Category: Government Bodies

Court rules John Doe summons to identify law firm clients isn’t barred by attorney-client privilege

Section 7609(f) of the tax code allows the Internal Revenue Service to use a “John Doe” summons when the target is unknown. It has been used successfully by the IRS against banks and other financial institutions to find offshore accounts. Now, a district court in the Western District of Texas… – Continue reading

Tax amnesty to regularize undeclared assets approved by Pakistan cabinet

Only a million people out of a population of more than 208 million pay income tax in Pakistan Recently signed IMF bailout plan requires government to squeeze around $5 billion in extra taxes ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government on Tuesday announced a new tax amnesty scheme aimed at broadening the government’s revenue… – Continue reading

Wolfsberg Group Publishes Guidance on Customer Tax Evasion

Financial institutions should be able to leverage existing financial crime compliance, conduct and tax (including tax transparency regimes) procedures and controls, to address the risks of customer tax evasion. The Wolfsberg Group has published new guidance on customer tax evasion, designed to help financial institutions in developing, implementing and maintaining… – Continue reading

Taxing times for SMEs

Globalisation of the economy has resulted in a shift in the way Singapore corporations operate – from local country-specific business models, to global integrated supply chains which centralise functions at a regional or global level. Singapore, in particular is a popular location to house regional and global operations, due to… – Continue reading

Govt Approves Tax Certificate Reply To Oecd

The government has approved the creation of tax residency certificates for permanent residents so they can prove compliance with other countries’ laws, a Cabinet Minister said yesterday. Brent Symonette, minister of financial services, trade and industry and Immigration, told the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Caribbean Conference that… – Continue reading

A perspective on tax amnesty

Tax amnesty is defines as “grant of an opportunity to a specific class of society to declare their undeclared assets by payment of a meagre amount of tax in addition to grant of immunity from default surcharge, penalties and prosecution”. It is introduced by the governments to fulfill the slogan… – Continue reading

Metro Vancouver developer and builder sentenced for tax evasion

A developer and builder based in Anmore has been found guilty of tax evasion and making false statements under the Income Tax Act, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced on Friday. According to the CRA, Willi Isaak was sentenced to pay a $23,100 fine, after being found guilty on two… – Continue reading

Tax cheats no longer safe from Australian Taxation Office

The good old days of buying and acquiring cryptocurrency without having to worry about government intervention have come to an end. This is the case in Australia, where cryptocurrency investors will likely soon receive a letter from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) informing them that they owe back taxes on… – Continue reading

India notifies pact with US to check tax evasion by MNCs

As per the agreement, it is intended to provide relevant and reliable information to perform an efficient and robust transfer pricing risk assessment analysis. Aimed at providing relief to subsidiaries of US multinationals and ensuring a check on cross-border tax evasion, India has notified the inter-governmental agreement with the United… – Continue reading

Int’l group to finalize digital tax plan in 2020

Objective is to limit ability of multinational corporations to book taxes in countries with lowest tax rates BERLIN A global effort to revamp international tax rules for the digital economy will be completed by the end of 2020, said the secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)…. – Continue reading

Corporate Canada’s Pile of Cash in Offshore Tax Havens Has Hit $353 Billion For the First Time in History

Luxembourg, Barbados and Bermuda are three of Canada’s top five destinations in the world for corporate cash After exploding to record levels under Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, the amount of money Corporate Canada is funneling through offshore tax havens has hit a new all-time high. According to data newly released… – Continue reading

Water controversy prompts tax haven focus

Tax avoidance has crept into the tussle of the federal election campaign, as the government faces pressure to further investigate an expensive water purchase from a company based in a well-known tax haven. Labor has left the door open to supporting a Greens push for a royal commission into the… – Continue reading

MP CM’s nephew under fire for tax evasion

According to sources, the raids were conducted at Mr Nath’s nephew Ratul Puri’s company, Hindustan Powerprojects Pvt Ltd on April 7. New Delhi: The income tax department has detected tax evasion of more than Rs 1,350 crore during search and seizure operations conducted against Hindustan Powerprojects, a company owned by… – Continue reading

FACT Coalition Calls for Corporate Tax Transparency

“Investors see the value, policymakers see the benefits, and businesses see the inevitability of greater transparency,” says the group’s executive director. The Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition is calling on the U.S. Congress, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Financial Accounting Standards Board to require multinationals to… – Continue reading

Tax information exchange updates

The Cayman Islands Department for International Tax Cooperation has updated the relevant dates for reporting under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act and the Common Reporting Standard. The reporting deadline for CRS and FATCA remains May 31. The department announced that the late filing of 2018 CRS and FATCA reporting… – Continue reading

Mauritius: blue skies, sunshine – and these noteworthy changes to its domestic laws

Not just the ultimate holiday stop, Mauritius is also a preferred jurisdiction for fund managers looking to establish African-focused funds, say Michael Denenga and Nicole Paige, partners at Webber Wentzel. “A scenic island off the coast of Africa, Mauritius’ main competitive advantage is its proximity to the jurisdictions that African-focused… – Continue reading

Africa’s problem with tax avoidance

Every year African countries lose at least $50 million in taxes — more than the amount of foreign development aid. So where is it all going and how can multinational companies be held to account? NGOs continue to raise the alarm. African countries are being cheated out of billions in… – Continue reading

FBR threatens to penalise RFIs

Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) will penalize Reporting Financial Institutions (RFIs), which would fail to submit Common Reporting Standard (CRS) reports pertaining to required information of financial accounts of non-resident persons and any other reportable person by May 31, 2019 to the FBR. According to an announcement of the FBR… – Continue reading

EU passes legislation protecting whistleblowers to encourage wrongdoing

Whistleblowers across the European Union have won greater protection under landmark legislation aimed at encouraging reports of wrongdoing. The new law, approved by the European Parliament on Tuesday, shields whistleblowers from retaliation. It also creates “safe channels” to allow them to report breaches of EU law. It is the first… – Continue reading

Tax hope

Barbados is hopeful that it will be removed from a European blacklist of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions by next month, the head of the Barbados International Business Association (BIBA) has said. Julia Hope said her organisation, which represents international business companies and offshore financial services, will be giving every support it… – Continue reading

Around 152,518 financial information of Pakistan tax residents received so far

Islamabad Around 152,518 financial information of Pakistan tax residents have been received through Common Reporting Standard Exchange (CRSE) on various dates – from October-2018 onwards. This data is being analyzed from taxation point of view and it has been shifted to identify in first instance, cases which are of a… – Continue reading

Isle of Man removed from EU grey list

The Isle of Man has been removed from the EU’s grey list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions, along with the other Crown Dependencies, Jersey and Guernsey, after the three worked together with the EU to develop proposals to address the concerns raised. Chief Minister Howard Quayle tweeted he was “delighted” with… – Continue reading

Taiwan removed from EU tax haven greylist

Taipei, March 14 (CNA) The European Union has removed Taiwan from the bloc’s greylist of tax havens, acknowledging the nation’s efforts at implementing anti-tax avoidance measures, Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Thursday. The MOF vowed to continue to work with governments of other countries in the future and implement… – Continue reading

Democrats introduce bill to curb tax havens

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., a member of the Senate Finance Committee, introduced a pair of bills aimed at stopping corporations from using offshore tax havens and outsourcing jobs to other countries. The first bill, the No… – Continue reading

Macau | City sharing tax information with New Zealand

Macau and New Zealand have signed a tax-sharing information agreement, with the OECD stating that the city had exchanged tax information with 34 jurisdictions in 2018 Macau (MNA) – Macau has recently signed a tax-sharing information agreement with the government of New Zealand. According to a release from the Cabinet… – Continue reading

EU considers adding UAE, Oman on tax haven blacklist

European Union states have added ten jurisdictions to a draft tax haven blacklist, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bermuda, an EU official told Reuters on Tuesday, in a move that would triple the number of listed countries. The measure comes more than one year after the bloc decided… – Continue reading

Finance Ministry calls on parliament to adopt laws for cooperation with IMF, EU

The Ukrainian Finance Ministry has called on the Verkhovna Rada to approve a package of bills that will open access to further macro-financial assistance from the EU and help continue cooperation with the IMF, the ministry’s press service has reported on its Facebook page. “This week, the Verkhovna Rada will… – Continue reading

EU Report Calls For Finance Authorities, AML Oversight

European Union lawmakers released a report on Wednesday (Feb. 27) recommending that the EU create a police unit dedicated to the investigation of tax and financial crimes, as well as a watchdog organization to fight money-laundering, according to a report by Reuters. The report, which is the result of a… – Continue reading

EU Report Calls For Finance Authorities, AML Oversight

European Union lawmakers released a report on Wednesday (Feb. 27) recommending that the EU create a police unit dedicated to the investigation of tax and financial crimes, as well as a watchdog organization to fight money-laundering, according to a report by Reuters. The report, which is the result of a… – Continue reading

Malta: How Beneficial Owners Registers Aim To Curb Money Laundering And Tax Evasion

With more complicated company structures being used, it has become increasingly more difficult to establish who the ultimate beneficial owners of entities are. In light of the new regulation, do you believe that the Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO) Register can help in any way to prevent financial crime? The UBO… – Continue reading

Tax Netflix and other e-commerce companies, say Canadians and CRA professionals

OTTAWA, Feb. 21, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The federal government needn’t worry about a consumer backlash to a sales tax on Canadians’ Netflix accounts, if newly released results from an Environics Research poll and a separate survey of Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) tax professionals are any indication, says the Professional… – Continue reading

Virgin Islands launch new BEPS measure

In December, the Virgin Islands implemented a new Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) measure, according to Government Information Services. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development created a BEPS “action plan” in 2013 to combat “tax planning strategies that exploit gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift… – Continue reading

Guam, other US territories in European Union’s dirty-money blacklist again

Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are included in the European Nation’s updated list of areas that are deemed hot spots for money laundering and terrorism financing. The U.S. Department of Treasury rejected the inclusion of U.S. territories, calling into question the substance of the EU… – Continue reading

Australian tax agency to crack down on lawyers protecting tax-evading clients

CANBERRA, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) — Australia’s tax collector has announced a crackdown on lawyers who misuse legal privilege to protect their clients. In a post on its website, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) said it was preparing to launch “range of (legal) cases in the short to medium term” against… – Continue reading

OECD pushes for corporate tax rules overhaul

The 36-member state OECD has revealed that there is growing consensus behind a US proposal for an overhaul of global corporate tax rules, which would limit the ability of multinational companies to shift profits to low-tax jurisdictions. Earlier this year, the organisation put forward four different proposals to redesign corporate… – Continue reading

Mauritius, first jurisdiction globally to legally protect crypto

The Mauritius International Financial Centre (IFC) claims to be the first jurisdiction globally to offer a regulatory landscape for the custody of digital assets. This is according to communication from the country’s integrated regulator for the non-bank financial services sector and global business, the Financial Services Commission (FSC). The FSC… – Continue reading

Guernsey: Investment Funds: Why Choose Guernsey?

The benefits of Guernsey as a fund domicile. Guernsey is one of the world’s largest offshore finance centres, with a thriving funds industry. Almost 1,000 investment funds, and well over 2,000 sub-funds, are currently administered in the island. The current value of funds under management and administration in Guernsey is… – Continue reading

Ikea Being Investigated for Dodging Taxes of More than $1.1 Billion

According to a Green party report in the European Parliament, Ikea has been accused of tax dodging for as much as 1 billion euros or $1.1 billion in its taxes from 2009 to 2014. The political organization has accused the retailer of a large scale avoidance of taxes. In the… – Continue reading

Malta: Malta Citizenship And Residency By Investment (8 February, 2019)

As of 2019, the Individual Investor Program has received more than 1000 Malta passport applications on behalf of investors from more than 40 different countries. The Malta Individual Investor Programme (MIIP) offers high and ultra-high net worth individuals and families worldwide citizenship in a highly respected EU Member Country. Malta,… – Continue reading

Pakistanis’ assets abroad: Government requests 10 more countries for info exchange

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has made formal requests to 10 more countries under the OECD mechanism as well as Switzerland separately for exchange of information about those Pakistanis who stashed their assets abroad to evade taxes. “We have made requests to 10 more countries for getting automatic exchange of information and so… – Continue reading

OECD moves toward consensus on taxing multinational tech companies

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is making progress on dealing with the tax challenges of the digital economy with a goal of arriving at a new consensus-based long-term solution in 2020. The OECD announced last week that the countries and jurisdictions participating in the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on… – Continue reading