Estonia: Announces the corporate income tax rate
The government has announced its intention to reduce the corporate tax rate to 20% in
See MoreRomania’s Government approves tax exemption on reinvested profit
Under an emergency ordinance an exemption from tax on reinvested profits is to be put in place in July 2014 and remain until December 2015. The measure aims to increase the amount of company profits that are ploughed back into the business in the
See MoreMexico Provides Oil Tax Reform Framework
A bill recently introduced by the government contains more detail of the new tax regime in respect of oil companies. This aims to encourage further exploration with the aim of increasing oil production in the future. The state oil and gas company
See MoreItaly – Reduced rates of IRAP regional tax
Decreto-Legge n 66/2014 which was published on 24 April 2014 reduces the rates of the regional tax on productive activities (IRAP). This amendment is awaiting ratification from parliament within 60 days but could be subject to further alterations
See MoreCanada – Tax proposals in Ontario’s 2014 budget
Ontario’s 2014 budget proposals were announced on 1 May 2014. The measures proposed in the budget include a personal tax increase for individuals earning above CAD150,000; the phasing out of the small business deduction given to some larger
See MoreAustria Lowers Business Taxes in Federal Budget
The Austrian budget for 2014 aims to decrease the labor costs incurred by business and has also proposed the abolition of the capital transfer tax. Wage costs will be lowered by means of a decrease of 0.1 percent in the accident insurance
See MoreFrance: Unveils Medium Term Tax Strategy
France’s medium-term economic plan, included in the 2014-2017 Stability Program, involves measures that will help France to reach its public deficit target of 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015. Among the tax measures in the plan is
See MoreLuxembourg: Adopts 2014 Budget
Luxembourg’s 2014 Budget has been adopted by the Chamber of Deputies. The debate in parliament was concerned with the Luxembourg Government’s intention to raise taxes with effect from 2015. The government also intends to increase three of the
See MoreItaly: Government reduces IRAP rate and enacts other tax measures
Law Decree no. 66 published in the Official Gazette on 24 April 2014 confirms certain tax changes that were previously announced on 12 March 2014. The measures include a reduction of the regional tax on productive activities (IRAP) from a standard
See MoreUS: ATR finds that Obama has proposed 442 tax hikes
The organization known as Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) has calculated that since 2009 President Obama has proposed 442 tax increases. This figure results from a survey of the budgets for the fiscal years 2010 to 2015. In addition to these tax
See MoreUS – IRS issues 2014 foreign housing tax deduction limits
In the US the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued Notice 2014-29. The Notice sets out the inflation-adjusted limitations in respect of foreign housing expenses for tax year 2014. The figures included in the Notice show that Hong Kong, Moscow,
See MoreUS: Budget proposals for 2015 have implications on inbound investors
In March 2014, the Obama Administration (the Administration) released its fiscal year 2015 Budget proposals (the Budget). In addition to the transfer pricing rules the earnings stripping rules also apply to transactions with foreign related parties
See MoreSpain Introduces New Tax Measures
Tax reforms published in Spain include a number of changes intended to boost employment and growth. The changes announced on 25 February 2014 include an increase in family allowances and the allowances for older people; an exemption from income tax
See MorePakistan Needs to Chase Non-Taxpayers
Currently Pakistan has one of the world’s lowest ratios of tax to gross domestic product (GDP). The ratio in Pakistan is 9 percent compared to India’s tax to GDP ratio of 16 percent, Indonesia’s ratio of 14 percent, and Malaysia’s 15 percent
See MoreUS: IRS Gives Bonuses to Tax-Delinquent Employees
In the US the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) provides independent oversight of the activities of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). TIGTA aims to ensure economy and efficiency of administration within the IRS and is
See MoreEgyptian Government to widen the income tax base and introduce VAT
Egypt’s Finance Minister has announced that the interim Government is in the process of drawing up amendments to the tax law aimed at widening the tax base and to dealing with the problem of tax evasion and avoidance. Egypt intends to broaden the
See MoreAustria Focuses on Income Tax Reform
The Austrian Government intends to go ahead with proposals to simplify the income tax system by the second half of 2014, the Finance Minister has announced. He commented that payroll taxes in Austria are too complex and place a compliance burden on
See MoreUS: IRS Should Improve Efficiency to Counteract Reduced Funding
The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent agency that reports to the Congress and is often referred to as the congressional watchdog. The organization is headed up by the Comptroller General of the United States and
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