Italy: Italian 2012 Tax Returns Suggest Compliance Gap
Italian statistics in respect of tax returns suggest that Italians on average declared income of around EUR19,750 (USD27,200) in the 2012 fiscal year. Although the government has been encouraging more tax compliance, the number of taxpayers sending
See MoreIreland: IBEC calls for Tax Cuts to Support recovery
Ireland’s business and employers’ confederation IBEC has requested a reduction in the marginal individual income tax rate to bring it below 50 percent and has suggested that the income level at which the top rate of tax begins should also be
See MoreIndia shows decline in transfer pricing adjustments
The income tax department has estimated that the number of transfer pricing adjustments in 2014 so far has fallen by 14 percent by comparison to the previous year. This may indicate that taxpayers in India are becoming more aware of the transfer
See MoreHong Kong considers how to maintain Low-Tax Regime
According to a recently published report by the Working Group on Long-Term Fiscal Planning the government will need to find additional tax revenue at some point in the future to close a gap in the finances. The government has emphasized that fiscal
See MoreFrance – Study Backs Real Estate Tax Review
The French housing association CGL has pointed out that there are large differences between rates of residence tax in different parts of France. The residence tax is due from the owners or tenants of residential property on the basis of the notional
See MoreFrance – President offers Token Tax Cut for Households
The French is to announce some tax cuts for families in France, according to reports, but the amount of the tax cuts has not been decided and may depend on further reductions in government expenditure. Â The President also plans to lower labor costs
See MoreFrance- Court Rules in Research Tax Credit Case
In France a tax credit known as the Crédit Impôt Recherche (CIR) is available for certain research and development expenditure by businesses. A recent case (No. 1219816) involved an appeal from a business advisory firm, in respect of the partial
See MoreFrance Reintroduces Rules for Creative Tax Credit
The creative tax credit is given to innovative enterprises in the area of arts and crafts. A company in this sector may obtain a 10% tax credit for expenditure on new products, including the cost of wages, design and protection of new models. The
See MoreFinland decides against VAT increase as taxes rise
On 25 March 2014 Finland is to put through some tax rises and benefits cuts in an attempt to lower the budget deficit. Other Scandinavian countries have VAT rates as high as 25%, and Finland has for some time been considering an increase in VAT.
See MoreGermany: Finance Minister Indicates Tax Cuts Will Come
The German Finance Minister has suggested that tax cuts could be made in the next few years. Various commentators have pointed out that the personal income tax thresholds have not increased in line with inflation, leading to the phenomenon of
See MoreEU Approves UK Video Game Tax Break
The European Commission has approved the new UK tax relief for video game as being in line with EU state aid rules. The videos games tax relief is designed to give an incentive to developers of video game developers to design products that meet
See MoreIndia releases revised Direct Taxes Code 2013
The Indian Finance Minister has issued a discussion draft of the Direct Tax Code (DTC), 2013. This draft contains proposals for extra taxes on high net worth individuals, a lower threshold than earlier proposed for imposing tax on the offshore sale
See MoreAustralian Taxation Office Launches Offshore Tax Amnesty
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is conducting another initiative to urge taxpayers to declare understated offshore income and to revise claims for tax deductions where these are overstated. Disclosures of income are to be regarded as
See MoreVietnam: Changes to VAT rules
Some changes have been made to the VAT regime in Vietnam, effective from January 2014. An important change relates to branches of export processing enterprises, which are being brought within the VAT regime. These enterprises will now be required to
See MoreUS – New York suspends driving licenses of tax evaders
Last year New York passed legislation providing for the suspension of the driving license of any individual owing a sum greater than ten thousand dollars in back tax. This has apparently been a successful policy as thousands of individuals have
See MoreUS – IRS Issues Revised Guidance on Business Expenses
The IRS has published a revised version of Publication 535 that gives guidance to taxpayers on claiming a tax deduction for business expenses. The publication contains instructions in respect of the years 2013 and 2014. This may be important for
See MoreUS – IRS Has Unclaimed 2010 Refunds For Almost 1m Taxpayers
The IRS has indicated that almost a million taxpayers are due tax refunds that have not yet been claimed, because they have not yet filed a federal tax return for 2010. As there is a three year deadline for such claims the returns must be filed by
See MoreUkraine Seeks Tax from Bank Depositors
The Ukrainian Ministry of Finance has announced that it is to introduce a tax on interest received from bank deposits above UAH 100,000. This tax is expected to apply to only 1.5 percent of bank deposits in Ukraine but these deposits account for
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