China and Liechtenstein sign a TIEA
China and Liechtenstein signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) 27 January 2014. The agreement is consistent with the OECD’s international standard. The TIEA will enter into force after ratification by both parties, and the possible
See MoreHungary and Jersey sign a TIEA
Hungary and Jersey signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) on 28 January, 2014. The TIEA will enter into force after ratification by both parties, and the possible date for entry into force is not
See MoreTIEA between Costa Rica and Iceland published in gazette
The Costa Rica – Iceland TIEA, 2011 (Law No 9196) was published in the Official Gazette (Gaceta Digital de la Imprenta Nacional) No. 20 of Costa Rica on 29 January 2014. This completes the ratification process on the side of Costa
See MoreAustralian Government restates commitment to lower taxes
The Australian Prime Minister has reiterated his election pledge for “lower, simpler, fairer taxes,” and the new government will draw up a tax reform white paper within two years. Recommendations in the white paper shall be part of the platform
See MoreHungary dismisses OECD Tax Advice
The Hungarian government has rejected OECD proposals for major tax reforms, covering a new property tax as well as energy, environmental, inheritance and wealth taxes. The Minister of Economic Strategy has said that tax reform is complete and no
See MoreCanada: Lower Tax Rates demanded for Small Businesses
The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB), in presenting budget requests to the Finance Minister, has recommended a gradual reduction of the small business tax rate from 11% to 9%. CFIB feels that these changes will help the small
See MorePortugal: Parliament adopts Retroactive Budget for 2014
The Parliament has adopted the Retroactive Budget for 2014, this widens the base of the Portugal’s “Extraordinary Solidarity Contribution” (CES) on pensioners. The CES will apply to pensions greater than EUR 1,000/month (previous level, EUR
See MoreECJ to investigate Portuguese exit tax
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) will investigate tax residency rules in Portugal; this results from a referral by the European Commission which considers the Portuguese rules applicable to taxpayers who are no longer resident in the country to
See MoreSpain: Further VAT Rises Unlikely
The Finance Minister has confirmed that further VAT rises will not take place in the near future. The Advisory Committee for Tax Reform had suggested increases in the headline VAT rate from 10% and 21% to 13% and 23% respectively. External advice
See MoreTurkey: Specific Transfer Pricing Compliance
An annual transfer pricing report must be prepared by the date of the annual tax return. The transfer pricing rules also specify documentation that must be maintained. Listed companies may also be required to submit a report on controlled
See MoreSlovenia- Audits time limits
There is no fixed time limit within which a tax audit may take place. The statute of limitations is normally ten years but may be extended for the duration of legal procedures in connection with collecting
See MoreRussia- Financial Services
Under Federal Law 39-FZ and 420-FZ, from 1 January 2015 interest on related party loans should be charged at market rates and documentation should be maintained to demonstrate
See MoreMalaysia: Audits process
Under the transfer pricing audit framework for transfer pricing audit effective from 1 April 2013, a taxpayer may be selected for audit based on the significance of its controlled transactions before taking into account other risk analysis. The time
See MoreIndonesia: VAT registration threshold increased
Indonesia has increased its VAT registration threshold from IDR 0.6bn to IDR 4.8bn per year in taxable turnover with effect from 1 January 2014. The stated goal is to reduce the VAT compliance burden for small and medium sized businesses. The
See MoreChina: Tax Revenues grew in 2013
Total tax revenue in China increased by 9.8% in 2013; VAT revenue rose by 9% to nearly RMB2.9 trillion, while corporate income tax revenue grew by 14% to RMB2.2 trillion. Total tax revenue was just over USD1.8 trillion; however rate pf increase
See MoreUnited States: Technology Industry Lobbies for expanded Research Tax Credit
TechAmerica, a technology industry group, has asked that the tax credit for research and development (R&D) should become permanent, and be refundable for small start-ups. The R&D credit expired on 31 December 2013; it had survived as a
See MoreEuropean Commission: Belgian taxation rules for credit institutions need reform
The European Commission has requested Belgium to amend its law on the taxation of transactions in specific securities. Belgian law at present only allows credit institutions established in Belgium to operate settlement systems with tax clearing;
See MoreEU: Digital economy taxation expert group
The high-level expert group on digital taxation of the EC met for the second time on 14 to 15 January 2014. The meeting focused on the interaction of the group’s work with the OECD, understanding business models in the digital economy, VAT issues
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