling group. Orica has disputed the amended tax assessment from the ATO in relation to its “round-robin”… – Continue reading

Could Medtronic Move R&D To Ireland For Tax Purposes?

With Medtronic being one of Ireland’s largest employers, analysts say there is a new incentive for the medical device maker to prioritize its Dublin headquarters for R&D. In the eyes of developed nations, Ireland has become notorious for baiting multinational firms to its land with the offer of friendly tax… – Continue reading

Is a Canada Revenue Agency landlord avoiding taxes via offshore havens?

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) rents office space from a Vancouver-based property developer – a company that exploits offshore tax havens in Liechtenstein, the British Virgin Islands and Channel Islands. Larco Investments Ltd. owns three buildings in Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton where they rent office space to the CRA. Larco… – Continue reading

Starbucks, Fiat Decisions Seen in First Wave of EU Tax Cases

Starbucks Corp. and a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV unit are set to be first in the firing line as European Union regulators issue a series of rulings over tax breaks for global companies, including Apple Inc. The EU may issue decisions against Starbucks and Fiat as soon as next week… – Continue reading

Mylan CEO Heather Bresch: We needed tax inversion in order to grow

The chief of the generic drug company discussed her “counterintuitive” strategy for creating U.S. jobs. Mylan is one of a handful of U.S. companies that has recently completed a controversial tax inversion, as the generic drug company moved its official base to the Netherlands earlier this year. While the decision… – Continue reading

BEPS: CURRENT STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES

Last week’s OECD release of the final package of measures for a coordinated international approach to the reform of the international tax system, under the OECD/G20 base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project, marks the end of the discussion and recommendation phase, and the start of the implementation and practical… – Continue reading

CBDT inks 4 more advance pricing pacts

MUMBAI: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on October 13 signed four unilateral advance pricing agreements (APAs), including India’s second APA with a rollback provision. The nature of the transactions covered under these agreements varied from software development to share price valuation. According to government sources, the total number… – Continue reading

Ireland plans 6.25 per cent patent-box tax as `Double Irish’ ends

Ireland will introduce a new lower tax on intellectual property to keep and win more overseas investment as the government phases out a controversial loophole known as the “Double Irish.”, reports Bloomberg. The new knowledge development box will tax profits from patented innovations such as technological and pharmaceutical developments at… – Continue reading

Beyond the Black Money Bill

No focus on stock markets and other money-laundering machines After all the noisy assertions, only Rs4,147 crore of unaccounted wealth was declared during the special 90-day compliance window of the The Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Act, 2015 (Black Money Bill). Of this, just Rs2,488 crore will… – Continue reading

Big tech companies continue cutting profits to pay less tax in Spain

In 2014, seven major tech groups in Spain Declared collective profits of € 48.2 million, on Which They paid € 18.3 million in taxes. These online giants Real Their reduced corporate profits-through complex legal structures and accounting techniques That allowed them to shift part of the profits from Spain to… – Continue reading

Companies ‘are scrambling to boost tax transparency amid global crackdown’

Companies around the world are scrambling to overhaul how they communicate with the public when it comes to how much tax they pay, according to professional services firm KPMG. While the Senate is currently investigating multinational firms such as Apple and Google over potential tax avoidance, other countries are also… – Continue reading

Ireland, accused of giving tax breaks to multinationals, plans an even lower rate

Ireland, whose corporate tax rate of 12.5 percent is already one of the lowest in the developed world, said it would cut that rate in half for a new tax category — one covering revenue pegged to companies’ patents and other intellectual property. The Irish government, long criticized by other… – Continue reading

Geneva Bank Jobs Fall to Lowest Since Crisis Amid Regulatory Woe

Banking jobs in Geneva slipped to the lowest level since the 2008 financial crisis amid regulatory pressures, tax scrutiny and consolidation in the Swiss finance industry, according to lobby group Geneva Financial Center. Employees at banks in the city fell 3 percent to 18,855 in the 12 months through August,… – Continue reading

OECD publishes ‘Base Erosion Profit Shifting’ (BEPS) recommendations BEPS will have a broad impact on the region’s businesses, says PwC

PwC welcomes this effort to update international tax system and boost transparency. The tax landscape has been transformed by the globalisation of business and the advent of the digital age. We believe the existing international tax rules need to be modernised to reflect how business is done today, and it… – Continue reading