Category: Corporate Tax

New tax amnesty bill a ‘very tall order,’ says lawyer

MANILA – Passing another general tax amnesty bill, which will include provisions to amend the bank secrecy law, is a “very tall order” with lawmakers “sensitive” on the issue, a corporate tax lawyer said Tuesday. President Rodrigo Duterte earlier called on Congress to pass another general tax amnesty bill which… – 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

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

France to propose world business tax at G7: minister

DAVOS, Switzerland: French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday that France would plead for global minimum corporate tax as a priority of its presidencyof the G7 nations group this year. “We need an effective minium corporate tax in all developed countries,” the minister said at a press conference… – Continue reading

Study finds aggressive tax strategies can lead to investor confusion

Complicated, aggressive corporate tax-planning strategies can produce uncertainty and confusion among investors not only about the companies’ taxes, but also the basics of their operations and finances, leading to some negative outcomes, according to a new academic study. The study, by Jennifer Blouin and Wayne Guay of the University of… – Continue reading

IRS releases final rules on Section 965 repatriation taxes

The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department issued final regulations spelling out how U.S.-based companies will have to pay repatriation taxes on offshore profits under Section 965 of the tax code. The IRS released proposed regulations on Section 965 in August, and the proposed rules went through a public… – Continue reading

New EU rules on tax avoidance now effective

FIRST proposed by the European Commission (EU) in 2016, a set of new tax rules aimed at eliminating most common corporate tax avoidance practices came into force on 1 January 2019. The commission posted on its website on 30 December 2018 that the new tax rules known as Atad (anti-tax… – Continue reading

TCI added to Dutch tax haven blacklist

THE DUTCH government has added the Turks and Caicos Islands and 15 other countries to a tax haven blacklist. The jurisdictions listed have no corporation tax or a corporation tax rate of less than nine percent, a press release from the Government of the Netherlands stated. The 16 countries added… – Continue reading

IRS issues guidance on excess business loss limitations and NOLs

The IRS has issued guidance on excess business loss limitations and net operating losses following changes post-reform. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act modified existing tax law by limiting losses from all types of business for non-corporate taxpayers. An excess business loss is the amount by which the total deductions… – Continue reading

Australian corporate tax takes up 20 percent: data

CANBERRA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) — The amount of tax paid by Australia’s biggest companies has risen 20 percent in a single year, data has revealed. According to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) ‘s corporate tax data for financial year 2016-17, which was released on Thursday, the nation’s 1,470 biggest companies… – Continue reading

Gov’t targets to lower corporate tax rate

The government is targeting to increase tax compliance among Micro Small and Medium Sized Enterprises by offering them lower corporate tax. East African Affairs Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohammed says various government agencies are working closely in integrating all tax payment regimes to ease tax payment and boost compliance. Tax avoidance… – Continue reading

Switzerland: Revised Swiss Corporate Tax Reform Will Keep Switzerland A Top Corporate Location

I. The background of the tax reform In connection with the international pressure on the Swiss corporate tax location, especially in relation to the Cantonal exemption of income for holding companies as well as the status privileged companies (“status privilege”) and the need of Switzerland to recover global recognition as… – Continue reading

EU finance ministers need to deliver: Digital companies must pay tax

When European finance ministers meet on Tuesday (4 December), they should swiftly adopt the digital service tax: a levy on turnover for very large digital firms such as Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Booking and Spotify, write Udo Bullmann and Paul Tang. Udo Bullmann is president of the Socialist and Democrats… – Continue reading

Barbados minister foresees OECD compliance by year-end

Barbados is to scrap its international business company (IBC) regime in response to the OECD labeling the policy as “harmful” to competition, and being in breach of rules governing international taxation. Last year the OECD included Barbados on its list of jurisdictions with a “harmful” preferential tax regime, and said… – Continue reading

Barbados overhauls corporate tax regime, slashes tax rate on local companies more than 20 per cent

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Thursday November 22, 2018 – Barbados will harmonize its domestic and international corporation tax regimes, by December 31, 2018, slashing the tax burden for some local companies by up to 29 per cent. Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced in the Barbados Parliament on Tuesday, November 20, the ambitious… – Continue reading

Canada’s Trudeau Announces $10.5-Billion Fiscal Stimulus to Compete With US

The cabinet of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to implement tax cuts for the nation’s businesses, which, along with the announced plans to reduce regulation, are highly reminiscent of the economic policies of Canada’s southern neighbour. Kristian Rouz — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has unveiled an ambitious… – Continue reading

PM announces tax ease for businesses

Prime Minister, Mia Mottley has announced a major tax break for local business. In her mini-budget presentation made earlier this year, she had announced that come July 1, corporation tax will increase from 25 per cent to 30 per cent which was expected to raise $57M in a full year…. – Continue reading

KRA Reveals 6 Tricks Foreign Firms Use to Evade Tax

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has revealed six tricks that multinational firms use to dodge paying tax. One of the schemes involves the firms exporting very cheaply and importing good very expensively. The authority reports that most firms also under-declare they pay to expatriates a move that reduces their profits and… – Continue reading

Major loss-making foreign-invested firms to be inspected for tax compliance

The foreign-invested enterprises which have been running large, prolonged losses and large related-party transactions, will be inspected for tax compliance. The General Department of Taxation (GDT) has just sent a document asking provincial and city Departments of Taxation to inspect and supervise groups, corporations, and companies, which reported big losses… – Continue reading

US multinationals dodge $180 billion in taxes on foreign profits per year

US multinational corporations are plundering the populations of the United States and the world to the tune of trillions of dollars by driving down and evading taxes on profits booked overseas. This is the conclusion that emerges from a recent study by University of California at Berkeley economist Gabriel Zucman… – Continue reading

European Union digital tax levy could be delayed until 2020

Arriving at the meeting Tuesday in Brussels, the Danish minister of Finance, Kristian Jensen, said of his side: “Everything is possible in politics but I think that it is very hard to reach an agreement on the taxation of the digital economy”. Under the proposal, a 3pc levy would be… – Continue reading

Ireland Implements New Exit Tax Regime

Ireland’s 2018 Finance Bill legislates for a new exit tax regime compliant with the EU’s Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive. The exit tax charge was introduced via financial resolution on Budget night, October 9, 2018, and applies to certain events occurring on or after October 10. Finance Bill 2018 formally legislates for… – Continue reading

TAX MATTERS | THE TAXATION OF COMPANIES IN MACAU – WORLDWIDE OR TERRITORIAL BASIS? (CONT.)

Our previous article about the taxable basis for the taxation of companies in the Macau territory made reference to the fact that the courts in Macau, notably the Court of Second Instance (TSI) and the Tax Administration, do not seem to share the same view regarding income considered as the… – Continue reading

Indian high commission seeks solution to tax-related problems

Indian high commission in Dhaka has requested different Bangladesh government agencies including National Board of Revenue to solve a number of tax-related ‘problems’ Indian chief executive officers-managed multinational companies are facing in the country. In a letter to NBR sent on September 10, the high commission said that Indian CEOs… – Continue reading

German companies unconvinced by Brexit tax reduction promises: study

BERLIN, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) — German companies are highly sceptical that the British government can deliver on a promise to attract more business to Britain by lowering taxes after Brexit, a study published on Thursday by the Foundation for Family Business in Germany and Europe found. According to the study,… – Continue reading

China to introduce more measures to facilitate foreign investment

BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) — The Chinese government will roll out more measures to facilitate the delivery of major foreign-invested projects, lower tariffs on some imported goods and streamline customs clearance procedures at a faster pace, as was decided at the State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Li… – Continue reading

Investing in Guangdong Easier for Foreign Firms after New Incentives Announced

On September 13, South China’s Guangdong province announced a series of investment incentives and cost-cutting measures to offset the impact of the worsening trade war with the US. The measures, outlined in the Policy Measures for Expanding Opening-up and Using Foreign Investment, consist of a 10-point plan to attract foreign… – Continue reading

PACAC Explains Why FG Turned Spotlight on Multinationals

The Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC) has explained why it is shifting the war against corruption in the country from politically exposed persons to multinationals. According to the Executive Secretary of PACAC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, Africa and indeed Nigeria losses more from Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) perpetrated by multinational… – Continue reading

IRS changes CAP program for large corporate taxpayers

The Internal Revenue Service is making some adjustments to its Compliance Assurance Process, a program aimed at large corporate taxpayers that involves cooperating with the IRS before any audits. As part of the proposed changes, the IRS said Monday it will shift the start of the application period to Oct…. – Continue reading

EU Fails To Fix ‘Outrageous’ Monaco Loophole Which Helps Super-Rich Avoid Tax

Around 2,000 millionaires – many of them billionaires – call Monte Carlo their home and avoid paying billions of euros in tax. Sputnik spoke to the UK Socialist Party’s Deputy General Secretary, Hannah Sell, about why France and the European Union have done nothing to combat this tax haven in… – Continue reading

Crypto Islands as Double Offshore

There is a small island in the Caribbean … You immediately imagine relaxation, a beach, palm trees. However today in these small areas a really big crypto history is being created. The crypto business is increasingly mastering the jurisdiction of “dwarf” states, such as Cyprus, Malta, Gibraltar, The Republic of… – Continue reading

How to Apply for CIT Incentives in China

China offers a number of preferential corporate income tax (CIT) policies for businesses operating in the country. Businesses that qualify for these preferential policies can benefit from incentives like CIT rates lower than the standard 25 percent rate and other CIT exemptions and deductions. These preferential tax treatments, however, do… – Continue reading

Facebook, Coke could face tax hit after ruling against Medtronic

Last week, Medtronic Plc suffered a legal setback in its bid to avoid a $1.4 billion U.S. tax bill — a ruling that may have costly implications for other multinationals battling the Internal Revenue Service over the use of overseas payments to lower their taxes. Companies including Facebook Inc. and… – Continue reading

IRS regs on Sec. 199A look ‘taxpayer-favorable’

Long-awaited and highly anticipated proposed regulations for Code Section 199A, the new 20 percent deduction on “qualified business income” of pass-through entities, were released August 8 by the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service, and experts are saying they’re broadly taxpayer-friendly. “The government did a good job of responding… – Continue reading

Booksellers urge government to ‘act quickly’ on ‘Amazon tax’

News that the government may bring in an ‘Amazon tax’ to help “rebalance the playing field” between physical and online retailers has been welcomed by booksellers. After department store retailer House of Fraser became the latest high street chain to go into administration on Friday (10th August) Philip Hammond said… – Continue reading

Corporate America now knows how to tally its repatriation taxes

U.S. companies that had been unsure of how to calculate a new tax on profits they’ve stashed offshore now have official answers. The Internal Revenue Service issued proposed regulations on Wednesday on Section 965, governing the so-called repatriation tax, detailing which corporate taxpayers are subject to the tax, which assets… – Continue reading

Slovakia is pushing on digital platforms, including booking.com, to pay taxes here

One digital platform has registered on its own and others are being registered ex officio. Foreign digital platforms, which mediate services in transport and accommodation in Slovakia, are obliged to launch so-called permanent establishments in Slovakia. The Finance Ministry wants to force them to pay corporate tax. So far only… – Continue reading

Spain’s PM Proposes Minimum Corporate Tax Burden

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has pledged to reform Spain’s corporate tax rules so that companies pay an effective rate no lower than 15 percent. Laying out the new Socialist Government’s two-year economic plan before parliament on July 17, Sanchez proposed that, by restricting the use of deductions, he would… – Continue reading

The use of UK holding companies in international group structures – tax considerations

From a commercial viewpoint it is important that the Holdco is located in a reputable jurisdiction when seeking to access international equity and debt capital markets. The choice of Holdco location will also be relevant in circumstances where private equity investment is envisaged or where a trade sale is planned…. – Continue reading

Tech Groups Raise Concerns About EU Digital Tax

The European Commission’s proposal for a digital services tax would be “deeply harmful” to the EU business environment and may lead to double taxation, a coalition of business and technology groups has warned EU leaders. An open letter published by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) ahead of the European… – Continue reading

Irish Corporate Tax Reform Pushed By MPs, To Shore Up Tax Base

The highly concentrated nature of Ireland’s corporation tax receipts represents “an unacceptable level of risk,” according to parliament’s Public Accounts Committee. The PAC has published a new report on Ireland’s corporation tax receipts. Corporation tax accounted for 15 percent of total tax receipts in 2016, with 70 percent of all… – Continue reading

Surveys Suggest Taxpayers Satisfied With TCJA, Says Hatch

Both large and small businesses in the United States expect the measures included in the recently enacted tax reform legislation, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, to have a positive effect on their operations, according to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT). In a recent statement, Hatch… – Continue reading

SMEs are paying more corporation tax than bigger businesses

According to figures released earlier this year, SMEs are in fact paying more corporation tax than larger more complex organisations. Specifically, the rate paid by SMEs in 2016 was 21.7%, while it was 20% for businesses with a turnover of £1billion. The research was conducted by accountancy firm Moore Stephens,… – Continue reading

OECD backs BEPS plan in face of critics

The OECD has endorsed New Zealand’s crackdown on multi-national tax evasion, despite significant criticism from local businesses that it departs from OECD standards, Thomas Coughlan reports. David Bradbury, head of the OECD’s tax policy and statistics division, told Newsroom that the OECD was “very pleased with the strong support that… – Continue reading

Tax Competitiveness in India: Changing Rules, Trends in Taxation

Ease of doing business and tax reforms are at the center of India’s growth agenda as the country pitches itself as the leading investment destination among global emerging markets. Yet, India’s tax competitiveness record remains mixed. At a time when the U.S., U.K., and Japan have slashed their corporate tax… – Continue reading