Russia: Government proposes to introduce an environmental tax on cigarettes
The Ministry of health of Russia proposed to introduce an environmental tax on cigarettes for manufacturers, according to a draft of the “concept of state policy on combating tobacco consumption for years 2017-2022 and beyond”. This is
See MoreItaly: Cabinet approves 2018 budget bill
The Council of Ministers of Italy approved the draft Budget Law for 2018 on 16 October 2017. The main tax measures according to the approved Budget law are as follows: -incentives specifically on the temporary accelerated depreciation regime, the
See MoreIndia extends due date for filing of CbC report for the accounting year 2016-17 to 31.03.2018
On 25 October 2017, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has issued Circular No. 26/2017 of 25 October 2017 stated that it will extend the due date for multinationals to furnish a country-by-country (CbC) report for the accounting year 2016-17
See MoreSwitzerland reduces e-book VAT
As of January 1, 2018, Switzerland is to reduce the value-added tax on e-books from 8% to 2.5%. This means that the VAT rate for electronic books will be the same as in printed books. The standard VAT rate will also reduced from 8% to 7.7% on the
See MoreTurkey: Revenue Administration publishes draft Communiqué 3 on APAs
The Revenue Administration published draft General Communiqué No. 3 on October 24, 2017 regarding transfer pricing. This provides amendments to Section 6 of General Communiqué No. 1. According to draft General Communiqué No. 3, definitions of
See MoreNorway: Proposal to increase VAT rate
Norway has proposed to increase the reduced rate of VAT, as from 1 January 2018 by 10% to 12%. Reduced value-added tax is applicable to the public transport, hotel accommodation, and access to cinemas, museums and amusement parks, but the standard
See MorePakistan: SME and export sectors are exempted from regulatory duty
On 16 October 2017, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has said that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and export-oriented units are exempted from paying regulatory duty levied through SRO 1035(I)/2017 on the import of raw material and
See MoreUAE: MoF still works with VAT regulations
The Ministry of Finance is still in the process of preparing the executive VAT regulation, in coordination with the concerned authorities. The Finance Ministry is committed to working with the highest levels of transparency and disclosure
See MoreNetherlands: The new Dutch Government publishes Policy Paper
The new Dutch government published its Policy Paper on 10th October 2017. The paper highlights the policy of the new Dutch government for the next four years. The new four-party coalition government was formed after extensive negotiations after the
See MorePortugal: Budget for 2018 presented to the Parliament
The Portuguese Budget Bill for 2018 was presented to the Parliament on 13 October 2017. The most important features of the Budget Bill are as follows: -Gains derived from the transfer of shares or rights of non-Portuguese entities, with more than
See MoreOECD: Report on peer reviews of preferential tax regimes
A report released by the OECD on 16 October 2017 noted that countries are dismantling or amending almost 100 preferential tax regimes as part of the implementation of standards under the project on base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS). The report
See MoreOECD: Revenue Statistics in Africa 2017
According to new data from Revenue Statistics in Africa 2017 released on 12 October 2017 the mobilisation of domestic resources is improving steadily in African countries. This annual report is produced jointly by the African Tax Administration
See MoreDenmark: Planning to launch a pilot scheme to support SMEs on compliance matters
The Danish tax agency will launch a pilot scheme to support small- and medium-sized enterprises on value-added tax and direct tax compliance matters from 1 January 2018. The Government said, the new "VAT and tax check" will allow companies to
See MoreCanada: Government intends to reduce small business tax rate
The Government is working to build a fairer and more efficient tax system that benefits all Canadians. As one of its first actions, the Government raised taxes on the wealthiest one per cent in order to cut taxes for the middle class. The Government
See MoreFinland: Court decides two transfer pricing cases concerning intra-group services
Recently, the Finnish Supreme Administrative Court has issued two new pre-orders on transfer pricing rules, KHO: 2017: 145 and KHO: 2017: 146. The ruling defines the policy for transfer pricing for intra-group services and how to determine the
See MoreUAE: Free Zones not VAT free automatically
United Arab Emirates (UAE) Free Zones have been confirmed as not profiting from automatic VAT free status on the introduction of the new indirect tax from January 1, 2018. There are more than 40 Free Zones in the UAE. It generally locates at ports,
See MoreCosta Rica: The income tax on foreigners investing in securities market is 8%
Foreign investors in Costa Rica will now have the same percentage as the revenue tax for local people. The Attorney General's office in Costa Rica confirmed that the withholding tax rate of 8% laid down in Article 23 of the Costa Rican Income Tax
See MoreSouth Africa: SARS publishes public notice on the submission of CbC report
On 13 October 2017, the South African Revenue Service published the public notice on the submission of Country-by-Country (CbC) report, Master file, and Local file information returns under the external business requirements specification (BRS). A
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