Category: Regulatory

Parliament ratifies double tax agreement with Malaysia

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ratified an agreement with Malaysia on the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of tax evasion and the protocol thereto, adopting Bill No. 0002. 333 MPs voted in favor of it. It was broadcasted by official Rada Channel. The agreement extends to individual income… – Continue reading

FBR asks UAE to share details of Pakistanis hiding behind Iqama status

Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Shabbar Zaidi on Monday wrote letter to UAE authorities and asked for devising mechanism to share details of Pakistanis who are hiding behind Iqama based residential status to evade taxes. In a letter written to Ministry of Finance UAE by the Chairman FBR Shabbar… – Continue reading

EU Advocate General considers Bulgaria’s refusal to exempt dividends paid to a Gibraltar companies from withholding tax

The Advocate General (AG) in an opinion issued 24 October (Case C-458/18) stated that a company incorporated in Gibraltar and subject to Gibraltar corporation tax cannot be considered to be a “company of a Member State” within the meaning of the parent-subsidiary directive (Directive 2011/96). ... - Continue reading

US IRS tells banks not to close accounts just because of missing tax ID number: FATCA

The US Internal Revenue Service has eased the rules of FATCA compliance by telling banks overseas that they are not required to close the accounts of their accidental Americans clients who have not provided their tax identification number by January 2020. FATCA was passed in 2010 and forces banks wanting… – Continue reading

African authorities strive to reduce tax leakages

African tax bodies will mark the 10th anniversary of their umbrella organization, the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), in their efforts to reduce tax leakages. A total of 38 African countries are members of the ATAF, making the organization Africa’s largest body that collectively deals with global tax issues affecting… – Continue reading

Australians owe record levels of tax: commissioner

Australians are avoiding their tax responsibilities in record numbers. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) announced at a Senates Estimates hearing that the debt owed by Australians to the tax man has recently hit 45 billion Australian dollars (31 billion U.S. dollars), a record figure, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation… – Continue reading

‘Who is buying Seattle?’: New report issues warnings on Seattle’s luxury housing boom

Seattle’s luxury housing boom will worsen inequality and affordability in the city, according to a new report, which calls for officials to require more transparency on who is actually buying luxury real estate in the area. The report — “Who is Buying Seattle? The Perils of the Luxury Real Estate… – Continue reading

India: Rules To ‘Secondary Adjustment’ Rationalized And Clarified

The concept of 'Secondary Adjustment' was introduced in Finance Act 2017 by introducing new Section 92CE in the Indian Income Tax Act (the Act) to align transfer pricing provisions with international best practices. ... - Continue reading

Nigeria: Unprecedented Global Drive For Tax Transparency – The Nigerian Perspective

In the last few years, the international tax space has experienced an unprecedented drive to achieve increased transparency in the tax practices of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) and individuals in order to curb tax avoidance and evasion. ... - Continue reading

POGOs’ tax compliance improves

The tax compliance of online gaming operators and their service providers continue to show improvements every month amid the strict enforcement activities of the government, a tax official said. The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) initially reported that its preliminary income tax collection from Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) foreign… – Continue reading

BIR Officials: Congress not inclined to lift Bank Secrecy

“The suggestion has been brought up many times before and lawmakers with the support of the business community rejected it,” said a revenue regional director who declined to be named. He recalled that many congressmen even protested when the BIR in 2014 tried to require taxpayers to include in their… – Continue reading