A world away from Panama, the sleepy eastern Hungarian village of Komlóska has become a kind of tax haven – to survive. The village of 300 inhabitants is in one of Hungary’s poorest regions with high unemployment and a shrinking population. But in 1990 the mayor, László Köteles, decided to… – Continue reading
Genesis of CbC Reporting and How it will Affect U.S. Multinational Enterprises Country-by-country (CbC) reporting is essentially exactly what it sounds like: a report that shows every country where a multinational enterprise (MNE) operates and allocates income, earnings and pays taxes. The CbC report regulations proposed by the Internal Revenue… – Continue reading
As promised earlier this year, the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) has published Guidance Notes for the implementation of the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard (CRS). The CRS, the new global standard for automatic exchange of information for tax purposes, obliges all participating countries and jurisdictions to obtain financial information from their… – Continue reading
The government should immediately withdraw key tax avoidance provisions from the income tax law and investigate sources of foreign remittances under section 111(4) of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 and other blanket amnesty/immunity clauses in the tax laws through Statutory Regulatory Orders (SROs). A tax lawyer Waheed Shahzad Butt told… – Continue reading
FATCA Notification and Reporting Deadlines Extended The Cayman Islands Department for International Tax Cooperation (“DITC”) has issued an industry advisory advising that it will be adopting a soft approach to the upcoming 30 April notification deadline for US and UK FATCA and 31 May reporting deadline for both US and… – Continue reading
The chief of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Monday that the Panamanian government is expected to cooperate in international efforts to prevent tax avoidance after the revelation of the so-called Panama Papers. OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria said in a press conference in Tokyo that… – Continue reading
Despite best intentions of the government, there have been little or no takers for India-based fund managers In 2015, the Indian government took a commendable step by introducing a new provision in the Income-tax Act, 1961 (i.e. section 9A), to promote India as a fund manager jurisdiction, and to encourage… – Continue reading
HMRC complicite in tax avoidance scheme after it emerged it rents its own office from tax haven based company A day on, the world is still reeling from the revelations of the Panama Papers leak, the full repercussions of which are yet to be felt. Eleven million documents leaked from… – Continue reading
Premier Li Keqiang’s message to the country’s tax and financial authorities is crystal clear: The ongoing landmark tax reform must reduce burdens on all industries. One month before the May 1 deadline of a sweeping reform that seeks to replace China’s decadeslong business tax with a value-added tax, Li visited… – Continue reading
March 31 — Minnesota Sen. John Marty (DFL) introduced legislation that would require corporations headquartered in 46 tax havens to be subject to the same taxation as domestic companies. While it’s still early in the legislative session—the bill was introduced March 29—a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce told… – Continue reading
Is there a serious risk that Scotland’s tax revenues would be hit hard by people fleeing south to avoid the new top rates of tax advocated by Labour or the Scottish Greens? HM Revenue & Customs is not convinced that there is. With a new Scottish rate of income tax… – Continue reading
Investors alerted to risks of higher payments as crackdown closes loopholes A global crackdown on tax avoidance has forced a surge of warnings by multinational companies that higher payments are set to hit their earnings. A Financial Times analysis of company filings revealed that more than twice the number of… – Continue reading
MUMBAI: Anxiety still prevails among foreign institutional investors (FIIs) with regard to General Anti Avoidance Rule (GAAR), which will come into effect from April 1, 2017. While the draft rules in GAAR may have cleared the air over retrospective taxation and treatment of Participatory Notes ( P-notes), experts say doubts… – Continue reading
The Association of Tax Technicians (ATT) has expressed its disappointment that the UK Government intends to press ahead with plans to introduce a stamp duty land tax (SDLT) surcharge on purchases of second homes from April 1. Higher rates of SDLT will apply to purchases in England, Wales, and Northern… – Continue reading
Pune: The property tax department of Pune Municipal Corporation has sealed 14 properties after their owners defaulted on tax payment in the last three days. The administration took action against the owners of these properties because they had refused to pay the pending tax amount worth around Rs 70 lakh…. – Continue reading
The first Budget tabled by Canada’s new Liberal Government provides for a major crackdown on tax evasion and avoidance, and streamlines the domestic tax credits system. The Budget was delivered by Finance Minister Bill Morneau on March 22, 2016. He told Parliament: “Today, we begin to restore hope for the… – Continue reading
Multinationals with turnover of more than €750 million would have to publish profit and tax details on their websites under new European Commission plans, the Financial Times has reported. According to plans seen by the Financial Times, the Commission would impose the requirement on companies with subsidiaries in Europe as… – Continue reading
A TAX loophole has been closed to stop Jersey developers avoiding or evading tax on profits made from UK property projects. The loophole, which was known as ‘The Island Handshake’, had been in existence since the 1950s and was used to make Jersey an ‘investment doorway’ for UK property development…. – Continue reading
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has issued a guideline asking its income tax offices across the country to start ‘scrutiny assessment’ of the tax returns submitted for the tax year 2015-16. As per the guideline, the taxmen have to complete the scrutiny assessment known as ‘return process’ by December… – Continue reading
The Williams Mullen Southeast State and Local Tax (SESALT) team is pleased to provide you with a comprehensive recap of important tax developments around the Southeast. VIRGINIA CORPORATE INCOME TAX Conformity with Internal Revenue Code. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe signed emergency legislation on February 5, 2016 that advances the state’s… – Continue reading
The government said a foreign hedge fund with an Indian fund manager working in India will neither be classified as having a business connection in India nor as being located in India. “Under this regime, the fund management activity carried out through an eligible fund manager in India by an… – Continue reading
Summary The pace of change in international tax is dramatic. Each month brings new initiatives and developments at both national and supra-national levels. In this update, we focus on recent changes which are relevant to our clients. The OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (“BEPS”) reports were finalised in October… – Continue reading
The amount people can earn before being hit by income tax will rise to £11,500 in April 2017, benefiting millions of workers. The move will cut taxes for 31 million people, according to the Treasury, and will mean 1.3 million low-wage workers are taken out of paying income tax altogether…. – Continue reading
Only the little people pay taxes. For a small, select cohort of rich Australians, the famous quote of New York property billionaire Leona Helmsley rings not as an outrage but as an inspiration. In the most recent documents released by the Australian Tax Office, there were 55 people who had… – Continue reading
It is now time for Australian financial institutions to move on CRS. Australian implementing legislation has been finalised. You need to be prepared by 1 July 2017. The scope of CRS and applicable penalties have been expanded The next FATCA reporting deadline is 31 July 2016. The uncertainty around listed… – Continue reading
With American corporations keeping a record amount of profits offshore to avoid paying U.S. taxes, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) will introduce legislation requiring corporations to “Pay What You Owe Before You Go.” During a news conference call today, Brown will outline his bill that would require corporations to settle… – Continue reading
Tax evasion has always been a criminal offence in India. Few know that this can even land you in jail. Persecution in any related offence can come under Chapter XXII of the Income-tax Act, 1961. Under this act, 3-6 months of rigorous jail will be given to offenders under these… – Continue reading
For several years now Google has been facing what appears to be a case of tax avoidance in the UK, at some point in time, the company went as far saying it did not make any money from business in the UK all in a desperate attempt to pay less… – Continue reading
Governments around the world want more tax income. There is a widely held feeling that many international companies are basing themselves in places like Luxembourg, Ireland, and the Netherlands to avoid tax. The world’s largest countries have a plan and things will change. What will be the effect on Luxembourg,… – Continue reading
Retrospective amendments to domestic laws cannot override international treaties In a judgment that will have a far-reaching impact on double taxation issues, the Delhi High Court has held that Parliament cannot change the terms of an international treaty by bringing in amendments in the domestic law, and any such executive… – Continue reading
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has issued final regulations that require certain financial institutions (FIs) to report on accounts held or controlled by foreign residents from March 1, 2016. The OECD’s automatic tax information exchange standard, the Common Reporting Standard (CRS), which the regulations are in response to, obliges… – Continue reading
The US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has updated Publication 515, Withholding of Tax on Nonresident Aliens and Foreign Entities, which covers the obligations of the persons responsible for withholding tax (withholding agents). It is specified that the Publication is for withholding agents who pay income to foreign persons, including nonresident… – Continue reading
Maltese individuals resident and domiciled for tax purposes, that is people whose permanent residence is in Malta, are required to pay tax in Malta on their worldwide income, according to the Income Tax Act. This essentially means that Minister Konrad Mizzi is required to pay tax on foreign earnings. However… – Continue reading
Pakistan and Czech Republic have implemented a convention to avoid double taxation and prevent tax evasion, the Federal Board of Revenue notified on Monday. An official said the convention on avoidance of double taxation will come into force on July 1. “This is an epoch-making event in the consolidation of… – Continue reading
With the adoption of the BEPS package, OECD and G20 countries laid the foundations of a modern international tax framework under which profits would be taxed where economic activity and value creation occurs. It is now time to focus on implementation of the recommended changes in a consistent and coherent… – Continue reading
If you have made any investment in a fixed deposit or a mutual fund or even in shares, by now, you must have received a form in the mail requiring you to comply with FATCA regulations. What is this new compliance requirement exactly and what does it mean so far… – Continue reading
A “controlled foreign company” (CFC) is, as the name implies, a foreign company or subsidiary owned by a parent company which is situated in a country different from the parent company’s country of residence. The tax laws of many countries, including the Philippines, do not tax the CFC’s parent company… – Continue reading
During a political season in which populist fury and anger at big business is running high, two presidential candidates want to eliminate the ability of multinational firms to keep earnings overseas and avoid U.S. taxes. They also just happen to be the two most surprising and disruptive candidates in the… – Continue reading
On February 23, US House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D – Michigan) and Budget Committee Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen (D – Maryland) introduced legislation aimed at reducing the number of corporate tax inversions by limiting the use of “earnings stripping.” Tax inversion techniques… – Continue reading
THE BUREAU of Internal Revenue (BIR) has released the details of its strategic plan reaching well into the next government, by which it intends to effect improvements in tax administration. BIR Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto-Henares on Feb. 15 issued Revenue Memorandum Order No. 6-2016 detailing the bureau’s Strategic Plan 2016-2020…. – Continue reading
What is FATCA? FATCA refers to US legislation more fully known as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act and includes the US Treasury regulations implementing it. It was enacted as part of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act of 2010 (otherwise known as the, “HIRE Act”) on 18 March… – Continue reading
Wealthy taxpayers who split time between states should be prepared to prove where their true home lies. You’re lounging by the pool of your second home in Florida, chuckling as you think of your friends back home braving the blizzard in Massachusetts. And you’re musing: Perhaps it’s time to escape… – Continue reading
(Special) – If you’re planning on leaving Canada soon, don’t give up on contributing to your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP). If you become a non-resident of Canada, you can still contribute to an RRSP provided you still have accumulated contribution room available. “Your contribution room is determined by your… – Continue reading
The Government recently introduced into the Legislative Council a bill to provide a legal framework for the implementation of automatic exchange of financial account information in tax matters (“AEOI”). This would have significant implications both for financial institutions and, in a cosmopolitan city like Hong Kong, for many of their… – Continue reading
The push for a tax amnesty has attracted a fair amount of criticism and even rebuke from analysts, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the World Bank and even the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). Yustinus Prastowo, a respectable tax analyst, went so far as… – Continue reading
If Swiss banking secrecy laws gave Switzerland the world banking capital status, Monaco’s residence policy gives its realtors a thriving business. What is common between the Canadian Raonic who lost in the Australian Open semifinals and the Serbian Djokovic who won it? Well, they are both residents of Monaco, and… – Continue reading
Indonesian lawmakers are expected to pass a new tax amnesty aimed at encouraging wealthy citizens with billions of dollars in assets abroad to come clean with the taxman. The Bill is likely to be pushed through with little resistance in Parliament in the weeks ahead, given that the Golkar party… – Continue reading
Multinational companies operating in Europe will have to publicly disclose their earnings and the tax paid in each European country if new measures being proposed by the European Commission come into force, The Guardian has reported. The Commission will propose new legislation in April that makes profit and tax information… – Continue reading
More Americans than ever before are turning their backs on the United States. The number of citizens and long-term residents cutting their official ties to Uncle Sam jumped more than 20% last year to 4,279, according to a CNNMoney analysis of the latest government data. It’s a trend that’s been… – Continue reading
A dreaded disease is spreading like wildfire – in all 50 of the United States. It debilitates most successful business owners … then, ravages some or all of his kids and eventually hurts the grandkids. Known by various names, the most common name is “estate-tax-itus”: It drains family wealth. The… – Continue reading
