Category: Andorra

Opera star Montserrat Caballé reaches deal to avoid jail for tax evasion

Spanish soprano to pay fine after already returning the €500,000 she withheld in 2010 World-famous soprano Montserrat Caballé is close to ending the darkest chapter of her career. The opera singer has reached a deal with the Spanish tax authorities over more than €500,000 that prosecutors claim she withheld in… – Continue reading

Revered Catalan Leader Tarnished by Tax Investigation

Scandal Is an Embarrassment to Separatists Planning Independence Referendum BARCELONA— Jordi Pujol often said he discovered his mission for Catalonia while climbing a mountain as a boy and seeing the destruction wrought by the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. Decades later, as Catalonia’s long-serving leader, Mr. Pujol presided over… – Continue reading

Luxembourg and Austria drop opposition to banking directive

States agree to automatic exchange of non-EU citizens’ savings account details After years of opposition, Luxembourg and Austria have agreed to back automatic exchange of savings account information on non-citizens to tackle tax fraud in the EU. Their shift was welcomed by other EU leaders meeting in Brussels and allows ministers to sign off… – Continue reading

Switzerland Revives DTA With Argentina

Switzerland and Argentina have recently signed a new agreement for the avoidance of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and on capital. The treaty replaces the provisional agreement of 1997 and provides for the exchange of information upon request, in line with the current international standard. This is… – Continue reading

Luxembourg stalls agreement on EU tax evasion law

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a city state of just over a half million inhabitants, on Tuesday refused to agree on a proposed key EU tax evasion law at the monthly Ecofin meeting of European Union finance ministers. Algirdas Šemeta, EU taxation Commissioner, said Tuesday’s failure was “disappointing” because the legislation… – Continue reading

Austria takes harder line on bank secrecy

(Reuters) – Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann on Wednesday demanded movement in European Union tax talks with Switzerland and other non-EU countries and linked this to whether Vienna will agree to automatically exchange data on cross-border savings. His remarks to reporters after he met Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel appeared to… – Continue reading