Category: Asia

Iranian ambassador takes office in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov received the copies of credentials of Iran’s new Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Bahman Agharazi Dormani, Uzbek Foreign Ministry said. During the meeting, the sides discussed the status and priority areas of Uzbek-Iranian cooperation in political, trade, economic, cultural, humanitarian and other spheres. They reiterated mutual… – Continue reading

Your Taxes: Exporters beware of sales agents

On October 5 the OECD published recommended measures that purport to tackle BEPS – Base Erosion Profit Shifting. Exporters around the world need to take note of the latest recommendations of the OECD. Any business that uses overseas agents or warehouses should take note. A company resident in country A… – Continue reading

India to apply 5 pct withholding tax to offshore rupee bonds – official

India will apply a 5 percent withholding tax to offshore rupee bonds for foreign investors, in line with the rate applied to domestic debt, Manoj Joshi, joint secretary at the finance ministry, told reporters on Tuesday. The clarification comes amid some confusion about whether the withholding tax also applied to… – Continue reading

Japan will start using electronic ID card following the Estonia

Prime Minister of Estonia Taavi Rõivas met on Friday with Japanese Economy Minister Akira Amari who came to visit Estonia to study Estonia’s e-services and they discussed the two countries closer trade relations and the development of the digital society, the government’s communication unit reports BC. Japan is the first… – Continue reading

Singapore Yuan Hub Set to Grow Furthe

The offshore yuan market faced a rocky patch following Beijing’s shock devaluation in August, but the push to internationalise the currency has lost little momentum, according to The Strait Times. Similarly, Singapore’s role in the growth of the yuan is likely to continue unabated. The general manager of ICBC Singapore,… – Continue reading

Expo 2020 will bring world to Dubai to learn and share ideas: Mohammed

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, today received at Zabeel Palace, Nikola Gruevski, Prime Minister of Macedonia, and his accompanying delegation. At the beginning of the meeting, which was attended by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid… – Continue reading

DTAA tackles double taxation of job income

Expansion activities of companies lead to relocation of their employees to different territories, even outside the country. It goes without saying that transfer in job from one location to another comes with a baggage of issues, including the taxability of income from employment. The tax matter needs particular attention if… – Continue reading

The Mayor’s Free Land

A company controlled by Mayor of Belgrade Sinisa Mali and his family obtained more than 10 hectares of agricultural land worth anywhere from €123,000 to € 250,000 (US$140,000 to US$290,000) for free from a privatized state company. Problem is, the land wasn’t the company’s to give, but was still owned… – Continue reading

Procurement Services by Chinese Company Taxable as Fees for Technical Services under India-China Tax Treaty: AAR

• There can be no straight jacket formula to determine what is meant by “provision of service,” which may include where services are i) provided; ii) rendered; or iii) utilized. • The expression ‘provision of services’ is much wider than ‘provision of rendering of services,’ and covers the services even… – 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

BEPS will affect around 9,000 companies globally: Grace Perez-Navarro

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has been leading the charge to improve transparency in tax administration and curb tax avoidance by multinational companies. Endorsed by the G20 nations, including India, OECD recently came out with a package of measures and a road map to tackle base erosion… – Continue reading

Art Collectors Find Safe Harbor in Delaware’s Tax Laws

NEWARK, Del. — It may not summon up a sense of international intrigue like Geneva or Luxembourg, but this small city, just off the Interstate and down the road from Wilmington, can now boast that it has joined those more glamorous locales as a tax haven for art collectors. Fritz… – Continue reading

East Africa: Rwanda Taxman Moves to Catch Tax Evaders

Rwanda has commissioned an audit into recent merger and acquisition deals involving foreign firms in its latest effort to clamp down on tax avoidance among multinational corporations. This comes amid growing concern that multinational companies move profits from the countries where they are generated and, in so doing, reduce national… – Continue reading

Tax Planning for Chinese Investment in U.S. Real Estate

According to recent estimates, Chinese investors represented the largest group of foreign investors in U.S. real estate in the second quarter of 2015 with $1.9 billion in acquisitions. In the last 12 months, Chinese investors acquired $5.9 billion in commercial U.S. real estate, and Asia was second overall to Europe… – Continue reading

India fails to get to root of black money problem

The Indian government’s initial unsuccessful efforts to unearth billions of dollars of undeclared foreign assets – some believed to be hidden in Swiss banks – highlight the complexity of vehicles used to move money illicitly. Earlier in the year, a new law on black money came into effect. It included… – 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

Taiwan and Mainland China signed a Cross-Straits Income Tax Agreement

Taiwan and Mainland China signed the “Cross-straits Agreements for the Avoidance of Double Taxation on Income and Solidifying Cooperation with respect to Taxes” (hereinafter referred to as “Cross-straits ITA”) on 25 August 2015. After the draft Article 25-2 of the “Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area… – 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

Just how dirty is offshore money?

David Cameron threw the proverbial cat among the pigeons in July when, with a steely glare at the UK property industry, he warned that the UK must not become “a safe haven for corrupt money from around the world” and that “there is no place for dirty money in Britain”…. – Continue reading

Govt Drops Double Taxation Rule for REITs

Jakarta. The Indonesian government revealed its fifth stimulus package on Thursday in a bid to prop up the economy by, among others, scrapping double taxation imposed on companies called real estate investment trusts to improve property investment. The package was announced by Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Coordinating Minister for Maritime… – 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

India: Foreign Tax Credits Available For Exempt Indian Income: Karnataka High Court

Foreign tax credit available to taxpayers even on a portion of exempt income. Exempt income (under section 10A) is chargeable to tax under section 4 and 5 of the ITA although no tax may actually be payable. Actual payment of the tax is not necessary for claiming foreign tax credits…. – Continue reading

Ayar Law Group Releases Critical Guidelines for Taxpayers with Foreign Bank Accounts

Ayar Law Group speaks about Amnesty Programs expiring as foreign banks comply with FATCA. Oct. 22, 2015 / PRZen / DELHI, India — The unofficial period of grace to reveal foreign bank accounts to the IRS is ending for U.S. taxpayers. Those who don’t comply with the law may soon… – 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

Agreements with Italy and Japan to avoid international double taxation

The negotiations conducted by the Ministry of Finance and the Internal Revenue Service (SII) for Chile to sign the agreements to avoid international double taxation with Italy and Japan have concluded successfully. “The successful completion of negotiations with two of the world’s major economies crown an exceptional year in strengthening… – 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

UAE and Mauritania sign agreements on preventing double taxation and boosting investment

NOUAKCHOTT 22nd October 2015 (WAM) — The UAE and Mauritania yesterday signed two agreements preventing double taxation and protecting and promoting investment between the two countries. The agreements were signed by H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foreign Minister and Hamadi Ould Baba Ould Hamadi Mauritanian Minister for Foreign… – 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

Offshore Yuan Rises on Stability Bets as Xi Pushes Global Usage

The yuan rose the most in almost a week in offshore trading on speculation Chinese authorities will prevent depreciation as President Xi Jinping promotes the currency’s use in global trade and finance during a trip to the U.K. this week. The People’s Bank of China sold debt overseas for 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

Tunisia: Belhassen Trabelsi Has Diverted Millions of Dinars Through Offshore and Shell Companies

Tunis, — The process of returning Tunisian property and assets frozen in a number of foreign banks in general and in Switzerland, in particular, has not moved an inch. More than four years have elapsed since the fall of former President Ben Ali without any hope of progress on the… – Continue reading

The inaugural “Sudanese U-Turn” Prize for Creative Financial Chicanery is awarded to Credit Agricole

The French bank Credit Agricole will pay US regulators $787 million for flagrant violations of international sanctions against Iran, Sudan, and other countries. While it almost isn’t news anymore that a global bank got caught violating the law and will pay a giant fine to make up for it, we… – Continue reading

Mandatory disclosure rules: OECD releases final paper on BEPS 12

What has happened? On 5 October 2015 the OECD issued its final paper on BEPS Action 12 Mandatory Disclosure Rules, Action 12 – 2015 Final Report (Paper). In this Alert we highlight the main issues and recommendations for taxation reform raised in the Paper. The Australian Treasurer’s BEPS Press Release… – 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