Category: United Kingdom

New Luxembourg leaks reveal Disney, Koch Industries tax deals

(Reuters) – Tax deals that entertainment giant Walt Disney Co., commodities group Koch Industries [KCHIN.UL] and others agreed with the Luxembourg authorities were revealed on Tuesday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). The ICIJ said the two companies engaged in complex restructurings, and channeled hundreds of millions of… – Continue reading

American citizens like Boris must pay more tax, says US ambassador to UK (but Google and Amazon are doing nothing wrong)

Ambassador to London Matthew Barzun says US citizens must pay up Boris Johnson was born in New York so faces a tax bill in America London Mayor has branded the Transatlantic rules ‘outrageous’ Barzun defends US firms like Amazon and Google over tax dodging Insists they are just playing by… – Continue reading

Leading financial centres ‘must act on corruption’, says watchdog

China and Turkey have fallen in international rankings of perceived corruption, according to a new report released by the Berlin-based anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI).09 Dec 2014 Regulatory Europe Asia Pacific Gulf Africa According to the latest edition of TI’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2014, which scores countries on a… – Continue reading

ATO tax amnesty nets billions, but hunt for rich with secret Swiss accounts continues

Thousands of rich Australians have come forward to declare billions of dollars in untaxed assets and income stashed in bank accounts in Switzerland and in other countries. The rush comes as what the Australian Taxation office says is the last tax amnesty it will ever offer comes to an end…. – Continue reading

Margaret Hodge to grill PwC and Shire over tax avoidance in Public Accounts Committee

The accountant PricewaterhouseCoopers and drugs giant Shire are due face a tense parliamentary showdown over tax avoidance with an angered Margaret Hodge today. PwC’s head of tax, Kevin Nicholson, was summoned to face Ms Hodge’s powerful Public Accounts Committee following reports last month that multinational corporations advised by PwC Luxembourg… – Continue reading

Global regulators need to standardise tax reporting mechanisms

Global regulators need to standardise the mechanisms by which financial institutions exchange tax information on their clients amid concern the number of tax information exchange agreements between various countries is spiraling out of control. This comes as a number of countries and global regulatory bodies introduce their own tax reporting… – Continue reading

Cyprus: Recent Developments In Automatic Exchange Of Information

The exchange of information between tax authorities worldwide is about to enter into a new phase of an active gathering and reporting of data. The eradication of tax evasion has now been elevated to a matter of priority amongst OECD states. There has been an unprecedented push to expand the… – Continue reading

UK: International Trade

People who provide services delivered through electronic means (‘Electronic Services’), sold to final consumers based in other EU states, need to cope with the change of ‘place of supply’ rules from 1 January 2015. Place of supply rules are one of the more hotly debated areas of VAT. They determine… – Continue reading

PriceWaterhouseCoopers chief Kevin Nicholson denies lying over tax deals

Nicholson stands by previous testimony to MPs, as accountants are accused of mass-marketing tax avoidance schemes The head of tax at one of the UK’s top accounting groups was accused of lying to parliament about his firm’s role in devising controversial tax deals for clients in Luxembourg. Kevin Nicholson, PwC… – Continue reading

UK firms face retaliation threat over ‘Google tax’: Crackdown on tech firms could enrage other nations

The Treasury will this week detail sweeping new powers for the Revenue to investigate tax-avoiding global companies, and will issue a list of suspect structures which it says are designed to dodge British dues. The Chancellor declared war on tech giants such as Google, Amazon and eBay, which pay little… – Continue reading

George Osborne accused of giving tax breaks to Tories’ oil industry donors

Labour Jon Ashworth calls for explanation over why Tories’ ‘big-money backers’ benefit from autumn statement George Osborne has been accused of using his autumn statement to give tax breaks to Tory supporters as it emerged that several companies run by Conservative donors stand to benefit from a more generous tax… – Continue reading

Guernsey’s economy shows signs of recovery despite protests

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e3cae272-73d4-11e4-82a6-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz3LIqHN5hj A seafront car park in St Peter Port overlooked by Guernsey’s… – Continue reading

UK: Switzerland UK Autumn Statement 2014 Analysis

In yesterday’s Autumn Statement, the UK Chancellor announced several measures that will directly affect non-UK individuals who live or own property in or are considering moving to the UK. Although in many cases the measures will mean that such individuals are liable to pay more tax in the UK than… – Continue reading

The Reasons To Be Skeptical About The UK’s Google Tax

Two things should be said about the UK’s new Google GOOGL -2.7% Tax as proposed in the Autumn Statement by George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The first is that there really is a certain amount of public anger about the manner in which the big tech companies (here… – Continue reading

AREF welcomes UK’s proposed stamp duty land tax relief

John Cartwright (pictured), Chief Executive of the Association of Real Estate Funds (AREF), comments on the UK government’s objective to introduce stamp duty land tax relief in 2016… We welcome the government’s intention to introduce a stamp duty land tax (SDLT) relief for seeding investment – a much needed removal… – Continue reading

Taxing system drives Germans into arms of advisers

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Business has never been better at Knappworst and Partner, a tax advisory firm in Potsdam, a leafy city… – Continue reading

Tory veteran David Davis attacks government tax avoidance crackdown as threat to the rule of law

The government has become the biggest threat to the rule of law, according to veteran Tory backbencher and former minister David Davis. Speaking at a briefing organised by the Taxpayers’ Alliance and the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) he slammed the government’s attempts to limit tax avoidance through laws such… – Continue reading

UK: Tax May Be Taxing, But No Tax May Be Even More Taxing! EU Competition Commissioner Hints At Potential State Aid Sanctions For Favourable Tax Rulings

The European Commission (Commission) has given one of its clearest indications yet that it is seeking to clamp down on unfair tax breaks or ‘waivers’ for underpaying companies through the EU rules on state aid. How does State aid apply to taxation? The EU rules on state aid prohibit the… – Continue reading

UK: Capital Gains Tax On Non-UK Residents

Late yesterday afternoon the Government published its response to the consultation on extending Capital Gains Tax (CGT) to non-UK resident owners of UK residential property.  This is the latest step in a series of significant changes in the last couple of years to the tax treatment of UK residential property…. – Continue reading

UK: Taxation Of Multinationals – UK Government Announcements Related To The G20/OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Initiative

The Chancellor reaffirmed the Government’s continued support for the OECD’s work on base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) and modernisation of the international framework for taxing multinational companies. Measures in relation to three specific areas are announced – a consultation on hybrid mismatches and the introduction of the OECD’s proposals… – Continue reading

AS 2014: Multinationals to pay 25% tax on profits shifted offshore

Chancellor George Osborne has announced a new 25 per cent tax on profits generated by multinationals in the UK that have been “artificially diverted” offshore. Delivering his Autumn Statement today, Osborne said he wanted to see big global businesses “pay their fair share.” He has announced that there will be… – Continue reading

New ‘diverted profits tax’ for multinationals could harm UK businesses, expert says

UK government plans to counter aggressive tax planning techniques used by multinational enterprises to divert profits from the UK to low tax jurisdictions could harm the international prospects of UK businesses according to an expert.03 Dec 2014 Corporate tax Tax Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Services UK Europe The new ‘diverted… – Continue reading

Autumn Statement 2014: UK plans to raise £1bn with ‘Google tax’

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. The UK announced plans to raise over £1bn over the next five years from a new “diverted profits”… – Continue reading

United Kingdom – Hybrid mismatch arrangements consultation, other BEPS-related focus

December 3:  The UK government today issued items that focus on multinational corporations and follow the OECD’s base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) action plan—one issuance being a consultation document concerning hybrid mismatch arrangements, and the other being the Autumn Statement 2014 that includes provisions relating to country-by-country reporting, the… – Continue reading

How the HMRC helped tax avoiders stay ahead of the law – by shifting cash for Switzerland to Liechtenstein

It was billed as a multi-billion pound windfall for the long-suffering UK taxpayer, with HM Revenue & Customs getting its hands on a huge reservoir of untaxed “black money” stashed in Switzerland by wealthy subjects to keep it safe from the taxman. But the estimated take from what the former… – Continue reading

AS 2014: Govt in further crackdown on Dotas tax avoidance schemes

The Government has announced a further crackdown on tax avoidance schemes which fall under its Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes regime. In the Autumn Statement today, the Government said it will increase penalties for non-declaration of Dotas schemes and publish more information on schemes and their promoters. It says this… – Continue reading

Tax avoidance crackdown ‘futile’

An attempted crackdown on tax avoidance by firms will prove “futile” and the Government should instead work on an international agreement to target company owners, a former City minister has said. Lord Myners, a former Labour minister and former chairman of companies including Marks and Spencer, said firms would find… – Continue reading

UK: Deloitte Preview of Autumn Statement 2014

Bill Dodwell comments: “Chancellor George Osborne will deliver the final Autumn Statement of this parliament. We expect that most of the announcements will concentrate on the outcomes from proposals launched at earlier Budgets, together with some technical changes. There will also be the first consultation on how the UK should… – Continue reading

German complaints could result in higher tax bills

Y​ORKSHIRE​ businesses that invest in research and development could ​face higher tax bills if Chancellor George Osborne uses his Autumn Statement to water down tax breaks following complaints by Germany. One of ​Mr Osborne’s flagship policies is set to be reformed ​on Wednesday following the resolution of a dispute with… – Continue reading

UK government finalises new capital gains tax charge for non-resident homeowners

Non-resident UK homeowners that have spent less than 90 days in their UK property in the previous tax year will be liable to pay capital gains tax (CGT) on any gains when they sell that property from next year, the UK government has confirmed.02 Dec 2014 Private wealth tax Tax… – Continue reading

Starbucks boss unrepentant about tax avoidance

“Nothing abnormal about the way Starbucks is run” The new chief executive of Starbucks has admitted that the coffee shop chain is unlikely to pay any UK corporation tax for another three years. Speaking to the Evening Standard, Mark Fox said the tax wouldn’t be applicable until the company turned… – Continue reading

Cayman Islands: Cayman Islands Financial Account Reporting For Investment Funds

The Cayman Islands currently has in place an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with each of the United States and the United Kingdom and has passed domestic legislation to make compliance with the IGAs a matter of Cayman Islands law (Cayman FATCA). The Cayman Islands Tax Information Authority (TIA) issued Guidance Notes… – Continue reading

New British envoy to concentrate on UK-UAE commercial ties

Former head of counter-terrorism department in London Philip Parham says there are very big opportunities in the UAE. The new British Ambassador to Abu Dhabi, Philip Parham, is planning to concentrate his efforts in further growing the commercial ties between UK and UAE. “On the commercial side, there are very… – Continue reading

UK: FATCA Compliance And Data Protection

Complying with USA FATCA and UK/EU Data Protection Requirements The US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), passed by Congress in March 2010, was finally implemented in July 2014. The Act makes the US the only large economy to tax its nationals on all of their earnings anywhere in the… – Continue reading

UK loses top spot in league table of company tax regimes

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. The UK has lost its top slot in a league table of multinational companies’… – Continue reading

German complaints could result in higher tax bills

Y​ORKSHIRE​ businesses that invest in research and development could ​face higher tax bills if Chancellor George Osborne uses his Autumn Statement to water down tax breaks following complaints by Germany. One of ​Mr Osborne’s flagship policies is set to be reformed ​on Wednesday following the resolution of a dispute with… – Continue reading

PAC to quiz Revenue as more Ansbacher claims emerge

PUBLIC Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman John McGuinness has confirmed that the Revenue Commissioners will this week be quizzed over the explosive Ansbacher dossier. Representatives from the tax authority will be questioned by TDs over an investigation carried out into allegations of widespread tax evasion by a number of former senior… – Continue reading

London Mayor Boris Johnson makes ‘brave’ stand against American taxes

The refusal by the Mayor of London to pay his American taxes has been hailed as “noble” and “brave” by the CEO of independent financial advisor, deVere Group. The comments from Nigel Green, founder and chief executive of deVere Group, which operates in 100 countries and has $10 billion under… – Continue reading

Osborne to create ‘perfect storm’ for offshore assets

UK chancellor George Osborne is set to unleash a new strict liability rule and higher penalties to capture those with offshore assets who are ignoring their tax obligations, according to a leading tax expert. John Cassidy, partner at audit, tax and advisory firm Crowe Clark Whitehill, predicts Osborne’s Autumn Statement… – Continue reading

FTSE 350 prefer Ireland to UK as top tax regime

Ireland has knocked the UK off the top spot as the most competitive tax destination, according to KPMG’s annual survey of Britain’s largest businesses However, the UK has increased the number of times it is mentioned in the companies’ top three competitive tax regimes. The KPMG Annual Survey of Tax… – Continue reading

George Osborne’s targeting of corporate tax dodges faces voter scepticism

George Osborne’s targeting of corporate tax dodges faces voter scepticism • Chancellor waters down tech company measures • Disbelief will greet key plan in autumn statement Almost 60% of adults in the UK don’t believe politicians’ promises to tackle corporate tax avoidance, according to a damning poll published ahead of… – Continue reading

FATCA ticks on

It feels like FATCA has been around for years already, yet some companies are still coming to terms with its implications. However, as Kirsten Morel explains, impending deadlines are now creating a real sense of urgency It’s four years since US Congress enacted the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA),… – Continue reading