Category: Russia

FATCA enforcement affecting large portions of the financial services sector, including insurance

More than 100 countries including India, China and Russia have already entered into agreements with the US on the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and with new FATCA requirements coming into effect on 1st of January 2015 applying to U.S. and non-U.S insurers and insurance brokers, large portions of… – Continue reading

Fatca registration picture still unclear

Many registered firms are subsidiaries of the same organisation, so actual number could be much lower than latest available figure of 442 Sachin P Mampatta  |  Mumbai  January 6, 2015 Last Updated at 22:47 IST The picture regarding the number and proportion of Indian financial institutions which had registered with… – Continue reading

Don’t run before you can walk – Russian deoffshorisation uncertainties

The new deoffshorisation legislation that passed with lightning speed through Russia’s Parliament and then hastingly signed by President Putin in the time span of a week and a half, comes into force on January 1, 2015. The new deoffshorisation legislation that passed with lightning speed through Russia’s Parliament and then… – Continue reading

Spain pushes for taxation debate at EU summit

BRUSSELS – It was supposed to be all about investments and Russia, but the issue of tax avoidance is likely to creep onto the EU summit agenda on Thursday (18 December). In the draft summit conclusions circulated among EU ambassadors on Wednesday, there is one paragraph mentioning the “urgent need… – Continue reading

Medvedev: Capital Return Amnesty Not About ‘Dragging’ Money Back to Russia

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stated that Moscow does not intend to “physically drag money” to Russia in the framework of amnesty for capital returning to country suggested by Russian President Vladimir Putin. MOSCOW, December 13 (Sputnik) — Moscow does not intend to “physically drag money” to Russia in the… – Continue reading

Putin Says Tax Rules Should Remain Unchanged

Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, has said that tax legislation should remain unchanged for the next four years, and that he wants a one-off tax amnesty for individuals who repatriate capital to Russia. Addressing the Federal Assembly, Putin said that there is a need for stable legislation and predictable rules, which… – Continue reading

Stocks end three-day slide; Burger King to realize big tax savings; Apple facing Canadian probe: P.M. Business News Links

Stocks rose today for the first time in four trading days in the wake of a report showing strong retail sales in November and as oil continues its sharp decline. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 63.19 points to 17,596.34, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 9.19 points to… – Continue reading

B2B: Beneficial Owner of Income: Treaty Benefits and the Introduction of the New Rules

The MT Conferences section did not involve the reporting or the editorial staff of The Moscow Times. Russian business is trembling in expectation of the new year when major changes recently introduced to the tax legislation will enter into force. There has been a lot of discussion regarding the increase… – Continue reading

The Big Four divided over FATCA interpretation in Russia – report

MOSCOW, December 8 (RAPSI) – The world’s four largest audit firms, which provide services under the FATCA norms, have provided contradictory consultations to their Russian clients, Kommersant newspaper writes on Monday. The Big Four are the four largest international professional services networks, offering audit, assurance, tax, consulting, advisory, actuarial, corporate… – Continue reading

BIS raises “hot money” concerns about emerging market company debt

* Nearly half of EM corporate overseas debt issued offshore * Accounting conventions do not capture associated risks, BIS says By Sam Wilkin LONDON, Dec 7 (Reuters) – Cross-border debt issued by emerging market companies may be less stable than it initially appears due to the increasing role of overseas… – Continue reading

Tax moratorium, western sanctions to facilitate Putin’s offshore amnesty — experts

Economy  December 04, 17:06 UTC+3 Vladimir Putin announced an all-out amnesty for offshore capital to return Russian capital from foreign jurisdictions MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/. Russia’s moratorium on tax hikes and western sanctions that provoked a cautious attitude to money from Russia will facilitate offshore capital amnesty announced by President… – Continue reading

Putin: Russian Business Should Be Freed From Obsessive Contro

During his address to the General Assembly on Wednesday Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russian business should be freed from obsessive control. MOSCOW, December 4 (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin stated Thursday that it is necessary to lift restrictions for Russian business, freeing it from obsessive control. “As… – Continue reading

Russia enacts anti-offshore tax legislation

MOSCOW, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) — Russian entrepreneurs must report to tax authorities about their ownership of shares in the off- shore jurisdictions, according to the law signed by President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. The new law introduces an amendment to the Russian Tax Code that will force Russian owners of… – Continue reading

Russia Readies for Showdown Over Taxing Offshore Companies

Russia’s lower house of parliament on Tuesday took aim at the offshore holdings that have become ubiquitous in Russian business, passing in its final reading a bill that will make Russian taxpayers declare and pay taxes on their assets abroad. But once signed into law, this product of President Vladimir… – Continue reading

Ukraine and Russia take center stage as leaders gather for G20

(Reuters) – A showdown between Western leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely at the G20 summit in Australia starting on Saturday, following fresh reports of Russian troops pouring into eastern Ukraine. Ukraine has accused Russia of sending soldiers and weapons to help separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine launch… – Continue reading

No extra NHR tax exemptions in 2015, say Portuguese officials

Proposals to extend capital gains and investment income tax exemptions under Portugal’s Non-Habitual Residents Tax Regime have not been passed, say government officials It seems that the Portuguese government has shelved plans, at least for 2015, to extend capital gains and investment income taxation exemptions. However, officials say they are… – Continue reading

Foreign lending picks up in second quarter, offshore centers attract credit

(Reuters) – International banking activity expanded for a second straight quarter between April and June with banks lending more to emerging markets, particularly China, and to investment funds in offshore centers such as the Cayman Islands, data showed on Monday. Foreign lending to offshore centers rose to $2.269 trillion in… – Continue reading

Lukoil Refinery in Romania Closed over Tax Evasion, Money Laundering Probe

Romanian authorities have ordered the closure of Lukoil’s Petrotel refinery in Ploiesti, Romania. Oleg Malginov, Russia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Romania, announced that the oil refinery had been closed sue to an investigation for tax evasion and money laundering. Malginov, as cited by ITAR-TASS, pointed out that the halt… – Continue reading

Russian authorities to offer tax amnesty for offshore companies Source: Russia Beyond the Headlines –

The Finance Ministry is pushing ahead with its program to entice Russian-owned offshore firms to repatriate capital. A new law will impose penalties on such companies for tax evasion, but offers the carrot of a 2-year amnesty for those firms which decide to relocate to Russia. The Finance Ministry has… – Continue reading

Millionaire Official Sues Navalny Over Offshore Report

A Moscow City Hall official confronted with allegations of illegal business activity has sued his accuser, whistle-blowing blogger and opposition activist Alexei Navalny. Deputy Mayor Maxim Liksutov, who oversees transportation in Moscow, announced via Facebook on Thursday that he had sued Navalny for an unspecified sum. Data made publicly available… – Continue reading

Russia Races to Dodge Sanctions by Adapting Law to FATCA

Russia is in a race against time to adapt its laws to the U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, and save its banks from financial sanctions. Legislation allowing Russian financial institutions to share information about their U.S. clients with the U.S. tax service, the IRS, was submitted to the State Duma on Wednesday, but has no hope of being… – Continue reading

Moscow Fears FATCA Sanctions Over Crimea Crisis

Russia’s hard line over sanctions following the annexation of The Crimea from Ukraine seems to be softening over the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). In on-off negotiations that have inched forward over several months, Russia had pledged to sign up to a FATCA inter-government agreement to make the country’s… – Continue reading

G-20 Agrees on Automatic Tax Data Sharing, OECD Says

Group-of-20 nations agreed to implement a global standard for automatically exchanging information between tax authorities by the end of 2015, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said. The endorsement is a step toward putting an end to “banking secrecy as we know it,” Pascal Saint-Amans, director of the OECD’s… – Continue reading

OECD delivers new global standard to target tax cheats

The OECD on Sunday delivered a new global standard to crack down on tax evasion with more than 40 countries already committing to the measures. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) chief Angel Gurria called it “a real game-changer” that would boost international cooperation to reel in cheats. “Globalisation… – Continue reading