UK: HMRC exercises new powers to combat electronic sales fraud
On 31 May 2022 HMRC announced that a number of businesses had been visited and some arrests made following the introduction of new powers to combat the use of electronic sales suppression (ESS) systems. Around 30 businesses, including including
See MoreUK: HMRC Data on Financial Assets Held Abroad
It was reported on 31 May 2022 that UK residents had GBP 850 billion in financial accounts overseas in 2019 (the latest year for which statistics are available) of which GBP 570 billion was based in tax havens. This data was disclosed by HMRC in
See MoreSouth Africa: SARS updates interest rate tables
On 18 May 2022, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) published updated interest rate tables. The South African Reserve Bank changed the “repo rate” on 19 May 2022, effective 1 June 2022. For ease of reference, the tables of interest
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OECD: Taxing Wages 2022
On 24 May 2022 the OECD published the latest issue of the annual publication Taxing Wages 2022. This sets out details of taxes paid on wages in OECD countries, covering personal income taxes and social security contributions paid by employees;
See MoreIMF Report Recommends Policy Changes for Germany
On 23 May 2022 the IMF published a report following discussions with Germany under Article IV of the IMF’s articles of agreement. Germany’s economic recovery was gathering strength before the Ukraine war began, but the war has impacted the
See MoreUK: Research on Benefits of Money Service Businesses
On 9 May 2022 the UK government published the results of research commissioned by HMRC to understand the economic and social benefits of the Money Service Business (MSB) sector in the UK. MSBs are businesses that allow customers to send money,
See MoreIMF Report Considers Fiscal Policy in Denmark
On 9 May 2022 the IMF issued a report following discussions with Denmark under Article IV of the IMF’s articles of agreement. The economic recovery is likely to continue in Denmark, with the lifting of restrictions introduced during the
See MoreUK: Statistics for Investments under the EIS, SEIS and SITR
On 5 May 2022 the UK government published statistics for the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR). These latest statistics show the amount of funds raised by
See MoreCanada: Bill-19 receives its first reading to implement some measures of Budget 2022
On 28 April 2022, Bill C-19, introduced by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, was received its first reading for implementing some measures of Budget 2022. Some highlighting points are given below: Government banned foreign
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OECD: Assessing Tax Compliance and Illicit Financial Flows in South Africa
On 25 April 2022 the OECD’s Centre for Tax Policy and Administration issued jointly with South Africa’s National Treasury a publication entitled Assessing Tax Compliance and Illicit Financial Flows in South Africa. Achieving the
See MoreZambia: Government implements budget tax changes for 2022
Recently, the Zambian Government has published Practice Note No. 1/2022 which provides an overview of the various 2022 tax changes implemented through the Budget 2022 Amendment Acts. The most important changes are summarized below: Corporate
See MoreKenya: Corporate tax measures in Finance Bill 2022
On 12 April 2022, the Finance Bill 2022 was presented in the National Assembly of Kenya, which provides following tax measures related to corporate taxation. Corporations donating money to non-profit organizations can deduct the donation from
See MoreIMF: Tax Policy and Gender Equality
On 22 April 2022, as part of the Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank, there was a video presentation on gender and taxation by Maria Coelho of the Fiscal Affairs department of the IMF. The speaker noted that laws that once existed legally
See MoreUK: Research on Awareness of Pension Tax Relief
In 2015 HMRC commissioned a research agency to conduct independent research on pension tax relief, exploring awareness and understanding of the pension tax system in the UK. The research included discussion groups with individuals; interviews with
See MoreEU: Pressure on member states to revise CBI/RBI schemes
Recently there has been increased pressure on European Union (EU) member states to scale back their schemes offering citizenship or residence in return for financial contributions. This reflects heightened security concerns in view of the current
See MoreIMF: Untapped Revenue Potential of Personal Income Tax
An IMF blog post of 24 March 2022 considers the potential for developing countries to raise more revenue from the personal income tax. This issue has gained importance as low-income countries look for a sustainable recovery after the pandemic and
See MoreHong Kong: IRD issues profits tax, property tax and employer’s returns for 2021-22
The Inland Revenue Department today (April 1) issued about 220,000 profits tax returns, 120,000 property tax returns and 300,000 employer's returns for the year of assessment 2021-22. About 2.48 million tax returns for individuals will be issued on
See MoreUK: Spring Statement 2022
The UK’s Spring Statement 2022 was delivered on 23 March 2022. National insurance contributions From July 2022 the annual National Insurance Primary Threshold for Class 1
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