Switzerland – Bankers demand Investment Law Revision
The new Financial Market Infrastructure Act (FMIA) is being supported by the Association of Swiss Private Banks but the latter organization is also concerned that the legislation should not damage the competitive nature of the financial sector in
See MoreSouth Africa – The 2013/14 Revenue Exceeds Expectations
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) published information on 1 April 2014 in respect of the outcome of tax collection for the fiscal year 2013/14. This indicates that ZAR 899.7 billion was collected, an increase on the year before. Although the
See MoreSouth Africa Launches Tax Ombud
The Ministry of Finance in South Africa has officially launched a service known as the Tax Ombud, whose main aim is to deal with taxpayer complaints in respect of the procedural and administrative issues arising in their dealings with the South
See MoreRussian Appeal Court rules on thin capitalization
Russia’s Arbitration Court of Appeal issued a decision on 24 February 2014 holding that a loan from a foreign related company of United Bakers Pskov LLC1 was subject to the thin capitalization legislation. This ruling by the Court was made on the
See MoreNew Zealand’s opposition party welcomes the launch of FTA talks with the EU
In New Zealand an opposition party has welcomed the launch of free trade talks with the EU but has called on the Government to address tax barriers to domestic economic activity. Reacting to NZ-EU FTA negotiations, the leader of the opposition ACT
See MoreMalta Enhances Financial Sector Oversight
Malta’s Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has announced further cooperation with the Maltese Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU). The announcement on March 26, 2014, follows the signing last month of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
See MoreMalaysia – Steep Penalties in GST Bill
Malaysia is to introduce a new Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act to replace a draft Act originally put forward in 2009. The new Act will contain harsh penalties for taxpayers who fail to comply with its provisions. The GST rates and structure are not
See MoreLuxembourg Confirms 2015 VAT rise
The Luxembourg government is to raise the rate of VAT 15% to 17% on 1 January 2015. The lower VAT rates charged on certain categories of expenditure will also rise from 12% and 6% to 14% and 8%, respectively. The third reduced VAT rate of 3%
See MoreLuxembourg – Capital Flight Expected
Luxembourg’s intention to begin automatic exchange of information from January 1, 2015, is considered likely to have a significant impact on the financial sector. The national statistics agency Statec considers that a proportion of around five
See MoreLithuania – VAT and excise tax updates
Lithuania is supplying additional explanatory notes on the VAT law so as to given guidance to taxpayers involved in mixed activities and to give practical case details on derivatives. If taxpayers refer to notes provided by the tax authorities this
See MoreItaly receives further Financial Transaction Reports
As part of efforts by the Italian Revenue Agency to increase the scrutiny of tax compliance reports by banks and other financial institutions containing statistics of transactions for 2012 were due to be submitted by March 31, 2014. The scrutiny of
See MoreIreland Launches Tax Relief Review
As part of a review of tax relief the Irish Government has launched public consultations on certain tax relief. The reviews of these tax breaks are to be completed by May 2014 and the findings of the reviews will be taken into consideration by the
See MoreIreland and the UK levy the highest rates of inheritance or estate tax
A recent report published by a firm of accountants has found that Ireland and the UK levy the highest rates of inheritance or estate tax of any major world economies. The report computes that Ireland takes on average 26 percent from the estate of a
See MoreHong Kong – 2013-14 Tax Returns Issued
On April 1 2014 the Hong Kong Inland Revenue Department issued the 2013/14 tax returns in respect of profits tax, property tax and tax reporting by employers. In the Budget for this year Hong Kong has announced a one-off reduction of 75% on profits
See MoreGerman Government under renewed pressure to raise personal income tax bands
Germany is being urged to increase the personal income tax bands to keep pace with inflation following estimates that a sizeable amount of tax will be collected as a result of the effects of inflation rather than real increases in individual income.
See MoreFrance- President Promises to Push Through Tax Cuts
The French President has pledge to put the economy on firmer ground by reducing taxes for households and businesses, with the aim of increasing the consumers’ net income and purchasing power. The President has promised to reduce labor costs for
See MoreCyprus – Due date for 2012 corporate return extended
According to a recent announcement of the Inland Revenue Department in Cyprus the deadline for electronic filing of corporate tax returns for 2012 has been extended and is not fixed at 30 June
See MoreChilean President submitted Tax Reform Bill
The Chilean President has sent a tax reform bill to Congress. This bill is intended to raise the government’s tax revenue by around USD8.2bn annually by tax increases including an increase in the corporate tax rate to 25 percent by the year 2017.
See More