Category: Bulgaria

Spain removes Barbados from blacklist

FOLLOWING A PROTEST from the Ministry of International Business, Spain has removed Barbados from its tax blacklist. This latest development comes after a recent decision was taken by members of the European Union to blacklist this country for being a non-cooperative tax jurisdiction. International Business Minister, Donville Inniss, praised the… – Continue reading

Bulgaria cabinet approved agreement with Romania on double taxation avoidance

Sofia. Bulgarian government approved the agreement between Bulgaria and Romania on the double taxation avoidance and prevention of tax concealing, inked in April 2015, the press office of the Bulgarian Council of Ministers announced. The document is filed for ratification by the parliament. The current agreement between the countries was… – Continue reading

OECD backs Guernsey in fight against tax haven status

The OECD has backed Guernsey in its fight against tax haven status, describing the crown dependency’s inclusion on the European Commission’s list of top 30 non-compliant tax jurisdictions as “very surprising”. Monica Bhatia, head of the secretariat of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Global Forum on Transparency and… – Continue reading

BIBA: Time to talk tax havens

ARBADOS’ CONTROVERSIAL BLACKLISTING by a group of European Union (EU) countries is “hypocritical” and “grossly discriminatory”, says outgoing Barbados International Business Association (BIBA) president Connie Smith. But Smith also thinks the time is right for “engaging in bilateral discussions which could hopefully conclude in double taxation agreements and bilateral investment… – Continue reading

Business Monday: BIBA official: See blacklist as an opportunity

“THE decision by a group of European Union (EU) Member States to blacklist Barbados as being non-cooperative and further claim that Barbados and 29 other countries, mostly small islands, do not meet its standards of transparency, exchange of information and fair tax competition, is hypocritical and on the face of… – Continue reading

Antigua – Antigua wants EU to apologize for naming it a tax haven

ST. JOHN’S –– Antigua and Barbuda has written to the European Union’s representative in the Caribbean, strongly objecting to the twin-island nation being named a tax haven and calling on the EU to apologize and withdraw the list. In a strongly worded letter to Head of the Delegation of the… – Continue reading

FATCA – Which Countries Are In And Out

FATCA – Which Countries Are In And Out The controversial US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) law is set to start from July 1, 2014, so with less than 21 days to go, here’s a look at which countries are in and who is outside of the tax network…. – Continue reading

Caribbean states urged to object to EU tax-haven blacklisting

Critics of an EU tax-haven blacklist say the organisation is playing dice with small states’ reputations, while ignoring European tax avoidance hubs BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, June 19, 2015 (AMG) — Doubts have been cast over the methodology and motives behind the naming of fourteen Caribbean countries among a list of thirty… – Continue reading

Cayman on new EU blacklist

Government appeared to brush off the latest blacklisting of the Cayman Islands when it released a short statement on Wednesday at around 5pm following revelations by the EU that the jurisdiction had been cited as facilitating tax evasion, reports the Cayman News Service. “It is unfortunate that the EU black… – Continue reading

Accord to Avoid Double Taxation with Norway Now Before Bulgarian Parliament

Bulgaria’s government has proposed to parliament to ratify the agreement with Norway to avoid double taxation of income. The agreement was signed in July of last year to update the regulation framework governing the bilateral economic relations, the cabinet said in a statement on Wednesday. The previous agreement had been… – Continue reading

Sofia City Court returns the Prosecutor’s Office indictment against prominent Bulgarian politician

Sofia. Judicial proceedings against Bulgarian politician Hristo Biserov is terminated and returned to the Prosecutor’s Office to remove breaches in the factual part, the press office of Sofia City Court announced. The order is subject to appeal and protest before the Sofia Court of Appeal in 7 days of service… – Continue reading

Bulgaria court distrains BGN 1.5 mln property of ex-MP Hristo Biserov

Sofia. At the request of the Commission for Establishing Property Acquired from Criminal Activity Sofia City Court levied distraint on property of former MP Htristo Biserov and his step-son Ivaylo Glavinkov, worth BGN 1,555,883, the press office of the commission announced, as cited by the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR). The… – Continue reading

UBB and DSK Bank in unequal court battle with offshore company – sham creditor of Bross HoldingUBB and DSK Bank in unequal court battle with offshore company – sham creditor of Bross Holding

Sofia. The Silistra District Court ruled on April 3, 2015, that United Bulgarian Bank (UBB) and DSK Bank should pay offshore company (and sham creditor of Bross Holding) DC & Chem Co BGN 1,305,005.24 each for the remuneration of the legal adviser appointed by the offshore company, the Capital weekly… – Continue reading

New Agreement between Bulgaria and Romania for the avoidance of double taxation will stimulate bilateral business relations

Sofia. The Bulgarian government approved a draft of a new agreement between Bulgaria and Romania for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. The document will be signed in case of following ratification. That is what the government information service announced…. – Continue reading

Bulgaria assails Greek law fighting tax avoidance

Bulgaria complained Monday to the European Commission about a new Greek law battling corporate tax avoidance that Sofia warns could undermine trade between the two Balkan neighbours. In a letter to European Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici, Bulgarian Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov took exception with Athens’ introduction of a 26… – Continue reading

Petition Demands End to Tax Evasion in Europe

The initiative means to lobby for a harmonization of Corporation Law in Europe to tackle tax evasion and re-fund public spending. About 40,000 Spanish citizens have signed a petition demanding measures against front companies and tax heavens in Europe, explained the activists in charge of the initiative Saturday. Beyond Spain,… – Continue reading

Bulgarian banks to share information with US authorities

Sofia. Bulgarian banks will be providing U.S. authorities with information about accounts of American citizens in the country, Standart Daily reports. The Parliament’s budget and finance committee on Thursday ratified the FACTA agreement between Bulgaria and the U.S. Bulgaria signed the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) back in 2013… – Continue reading

Bulgaria approves USA’s FATCA agreement

Bulgaria’s cabinet has approved an agreement with the United States on the US’s Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), which targets tax non-compliance by US taxpayers with foreign accounts, Sofia Globe wrote. The cabinet approved the agreement, reached in December 2014, and said that it would ask the National Assembly… – Continue reading

Romania dismantles vast tax evasion network

Romanian authorities have dismantled a tax evasion network suspected of cheating the treasury out of 27 million euros ($34 million), prosecutors said Monday. Police raided around 40 locations in the greater Bucharest area and in the northeast as part of the crackdown on a group suspected of also embezzling 20… – Continue reading

Bulgaria Concludes US FATCA Deal

Bulgaria has formally signed up to the US’s Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), just over six months after the two countries concluded a transitional “in substance” agreement. FATCA, which was enacted by the US Congress in 2010 and took effect on July 1, 2014, is intended to ensure that… – Continue reading

FATCA Tracker – October 01, 2014

Nearly 105,000 financial institutions are listed on the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) database of Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) organisations complying with the tax reporting rules for US citizens. The latest list was published on October 1, 2014 by the IRS and shows 104,344 financial organisations have signed… – Continue reading

Bulgarian prosecutors say Liechtenstein investigating Corpbank

(Reuters) – Liechtenstein is investigating the main owner of Bulgaria’s Corporate Commercial Bank (Corpbank), Tsvetan Vassilev, and have asked for information about him, Bulgarian prosecutors said on Tuesday. Corpbank was hit by a run on deposits in June, triggering Bulgaria’s worst financial crisis since the 1990s. Vassilev was charged with… – Continue reading

101 Countries Sign Up For FATCA Network

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) has been in force for a month and still more countries are joining the tax network. So far, 101 countries and financial jurisdictions have either signed or agreed to join FATCA. FATCA is aimed at identifying US taxpayers with offshore bank accounts and investments. Overseas… – Continue reading

Corporation tax: Rate cut likely as Prime Minister David Cameron set to let Northern Ireland go it alone

Northern Ireland looks set to be handed the power to slash corporation tax in a move with the potential to significantly boost our stuttering economy. In a development which could transform international investment, senior sources in London and Belfast predict that an announcement will be made no later than October… – Continue reading