Category: Tax Laws

Tax evaders set to face action: CBDT chairman Sushil Chandra

CBDT chairman Sushil Chandra says income tax dept will soon conclude probe into financial dealings of about 100,000 individuals suspected of tax evasion New Delhi: The income tax department will conclude its investigations into the financial dealings of about 100,000 individuals suspected of tax evasion and persuade many other assessees… – Continue reading

Tax Avoidance Firm Loses ‘HMRC Approved’ Ad Challenge

A ruling from advertising watchdogs that carrying the HM Revenue & Customs on advertising materials is misleading leaves the way open for government departments to challenge firms over misleading consumers. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigated a web site and leaflet published by tax and wealth advisors Knight Wolffe after… – Continue reading

Japan, Russia Agree New Double Tax Pact

The governments of Japan and Russia signed a new convention on the elimination of double taxation on September 7. The convention replaces the 1986 agreement between Japan and the former Soviet Union. It lowers withholding tax rates on cross-border income from trade and investment – in most cases to zero… – Continue reading

UK unveils new anti-avoidance legislation targeting offshore trusts

In its latest policy paper to target the cross-border financial services sector, the UK government today unveiled proposed legislation that seeks to prevent the use of offshore trusts to avoid tax. The measure ensures that payments from an offshore trust intended for a UK-resident individual “don’t escape tax when they… – Continue reading

Multinationals would face mandatory tax on offshore profits, Steven Mnuchin says

Multinational corporations with profits held overseas would face a mandatory one-time tax as part of the planned Republican tax legislation, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday. “There will be a ‘deemed tax’ as a one-time charge,” Mnuchin said in an interview with Fox News at the Treasury. U.S. companies have… – Continue reading

Partnership tax rules overhaul by 2018

Changes to partnership taxation are to go ahead with draft legislation now published, effectively clarifying the tax treatment for partnerships to ensure that the principle of taxing the beneficiary of partnership profit applies and to prevent a double reporting burden on investment partnership This measure makes changes to the income… – Continue reading

U.S. not going to abolish double taxation with Armenia: envoy

PanARMENIAN.Net – The United States is not going to abolish double taxation with Armenia, U.S. ambassador to Armenia Richard M. Mills told reporters on Wednesday, September 13, Sputnik Armenia reports. According to Mills, the double taxation issue was raised by the Armenian government, and the United States has repeatedly noted… – Continue reading

Supermarkets under spotlight for tax evasion

Three major supermarkets are under investigation for tax evasion by the Fiji Revenue and Customs Services. In an exclusive interview with FBC News, Revenue and Customs chief executive, Visvanath Das says the non-compliance by any one of the three supermarkets could amount an average of fifty million dollars each. Hot… – Continue reading

New Sri Lanka tax law tightens transfer pricing loopholes

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s new tax law has provisions that more effectively block companies from trying to dodge taxes by using techniques like transfer pricing, an expert said. The Commissioner-General of Inland Revenue (CGIR) has been given the power to re-examine sch transactions if they are seen to have been… – Continue reading

CRA Provides Update On Tax Avoidance Crackdown

Canada’s Revenue Minister has provided an update on the progress made by the Government in addressing tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. The update concerns the recommendations on tackling tax avoidance and evasion made by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance (FINA) in October 2016, and the actions… – Continue reading

Slow UK aid for hurricane-hit islands linked to tax haven ties

Anguilla’s ex-attorney general says UK government may fear exposing its role in Caribbean territories’ tax arrangements Aid offered by the British government to its hurricane-battered territories in the Caribbean has been dismissed as “derisory” by a former attorney general of one of the worst-hit islands. Rupert Jones, who completed a… – Continue reading

OECD releases guidance to ensure BEPS country-by-country reports are used appropriately.

Canada has implemented the country-by-country reporting requirement for large multinational enterprises (MNEs) contained in the 2015 Final Report on Action 13 of the OECD’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan.  Canada’s legislation is found in s. 233.8 of the Income Tax Act (Canada), and is supported by the… – Continue reading

Eurozone’s big four demand measures against tax avoidance

The four biggest economies in the Eurozone – Germany, France, Italy, and Spain — demand an end to the erosion of their tax base by means of incorporation in states that facilitate tax avoidance. According to the Financial Times, Bruno Le Maire, Wolfgang Schaeuble, Pier-Carlo Padoan, and Luis de Guindos,… – Continue reading

Google, Facebook, And Others May Have To Pay More For EU Operations

Operations in the European Union haven’t been easy going for tech companies for quite a long time. While many European countries earlier called for strict privacy regulations and large fines on tech companies for violating them, they have now called for increased taxation for these companies for their operations in… – Continue reading

I-T steps up drive against cash abroad; charges fixed against 5 businessmen

Dept starts prosecution against 5 people with Rs 5k cr of unaccounted wealth in British Virgin Islands. The income-tax (I-T) department has established charges against five persons with unaccounted foreign assets of Rs 5,000 crore in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), a Caribbean tax haven. Investigations are on in more… – Continue reading

Panama probe: First prosecutions are taken to court for off-shore tax evasion

While at the beginning of the year (The Indian Express, March 16, 2017) the number of requests sent by India stood at 283 cases, it has now crossed 300. And while the number of replies received from among these 13 jurisdictions stood at 165, that figure has now crossed 240…. – Continue reading

Estonian Presidency to present the boldest plan to date against tax avoidance

The EU 28 financial ministers are set to discuss taxation of multinational digital platforms in Tallin on September 15-16, Reuters reports. Companies such as Amazon and Google have designed tax plans that reduce their tax liability in countries they operate. The proposal put forward by the Estonian Presidency proposes to… – Continue reading

Protocol Amending the Mexico-Belgium Tax Treaty Published

On August 17, 2017, the Protocol amending the Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fraud and Fiscal Evasion (“Tax Treaty”) between Belgium and Mexico was published in Mexico’s Official Journal of the Federation (Belgium publication pending). The Tax Treaty became effective in Belgium on August… – Continue reading

Panama: Panama Tax Treaties

The Panamanian Government with the aim of improving the competitiveness of the international services industry in Panama and, at the same time, comply with international standards for the effective exchange of information, initiated in 2009 a decisive agenda for the selection of countries with whom tax agreements were going to… – Continue reading

Analysis: Romania seeks tighter control of multinationals’ financial data

The government is looking to implement EU Directives on tax avoidance, and is set to receive more financial information from multinational groups active in Romania. Tax experts suggest that large corporations might reassess their business models in order to meet the demands of the fiscal authorities in Romania and across… – Continue reading

Japan, Estonia Sign Double Tax Treaty

Japan and Estonia signed a convention to eliminate double taxation on cross-border trade and investment on August 30. The treaty sets out the taxing rights of both countries on cross-border income deriving from investment or trade between the two. It also provides for assistance in the collection of tax and… – Continue reading

CBDT signs 4 more Advance Pricing Agreements

The APA scheme endeavours to provide certainty to taxpayers in the domain of transfer pricing by specifying the methods of pricing and setting the prices of international transactions in advance. New Delhi: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has entered into four more Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs), pertaining to… – Continue reading

Use data effectively to exceed revenue target for IT, urges Finance Ministry

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked tax officers to use data analytical tools to proactively track and determine undeclared income and wealth and highlighted the need to strengthen data analytics and investigation wing of the tax department. gst cbdt Tax officials have been urged to “utilise data effectively” such that… – Continue reading

Non-dom taxpayers account for £9.3bn of UK tax receipts

Non-domiciled taxpayers contributed £9.3 billion to the UK economy in 2014/15 through a combination of income tax, capital gains tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs), according to newly-published figures. The number of non-doms paying tax in the UK marginally increased in 2014/15, to 121,300, up from 119,800 the previous year…. – Continue reading

Malawi Releases 2018 Budget

Malawi’s recent budget included numerous tax changes and announced updates to the country’s transfer pricing rules. On the indirect tax front, the Budget, released in mid-August, introduced a 10 percent excise tax on television subscriptions and introduced a value added-tax exemption for dairy products, animal or vegetable fats and oils,… – Continue reading

Gov’t to tackle multinational firms’ tax evasion

The government said Wednesday that it will toughen its stance against tax evasion by multinational firms by adopting a global agreement in the country’s legal system within the year. In the mid-to-long term tax policy plan announced Wednesday, the finance ministry said that it would submit bills to enact “OECD… – Continue reading

India slaps tax demand on Hutchison for Vodafone deal

India’s income-tax department has raised a tax demand for Hutchison’s capital gains during its sale of India mobile business to Vodafone in 2007 India’s income-tax department has now trained its guns on Hong Kong-based Hutchison Telecommunications International Ltd (HTIL) in connection with its alleged capital gains during the US$ 11-billion… – Continue reading

SARS to crack down on multinational companies and subsidiaries’ tax returns

MEDIUM and large businesses with multinational ties will soon have to start supplying the South African Revenue Service (SARS) with more detailed reports of their relationships and transactions with connected entities residing in other countries. SARS has beefed up its Transfer Pricing Division and is now actively involved in the… – Continue reading

Australia Making Inroads On Tackling MNE Tax Avoidance

Kelly O’Dwyer, Australia’s Minister for Revenue and Financial Services, has stressed that the Government has taken and will continue to take steps to tackle corporate tax avoidance by large businesses. Speaking to Sunrise’s David Koch on August 23, 2017, the Minister said: “We absolutely believe very strongly that you cannot… – Continue reading

Anti-tax avoidance measures under fire from employers, tax advisors

The caretaker government may make the Netherlands a less attractive location for international business because of changes to the corporate tax system, the employers’ organisation VNO-NCW and tax advisers have warned, the Financieele Dagblad said on Monday. The employers and Dutch Order of Tax Advisors say the government is choosing… – Continue reading

Changes to tax laws in sight for MNCs as the authorities adopt BEPS

MULTINATIONAL corporations (MNCs) in Malaysia will soon be seeing more tax law changes coming their way as the authorities get down to tackling base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS). This follows efforts by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), approved by G20 leaders, to formulate a 15-step action… – Continue reading