UK: Statistics for Funds raised under EIS, SEIS and SITR
On 27 May 2021 the UK government published statistics for the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR). The latest statistics set out the amount of funds raised by
See MoreWTO: Discussion on MSMEs and Green Technology
At the meeting of the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on 10 and 11 March 2021, members discussed among other topics the use of IP by small businesses in relation to innovations in green technology. The
See MoreUK: Statistics on Venture Capital Trusts
On 17 December 2020 the UK released statistics on Venture Capital Trust (VCT) tax relief for the year 2019/2020. The statistics on VCT tax relief are released annually and are important for monitoring and assessment of the effectiveness of the tax
See MoreWTO Adopts Package of Recommendations to Assist MSMEs
On 11 December 2020 the WTO’s Informal Working Group on Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) adopted a package of six recommendations and declarations concerning problems encountered by MSMEs when engaging in international trade. The
See MoreWTO: Recommendations to assist small business
At a meeting on 5 November 2020 the Informal Working Group on Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) completed a package of six recommendations and declarations to assist the participation of MSMEs in international trade. The
See MoreIMF: Securing China’s Post-Pandemic Recovery
On 24 September 2020 a blog post by the IMF’s First Deputy Managing Director Forum on National Affairs looked at reforms needed to ensure China’s recovery from the economic problems caused by the pandemic. Global Economic Outlook The blog
See MoreIMF: Effect of the COVID-19 Crisis on Lower Income Developed Countries
An IMF blog post, dated 27 August 2020, notes that the low income developing countries (LIDCs) are in a difficult position to combat the COVID-19 crisis. They have already been hard hit by external shocks and the lockdown measures are causing their
See MoreIMF Report Discusses Australia’s Economic Situation
On 4 March 2020 the IMF published a report following the conclusion of discussions with Australia under Article IV of the IMF’s articles of agreement. Economic growth recovered gradually in 2019 with a contribution from net exports. Growth is
See MoreWTO and ICC: Participation by small business in international trade
An initiative launched by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) encourages companies and private sector organizations to suggest innovative ideas to promote cross-border trade by micro, small and medium
See MoreOECD: Report on small businesses in Canada
On 29 July 2017 the OECD published a report entitled SME and Entrepreneurship Policy in Canada. The report looks at entrepreneurship activity, business structures, federal programmes, productivity and innovation among small and medium enterprises
See MoreCanada: New tax proposal increases uncertainty for SMEs
A new federal tax proposal was announced on 18th of July 2017 by the Finance Minister and it could have a chance of uncertain consequences for small businesses and enterprises (SMEs). The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has
See MoreWTO: Measures to facilitate cross-border trade for MSMEs
On 29 June 2017 the WTO’s Director General spoke during an informal dialogue on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). These entities face greater barriers to cross-border trading and WTO members have put forward some ideas to deal with the
See MoreVietnam: National Assembly passes law on supporting SMEs
On 12 June, the National Assembly passed the Law on the support of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The measure will help to improve the quality of growth and change the nation's economic growth model. Under the new law, SMEs include
See MoreFrance: Announces draft Finance Bill for 2017
The French Ministry of Finance presented, during a press conference on 28 September 2016, the main tax provisions of what will be the draft Finance Bill for 2017, prior to the bill being submitted to the French Parliament. Among the provisions that
See MoreUK: Update on advance assurance for R&D tax relief
On 24 August 2016 HMRC held a webinar to provide an update on the advance assurance scheme for research and development (R&D) tax relief. The scheme which is aimed at small companies was launched in November 2015 and there have so far been more
See MoreWTO: Trade Dialogue with business leaders
The World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Dialogues event held on 30 May 2016 gave business leaders an opportunity to discuss the challenges they face and the role of the WTO in helping to overcome the problems. The business representatives noted
See MoreOECD: Report on the role of tax service providers
A report entitled “Rethinking Tax Services: The Changing Role of Tax Service Providers in SME Tax Compliance” was published during the meeting of the OECD's Forum on Tax Administration (FTA) on 9 to 11 May 2016. The report looks at the
See MoreCanada: First reading of federal budget bill 2016 received
Federal budget bill 2016, Bill C-15, has received first reading on 20th April 2016 that contains some of the proposals announced by the 2016 federal budget. It also includes several measures, such as changes affecting the inter-corporate dividend
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