France introduces withholding tax on benefits from employment
On 17 June 2015, the Ministries of Finances and Budget declared that a withholding tax system for fringe benefits will be introduced in France and will come into effect from 1 January 2018. It is expected that the withholding tax will be processed
See MoreHong Kong: Exemption for offshore funds
The Hong Kong government has Gazetted the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (No.2) Ordinance 2015, which seeks to extend the profits tax exemption for offshore funds to private equity funds. With the implementation of the Amendment Ordinance, transactions
See MoreCyprus: Parliament Enacts Tax Law Amendments
On 9 July 2015 the House of Representatives of Cyprus enacted into law a number of significant tax law proposals. The laws were published in the Cyprus Government Gazette on 16 July 2015. A number of changes to the Cyprus corporate and personal
See MoreCyprus: Sweeping tax reforms to encourage foreign investors
Cyprus has announced a series of tax reforms which aim to sustain Cyprus as an even more attractive choice for Individuals and companies aiming to structure their worldwide investments using Cyprus as the jurisdiction of choice for holding
See MoreNigeria: ECOWAS common external tariff to be implemented
The Nigerian Customs Service has issued a circular on 23rd June 2015 for accepting the implementation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Common External Tariff (CET) 2015-2019. Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana,
See MoreBrazil: Issues new Normative Instruction
The Brazilian Federal Revenue Department issued Normative Instruction (NI) 1568/15 on June 8, 2015. This has restricted the application of the cost adjustments in the calculation of the transfer price based on the Brazilian commodities methods
See MoreGreece: Finance Minister Announces Tax Amnesty Plans
The Finance Minister of Greece Mr. Yanis Varoufakis has announced his intention to introduce a bill to allow taxpayers to declare funds held abroad without incurring penalties. Any funds declared under the amnesty will be taxed at rates of 15 to 20
See MoreDenmark: Parliament Enacts Law to Combat Tax Evasion
The Danish parliament has adopted a law proposal (L 167) that includes some of the measures agreed on in the package of proposals to combat tax evasion. The law covers the following measures: The control of foreign trusts is improved in order
See MoreHong Kong: Government Continues Anti-Tax Evasion Measures
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the relevant enforcement authorities will continue to monitor closely measures to combat money laundering and tax evasion, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, K C Chan has
See MoreRussia: Appeal Court agrees that payments made under a sham transaction are not tax deductible
The Appeal Court of Russia has ruled in Case no. А40-28065/13 on 25th February 2015 regarding fees paid for the use of know how. The fees are not deductible for corporate income tax purposes if the transaction is a fake. Summary of the case: LLC
See MoreCanada: Notice to implement tax provisions in Economic Action Plan 2015 and other tax measures
The Ministry of Finance has scheduled a complete notice of ways and means motion to implement certain tax provisions in Economic Action Plan 2015 and other tax measures on 5th May 2015. This notice contains the following measures and specific
See MoreUS: Propsed Amendment to Regulations Applicable to Refund and Credit Claims
The US Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have released Notice 2015-10 on 28 April 2015 announcing their intention to amend regulations applicable to refund and credit claims for amounts withheld on payments to foreign
See MoreSweden: Tax Hikes in Spring Budget
On 15 April 2015 the Swedish Government presented to Parliament its proposed Spring 2015 Budget to balance increased spending on education and welfare with tax rises of around SKR8bn (USD930m) this year. The Government is proposing tax hikes that
See MoreBulgaria: National Revenue Agency issues 2015 manual on personal and corporate income tax
The National Revenue Agency (NRA) has issued the 2015 manual on corporate and personal income tax on 28th April 2015. The manual, inter alia, deals with the following matters: Taxation scope Tax returns Tax payments and Penalty
See MorePeru: Amendments to income tax regulations related to financial derivatives and tax basis on indirect transfers of Peruvian shares
In Peru changes have been made to the income tax regulations regarding financial derivatives and the tax basis on indirect transfers of Peruvian shares through Supreme Decree No. 088-2015-EF on 18 April 2015. The changes became effective as from 19
See MoreFinland: Government approves law adopting amendments to non-residents taxation
The President of Finland signed a law on 24 April, 2015 regarding the proposal (HE 365/2014) amending the taxation of non-residents. The proposal was adopted 12 February 2015. The proposal entails that the taxation of non-resident individuals by
See MoreChina: Publishes new annual corporate income tax return package
State Administration of Tax issued Annual Corporate Income Tax Return Package of People's Republic of China (Type A, 2014). The new return package will come into force on Jan 1st, 2015 and first to be adopted by resident CIT taxpayers in the 2014
See MoreCanada: Small firms publish pre-Budget proposal
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has requested the Government to cut the tax rate for small business and reestablish fairness in employer payroll taxes. A recent survey has made by CFIB said that cut down the payroll taxes
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