Category: High Networth Individuals

FACT Coalition Calls for Corporate Tax Transparency

“Investors see the value, policymakers see the benefits, and businesses see the inevitability of greater transparency,” says the group’s executive director. The Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition is calling on the U.S. Congress, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Financial Accounting Standards Board to require multinationals to… – Continue reading

Mauritius: blue skies, sunshine – and these noteworthy changes to its domestic laws

Not just the ultimate holiday stop, Mauritius is also a preferred jurisdiction for fund managers looking to establish African-focused funds, say Michael Denenga and Nicole Paige, partners at Webber Wentzel. “A scenic island off the coast of Africa, Mauritius’ main competitive advantage is its proximity to the jurisdictions that African-focused… – Continue reading

HMRC targets accountants over tax evading clients

HMRC sent 1,414 requests to professional services firms demanding confidential information on clients suspected of tax evasion in the 12 months to 31 March 2018, according to law firm RPC. The production orders are issued by HMRC’s Criminal Investigation Directorate to force third parties, such as accountants, lawyers and other… – Continue reading

Cyprus: The Cyprus ‘Non-Dom’ Rules

Introduction In July 2015, a number of bills relating to the Cyprus taxation system were approved by the Council of Ministers and subsequently enacted into legislation by the Parliament1. The key highlight of these new bills is the introduction for the very first time of the “non-dom” status for Cyprus… – Continue reading

Italian authorities target Swiss banks in wake of UBS fine

Guardia di Finanza, a financial police authority in Italy, has sent letters demanding Swiss lenders to reveal the the names of bankers working in the country, Bloomberg has reported. The authority wants to know more about the business that these banks entertain in Italy, in particular which type of business,… – Continue reading

Finance Ministry calls on parliament to adopt laws for cooperation with IMF, EU

The Ukrainian Finance Ministry has called on the Verkhovna Rada to approve a package of bills that will open access to further macro-financial assistance from the EU and help continue cooperation with the IMF, the ministry’s press service has reported on its Facebook page. “This week, the Verkhovna Rada will… – Continue reading

Swedbank hires EY to conduct forensics into money laundering

Swedbank, one of the largest banks in Sweden, has hired professionals services firm EY to investigate the bank’s possible involvement in large scale money laundering. According to media reports in Sweden, over the period of nearly ten years the bank facilitated approximately $5.8 billion worth of suspicious transactions. The transactions… – Continue reading

Mauritius, first jurisdiction globally to legally protect crypto

The Mauritius International Financial Centre (IFC) claims to be the first jurisdiction globally to offer a regulatory landscape for the custody of digital assets. This is according to communication from the country’s integrated regulator for the non-bank financial services sector and global business, the Financial Services Commission (FSC). The FSC… – Continue reading

Malta: Malta Citizenship And Residency By Investment (8 February, 2019)

As of 2019, the Individual Investor Program has received more than 1000 Malta passport applications on behalf of investors from more than 40 different countries. The Malta Individual Investor Programme (MIIP) offers high and ultra-high net worth individuals and families worldwide citizenship in a highly respected EU Member Country. Malta,… – Continue reading

FAMILY BUSINESSES DOMINATE LIST OF BRITAIN’S HIGHEST TAXPAYERS

Britain’s wealthiest families paid $1.2 billion in tax in the last financial year at a time when the state revenue contributions of the world’s richest individuals and corporations are coming under increasing scrutiny. Campden FB totalled the tax bills for 2017-18 of the 21 families of significant wealth as conservatively… – Continue reading

Steven Gerrard sues HSBC for £100m over tax schemes

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is taking legal action against his wealth manager following a crack down on tax avoidance schemes. The former Liverpool captain is among hundreds of investors who have launched a £100m lawsuit against HSBC’s private banking division, claiming it defrauded them, The Times has reported. Composer Lord… – Continue reading

Investment banker extradited for helping clients defraud tax authorities

For facilitators in Malta, it’s business as usual. A former employee of Mossack Fonesca has been extradited to Germany on charges relating to revelations from the Panama Papers, an unprecedented leak of over 11 million files from the database of the world’s fourth biggest offshore law firm at the time…. – Continue reading

France to propose world business tax at G7: minister

DAVOS, Switzerland: French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday that France would plead for global minimum corporate tax as a priority of its presidencyof the G7 nations group this year. “We need an effective minium corporate tax in all developed countries,” the minister said at a press conference… – Continue reading

Banks may declassify expatriate client data

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 13: The Fatwa and Legislation Department has submitted to the Council of Ministers a draft law that allows banks to declassify the data of their customers, as provided by the CRS Convention on Join Reporting, reports Al-Rai daily quoting sources. The Common Reporting Standard (CRS) is an… – Continue reading

BankThink AML enforcement needs more whistleblowers

In recent weeks, major anti-money-laundering enforcement actions have highlighted the critical role of whistleblowers in government efforts to curb illegal movement of funds. The German raids of Deutsche Bank, U.S. indictments of three employees and a client of Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, and an earlier Danske Bank money-laundering investigation… – Continue reading

Government Breaking Down ‘Offshore’ Banking Divide

The Government yesterday broke down the divide between Bahamian domestic and international financial institutions to meet European Union (EU) demands. KP Turnquest, the Deputy Prime Minister, in unveiling a radical regulatory shift said the Government will “make the playing field level for all financial institutions in The Bahamas” by enabling… – Continue reading

Proportion of HNWIs investing offshore rises

The wealthy are showing a keen interest to invest offshore, as the HNWIs seek to achieve benefits from global diversification and gain tax efficiencies. The proportion of HNWIs who invest offshore has risen from 11.2% in 2014 to 16.9% by December 2018, , according to GlobalData’s HNW Offshore Investment survey…. – Continue reading

IRS issues guidance on excess business loss limitations and NOLs

The IRS has issued guidance on excess business loss limitations and net operating losses following changes post-reform. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act modified existing tax law by limiting losses from all types of business for non-corporate taxpayers. An excess business loss is the amount by which the total deductions… – Continue reading

Bermuda: Economic Substance Legislation Tabled In Bermuda

Continuing its ongoing commitment to the development and maintenance of the very highest standards of economic and financial propriety, the Bermuda Government has tabled legislation that embraces a global initiative to combat base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS). The legislation, which was tabled in the House of Assembly on 7… – Continue reading

IRS gives foreign banks a break in Trump tax law’s new levy

The Internal Revenue Service is giving foreign-based banks with U.S. operations some leeway when calculating a major new international tax aimed at preventing global companies from shifting profits abroad. Multinationals often transfer payments, such as interest or royalties, to their affiliates in low-tax jurisdictions to maximize deductions and minimize tax… – Continue reading

Income Tax Dept cannot probe Foreign Assets of Assessee after Six Years: Delhi High Court [Read Judgment]

The Delhi High Court, in its recent decision, quashed an order of the Income Tax department questioning the overseas earnings and assets prior to March 31, 2005. The earnings included money in tax-haven banks, overseas properties and interests in offshore trusts and applies to non-resident Indians as well. The assessee,… – Continue reading

Vistra study: VI second-most important global financial jurisdiction

The Virgin Islands ranked as the second-most-important financial jurisdiction in the world in a recent study published by Vistra, a corporate services provider. The research — titled the “Vistra 2020 Report” — evaluated insight from more than 800 financial services industry professionals around the globe, according to the company. Published… – Continue reading

Central Bank Official: Oecd Tried To ‘Hobble’ Permanent Residency

A top Central Bank official has accused the OECD of trying to “hobble” the competitiveness of The Bahamas’ economic permanent residency regime by including it in an arbitrary “quasi-blacklist”. Charles Littrell, the regulator’s inspector of banks and trust companies, in a speech to a Turks & Caicos financial services conference,… – Continue reading

Isle of Man approves law to avoid EU blacklist

The Isle of Man’s parliament has approved tax legislation that will allow the jurisdiction to avoid being put on the European Union’s blacklist. Tynwald gave the green light this week to the Income Tax (Substance Requirements) Order 2018. This means that from January 2019, companies engaging in “relevant activities” will… – Continue reading

Low Paid Don’t Need Pension Tax Breaks, Claims Think-Tank

Don’t give pension saving tax breaks to the poor – they can’t afford to take advantage of them, says an international think-tank that comes up with financial policy for governments. Instead of wasting the retirement incentives on the poor, they should be aimed at high earners who struggle to save… – Continue reading

Wealthy Chinese Rushing to Establish Overseas Trusts

Consultants, private bankers and lawyers are seeing more business from PRC clients as they seek to shelter assets and income in overseas trusts ahead of new tax laws, which will be introduced in January. China’s tax law reforms that target high net worth individuals, set to come into force on… – Continue reading

Cayman drafts law requiring substance tests for offshore businesses

The Cayman Islands government has published draft tax legislation that will have far-reaching impact for the offshore finance industry operating in the jurisdiction by demanding that certain Cayman-registered companies have an adequate level of economic substance locally. The International Tax Co-operation (Economic Substance) Bill 2018 introduces a substance test for… – Continue reading

EU Details Action Plan On Money Laundering

European Union finance ministers worked out a plan for combating money laundering and also made a deal on major bank reform on Tuesday (Dec. 4), according to reports from Reuters. The money laundering plan is a response to highly visible cases of alleged criminal activity at EU banks in countries… – Continue reading

NRIs don’t need to reveal details of foreign bank accounts, assets to Indian tax dept: I-T Tribunal

The Income-Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) has said NRIs do not need to reveal details of their foreign bank accounts and assets to Indian authorities. The tribunal has also ruled that the onus is on the I-T Department to prove an assessee has parked undeclared income arising from India in foreign… – Continue reading

KPMG event to shed light on tax developments

The Peninsula KPMG in Qatar will be holding a complimentary event to brief the country’s tax and finance practitioners on recent and upcoming developments in tax processes and regulations, on December 4. The event will see Senior Tax and Advisory leaders from KPMG, along with Salah Gueydi, Director of Tax… – Continue reading

Barbados minister foresees OECD compliance by year-end

Barbados is to scrap its international business company (IBC) regime in response to the OECD labeling the policy as “harmful” to competition, and being in breach of rules governing international taxation. Last year the OECD included Barbados on its list of jurisdictions with a “harmful” preferential tax regime, and said… – Continue reading

UK lawmakers seek removal of 12-year offshore investigation limit

Britain’s parliamentary upper house has requested the current investigation limit set out in the Draft Finance Bill 2018 be scrapped. The House of Lords’ request to HMRC would, if passed, remove the 12-year offshore investigation limit from the Draft Finance Bill 2018 – a proposal that has seen an outcry… – Continue reading

Barbados overhauls corporate tax regime, slashes tax rate on local companies more than 20 per cent

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Thursday November 22, 2018 – Barbados will harmonize its domestic and international corporation tax regimes, by December 31, 2018, slashing the tax burden for some local companies by up to 29 per cent. Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced in the Barbados Parliament on Tuesday, November 20, the ambitious… – Continue reading

Canada’s Trudeau Announces $10.5-Billion Fiscal Stimulus to Compete With US

The cabinet of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to implement tax cuts for the nation’s businesses, which, along with the announced plans to reduce regulation, are highly reminiscent of the economic policies of Canada’s southern neighbour. Kristian Rouz — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has unveiled an ambitious… – Continue reading

Kenya and Mozambique move to remove double taxation, ease Visa rules

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma says the move is aimed at eliminating double taxation. Juma and her Mozambique counterpart Jose Antonio Pachecho have constituted a Joint Commission of Cooperation tasked with this mandate ahead of the State Visit by Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi who will be hosted by President… – Continue reading

PM announces tax ease for businesses

Prime Minister, Mia Mottley has announced a major tax break for local business. In her mini-budget presentation made earlier this year, she had announced that come July 1, corporation tax will increase from 25 per cent to 30 per cent which was expected to raise $57M in a full year…. – Continue reading