ECJ rules on applicability of national procedures in abusive practices
On 12 February 2015 the European Court of Justice (ECJ) gave a preliminary ruling on a value added tax (VAT) case that had been referred to it by the Portuguese Supreme Administrative Tribunal. The question raised In the case of Surgicare - Unidades
See MoreUK issues VAT instructions following the Skandia judgment
On 10 February 2015 the UK tax authority HMRC issued Revenue and Customs Brief 2 (2015) on VAT grouping rules and the Skandia judgment. Skandia was a US corporation with a branch in Sweden. The branch in Sweden became part of a Swedish VAT group
See MoreEgypt: IMF recommends introduction of a full VAT system
Following consultations in Egypt under Article IV of its articles of agreement the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reported that measures implemented have begun to produce a turnaround in the economic situation in Egypt after the years of
See MoreIMF reports on Costa Rican economy
The IMF has concluded its discussions with Costa Rica under Article IV and issued a report on 4 February 2015. Costa Rica currently has problems of weak growth and rising unemployment. The IMF is recommending budget consolidation to improve the
See MoreIreland: VAT Rates on Stock Exchange Fees
The tax authority of Ireland, the Revenue Commissioners, has updated Part 5.69 of its value-added tax (VAT) manual to explain the VAT treatment related to stock exchange fees. The guidance contains fees for firms trading securities on the Irish
See MoreSlovak Republic: Proposal for VAT due on payment from customer
A pending proposal regarding the time when the VAT is to be remitted would revise in Slovak Republic. So VAT would be due at the time of customer payment received. It would affect when an input VAT deduction claim could be made. It is expected that
See MoreSouth Africa: Transfer Pricing Adjustments Regarding Withholding Tax Obligations
Under the income tax act, section 31(3), South Africa provide that any adjusted amount for transfer pricing and thin capitalization purposes, prior to 1 January 2015, constituted a deemed loan. The adjusted amount plus interest deemed to have
See MoreIndonesia: Plans to Introduce VAT on E-Commerce
The Finance Minister of Indonesia has confirmed their plan to introduce value-added tax (VAT) on e-commerce. In order to implement this plan, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has been asked to prepare regulations to tax
See MoreIMF Comments on Senegal’s Economic Plans
The IMF Country Report No 15/2 issued in January 2015 concerned the annual bilateral discussions with Senegal and includes a staff report by the IMF team and a debt sustainability analysis. The IMF notes that Senegal is committed to implementing the
See MoreECJ rules in case concerning VAT on letting of immovable property
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on 22 January 2015 in the case of Regie Communal Autonome du Stade Luc Varenne v Etat Belge. A preliminary question had been put to the ECJ concerning VAT on leasing of immovable property. This case
See MoreECJ: Advocate General’s opinion on X AB Case
The Advocate General of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) issued an opinion on 22 January 2015 in the case of X AB v Skatteverket. In this case the Supreme Administrative Court of Sweden had asked the ECJ for a preliminary ruling on whether
See MorePhilippines: Personal income tax reforms
The Tax Management Association of the Philippines (TMAP) has raised a concern to revamp the Personal Income tax threshold and tax brackets. To ensure secure revenue collection levels, TMAP has recommended a raise on Personal Income Tax (PIT) exempt
See MoreBelgium Federal Budget for 2015
Recently, the Belgian Government was gazettes the following federal end of year tax measures for corporate income tax in the State Gazette: Changes regarding Corporate income tax: The corporate income tax exemption for communal joint-venture
See MoreAzerbaijan: approves tax code amendments to introduce excise tax and to set new tax rates
The Parliament of Azerbaijan has approved amendments of tax code introducing excise tax on precious metals, and setting new tax rates for imported cars, imported yachts, and domestically produced alcohol and tobacco. As per legislation, excise on
See MoreMexico: Developments of non-oil tax revenue
The Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) recently released statistics about Mexico's non-oil tax revenues. According to the statistics non-oil tax revenue reached MXN1.65 trillion in the time period of January to November of 2014 from the
See MoreUK: Stamp Duty Reforms on Residential Property
UK has cut stamp duty for the majority of homebuyers to make it fairer. The new rules have started on 4 December 2014. This change applies to people those who are buying a home in the UK for over £125,000. Under the old rules, it would have been
See MoreDubai and China: first Chinese issuer to list a bond on an exchange in the Middle East
China has issued an RMB 1bn three-year bond on NASDAQ Dubai. The Agriculture Bank of China (ABC), China's third largest bank by assets, became the first Chinese issuer to list a bond on an exchange in the Middle East. The Emirate's stylish financial
See MoreVenezuela: President signs off on tax increases
In order to increase and diversify government revenue, Venezuela`s President has accepted tax increases on 18th November 2014. 28 laws have been passed to incorporate an increment in the excise duty for buying luxury goods from 10% to 15%. This
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