Category: Luxembourg

Luxembourg Vulnerable To International Tax Developments, Says IMF

International tax developments could have a negative impact on Luxembourg’s tax revenues and economy, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said in its latest Luxembourg country report. The report, published on April 3, warns Luxembourg that a number of external tax events are likely to have “important implications” for Luxembourg,… – Continue reading

TAX TALK: LUX-FRANCE TREATY CREATES UNCERTAINTY

On the occasion of the signing of the new double taxation treaty (DTT) between Luxembourg and France on 20 March 2018, the grand duchy’s finance minister, Pierre Gramegna, commented in a government press release that the new DTT is, “…an innovative instrument that will benefit both citizens and business in… – Continue reading

Luxembourg Says EU’s Digital Tax Must Be Lawful

Luxembourg Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna has said that any special tax measures against large digital companies should respect European Union law. Gramegna made the comments during an official visit to Paris earlier this month where he held a series of working meetings with French government counterparts. “Pierre Gramegna stressed that… – Continue reading

LUX RULES “MAY FACILITATE AGGRESSIVE TAX PLANNING”

The European Commission has criticised Luxembourg and six other EU member states for overly favourable tax treatment of multinational corporations. “The @EU_Commission is today stressing the issue of aggressive tax planning in seven EU countries: #Belgium, #Cyprus, #Hungary, #Ireland, #Luxembourg, #Malta and The #Netherlands. #FairTaxation,” Pierre Moscovici, the European finance… – Continue reading

EUROPE INVESTIGATES IKEA TAX EVASION VIA NETHERLANDS

The European Commission is launching an investigation into Ikea’s tax construction in the Netherlands. European Commissioner on competition Margrethe Vestager is expected to officially announce the investigation on Tuesday, British newspaper the Financial Times reports. The Swedish furniture company is suspected of evading nearly a billion euros in taxes between… – Continue reading

Luxembourg challenges EU order to recover tax from Amazon

Luxembourg is challenging a European Union order to recover about €250m in back taxes from Amazon, saying it disagreed with EU state aid regulators’ decision that the US online retailer had received special treatment. The appeal to the Luxembourg-based General Court, Europe’s second-highest, comes two months after the European Commission… – Continue reading

EU finance ministers discuss plans for new taxation of digital firms

European Union plans for a new taxation system for digital companies, such as Skype and Amazon, both of which have European headquarters in Luxembourg, were discussed on Tuesday by EU finance ministers. A report from the European Commission in September said the effective average tax rate for a traditional international… – Continue reading

E.U., Citing Amazon and Apple, Tells Nations to Collect Tax

BRUSSELS — European competition regulators on Wednesday mounted a push against tax avoidance by Silicon Valley giants, announcing plans to take Ireland to court for failing to collect back taxes from Apple and ordering Luxembourg to claim unpaid taxes from Amazon. The effort, which comes as the European Union considers… – Continue reading

EU divided over radical tax reforms targeting tech giants

The EU is deeply divided over how to increase the tax take from tech giants such as Google, Apple and Amazon, who have recently come under fire for being perceived as not paying their fair share of taxes A controversial set of reforms spearheaded by French president Emmanuel Macron propose… – Continue reading

New Dutch Law Leaves Repentant Taxpayers Out in the Cold

The abolition of a scheme allowing Dutch taxpayers to fess up to their tax sins and avoid criminal charges is likely to discourage high-net worth individuals from ever disclosing money hidden abroad to local authorities, practitioners say. Deputy Minister of Finance Eric Wiebes announced that it was time to draw… – Continue reading

EU eyes corporate rules shake-up with law on seat transfer

The European Commission is preparing a new directive on the cross-border transfer of company headquarters, a move that could have far-reaching implications for other areas of corporate governance, including tax planning and cross-border mergers, EURACTIV has learned. With Brexit on the horizon, UK companies are busy weighing their options for… – Continue reading

Half of Belgium’s economic output ends up in tax havens

Companies operating in Belgium sent more than €221 billion to countries local authorities regard as tax havens, according to Belgian daily Le Soir. Belgium’s gross domestic product was €466 billion last year. According to the country’s tax authorities, 853 Belgian companies funneled almost a half of the country’s economic output… – Continue reading

Amazon won’t reveal total UK tax bill after sales of £7bn and a £1.3m rebate

Amazon has refused to reveal how much it paid in total UK tax last year after it emerged it actually got a rebate of £1.3million. The online giant, which three years ago pledged to stop using a controversial tax avoidance scheme, admitted it had paid just £7million in corporation tax… – Continue reading

OECD Praises Luxembourg’s Tax Regime

The OECD has praised Luxembourg’s tax regime for its predictability, although it sounded a warning about the volatility of tax revenues from the financial sector. In its latest assessment of the Luxembourg economy, the OECD said that Luxembourg’s strong economic performance was due partly to “business-friendly regulations, a predictable tax… – Continue reading

Paris wants US corporations to pay fair share of taxes in EU

France wants Brussels to take a tougher stance on American multinationals working inside the European Union (EU) and force them to pay an appropriate amount of tax. “I can tell you that the times we live in are not for the weak,” French Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire said in… – Continue reading

EU targets lawyers and accountants in tax-avoidance clampdown

Jean-Claude Juncker tells MEPs legislation will try to solve ‘real problem’ of experts helping clients exploit tax laws Brussels is preparing to crack down on accountants and lawyers running tax-avoidance schemes in response to the Panama Papers scandal that showed how the rich and powerful hide their money. Jean-Claude Juncker,… – Continue reading

IMF Recommends Lower, Broader Corporate Tax For Luxembourg

Further corporate tax reforms may be needed to Luxembourg’s tax regime for foreign companies if it is to maintain its appeal while responding to international tax initiatives, the International Monetary Fund has said. The IMF said that evolving international tax transparency and anti-tax avoidance rules at OECD/G20 and EU levels,… – Continue reading

Cyprus and Luxembourg object to a proposed EU common corporate tax base directive

Cyprus and Luxembourg, two of the EU`s financial centres, on Monday cautioned against the implementation of the proposed Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCTB) in the European Union. “Cyprus believes that we should be very cautious and very careful when it comes to corporate taxation,” Cypriot Finance Minister Harris Georgiades… – Continue reading

Campaigners demonstrate ‘In Praise of Whistleblowers’

Members of the Methodist Tax Justice Network (MTJN) and the Tax Justice Network (TJN) gathered outside the Embankment headquarters of PricewaterhouseCoopers on Wednesday 5 April 2017 to demonstrate in support of whistleblowers and against the actions of PwC, who have facilitated global tax avoidance, tried to prevent the release of… – Continue reading

Ukraine ratified double tax treaty with Luxembourg

On 14 March 2017 the Parliament of Ukraine ratified the Convention between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg “On Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Income and Capital Tax Evasion” (the “Convention”) and a protocol to it (the “Protocol”). As we informed… – Continue reading

Amazon not liable for $1.5bn tax bill, judge rules

Online giant wins transfer pricing case against US Internal Revenue Service Amazon. com has won a tax dispute with the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), involving more than $1.5 billion (€1.39 billion), in relation to the transactions of a Luxembourg unit more than a decade ago. Judge Albert Lauber of… – Continue reading

New residence permit to attract non-EU investors, entrepreneurs and talent

(HP) A new law which was voted last month is set to ensure an exclusive residence permit in Luxembourg to high net worth investors, entrepreneurs and talent from outside the European Union. Due to be published early June, the draft law introduces five new residence permits, putting in place new… – Continue reading

Luxembourg Praised For Adopting International Tax Standards

Luxembourg should seek to widen the tax base while ensuring that its corporate tax regime continues to meet international best standards, says the International Monetary Fund. It said that the country could improve its reputation by “promptly transposing” the EU’s Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive into national law and continuing to implement… – Continue reading

Netherlands: Trends I Netherlands Moves Away From Fiscal Offshore Industry

The Netherlands is slowly but surely steering away from facilitating the use of its corporate income tax system by companies that are set up merely to obtain tax benefits. These companies, which often do not actually carry out activities in the Netherlands, have contributed to the perception among policy makers… – Continue reading

Luxembourg: Luxembourg’s New Transfer Pricing Rules: Some Compliance Required!

On 22 December 2016 the Luxembourg Parliament passed article 56bis of the Luxembourg Income Tax Law (LITL). This provision gives taxpayers and tax authorities more guidance on how to apply the arm’s-length principle. The new article can be seen as a transposition of OECD BEPS reports (actions 8-9-10) released in… – Continue reading

U.S. tax reform plan “not likely” to badly impact Canada: Expert

WASHINGTON — An American tax authority who helped champion a reform now being considered by the U.S. Congress says Canada would not be among the countries hardest hit by the introduction of so-called border adjustments. Alan Auerbach is among the leading proponents of the push to restructure corporate taxes so… – Continue reading

Inland Revenue audits Microsoft NZ over transfer pricing practices

Microsoft New Zealand is bracing for possible action from the taxman. The company said in its annual accounts that Inland Revenue was auditing payments charged to it by Microsoft companies overseas over the two years to June 2015. Microsoft NZ listed the Inland Revenue audit as a “contingent liability” for… – Continue reading

Snapchat opts for London over Dublin for international HQ

Move could be a worrying indicator of investment trends post-Brexit, post-Beps Snap, the company behind Snapchat, has opted to open its new new international headquarters in London, rather than Dublin, Amsterdam or Luxembourg, bucking a trend which for decades has seen US multinationals book their international sales in one of… – Continue reading

Juncker accused of blocking EU efforts against tax avoidance

Jean-Claude Juncker deliberately blocked the EU’s efforts to fight tax avoidance while in office as prime minister of Luxembourg, according to documents revealed by The Guardian and the International Consortium of Journalists. EurActiv France reports. Member states have supposedly spent the last two decades cooperating in the committee on business… – Continue reading

A Classic Case Of Double Taxation?

The Central Board of Direct Taxes in India issued Circular Number 41 on December 21, 2016 providing clarifications on applicability of ‘indirect transfer’ provisions under the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961 to investors of Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) – earlier known as Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) in India. The circular… – Continue reading

Luxembourg to sharpen tax rules for intra-group financing

Luxembourg on Tuesday said it would sharpen its corporate tax rules, making it more difficult for large corporations to avoid tax by channelling funds through the small European country, a practice exposed in media reports known as “LuxLeaks”. The rules, entering into force on Jan. 1, firm up the “arm’s… – Continue reading

Ireland Rejects Oxfam’s Tax Haven Claims

Ireland’s Ministry of Finance, the EU and several other governments have emphatically rejected claims by Oxfam International that the countries are tax havens, with Ireland insisting its corporate tax laws are “fully compliant” with international best practices when it comes to transparency and information exchange. The Irish government said the… – Continue reading

Rate Competition Is New International Tax Planning Reality

Lower corporate tax rates around the world are expected to play an important part in multinational companies’ tax planning in 2017, with a rate as low as 15 percent on the table in the U.S. and countries such as the U.K. planning to maintain or lower their current rates. A… – Continue reading

International taxation changes could ‘pose a major challenge’ to Malta’s iGaming sector

Changes in the way international taxation is collected, thanks to recommendations made by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) could “pose a major challenge to the sustainability and profitability” of many iGaming operations in Malta. This information came to light through a report issued by Country Profiler on… – Continue reading

Oxfam: Luxembourg, Ireland, Netherlands among worst tax havens

The NGO’s report exposes the worst offenders in the ‘race to the bottom on corporate tax.’ Luxembourg, Ireland, Cyprus, and the Netherlands are among the world’s 10 worst tax havens, despite an ongoing EU crackdown on tax avoidance and profit shifting across the bloc. The findings come in a report… – Continue reading

McDonald’s to scrap Luxembourg tax structure

Fast-food chain’s reorganisation means £800m from restaurants in Europe will flow through the UK instead McDonald’s is to scrap its controversial Luxembourg tax structure in a corporate shakeup that means $1bn (£800m) of income from fast-food restaurants across Europe will flow through the UK instead. The move comes 12 months… – Continue reading

NETHERLANDS ACCUSED OF MAKING MORE SECRET TAX DEALS WITH GLOBAL BUSINESSES

The Netherlands is still making secret tax deals with multinational companies, according to an European report on which Dutch research foundation SOMO worked. The Netherlands remains one of the ost important countries in Europe when it comes to tax evasion, the report states according to ANP. Last year the Netherlands… – Continue reading

Can current offshore wealth management centres survive?

After recent scandals, many financial and wealth management centres are losing their allure and ‘mid-shore’ options are taking their place, argues Philip Marcovici. Will all existing financial and wealth management centres survive? Are tax-free secrecy havens (the “offshore world”) a feature of the past? Is there room for entry of… – Continue reading

EU agrees screening process for tax havens, critics cry foul

European Union finance ministers agreed on Tuesday how to screen countries for a blacklist of tax havens across the world, officials said, and said applying zero-rate taxes was not necessarily a factor, prompting an outcry. The bloc committed in May to agree on a common list of tax offenders by… – Continue reading

McDonald’s UK pays £123m in royalties to Luxembourg

The British arm of McDonald’s paid £123m for “franchise rights” last year, as part of a controversial structure that is under investigation for enabling unfair tax avoidance. The European Commission launched a probe last year into whether Luxembourg’s tax arrangements for McDonald’s amounted to illegal state aid, as part of… – Continue reading

UN expert urges next UN chief to crack down on Malta and other ‘tax havens’

A United Nations human rights expert has urged the next UN secretary-general to make the elimination of tax havens a priority to ensure that corporations, billionaires and ‘kleptocrats’ pay their fair share of taxes. Speaking on Friday, American law professor Alfred de Zayas also urged Antonio Guterres, who will succeed… – Continue reading

Iran, Luxemburg agree on mutual investment, double taxation avoidance

The decision was made during a meeting between Iranian Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Ali Tayyenbia and the visiting Luxembourg Economy Minister Etienne Schneider in Tehran on Monday, IRNA reported. As reported, the Luxembourger minister also visited Central Bank of Iran Governor Valiollah Seif on Tuesday. Expressing satisfaction over the… – Continue reading