China: Extends VAT to postal services and railways
An edict recently is issued by the China’s State Council adding postal services and railway transportation to the reform of the existing Chinese Business Tax and VAT systems. This will start on 1 January 2014. The principles of the OECD VAT
See MoreNew Zealand – New Tax Policy Work Plan
The Inland Revenue of New Zealand released the government’s tax policy work program on 8 November 2013 that sets out the government’s focus for tax reform and development for the next 18 months. Creating further improvements to the tax and
See MoreHungary- Amendments to Corporate Law
Hungary is going to modify its civil code by making significant changes to the corporate law which is likely to become effective from March 2014. According to the amendments, new companies may be permitted to establish their own company guidelines
See MoreChina: Financial sector faces issues on transition to VAT
In the transition to a value added tax (VAT) system, the financial services sector in China will need to consider certain issues.China’s Ministry of Finance suggests that- to a VAT system in China, modern principles of VAT would be applied. The
See MoreChile- New Bill is proposed to limit taxation of Senior Citizens
The Finance Minister of Chile proposed a new bill on November 8, 2013 for limiting the amount of tax payable for senior citizens with low incomes. The measure is taken to help the poorer people of this nation. The bill states that if an individual
See MoreAustralia: The Authority extends review of income tax rules
It was proclaimed by the Assistant Treasurer of Australia that the Australian on 8 November 2013, Board of Taxation will extend its review of income tax rules to permit the board to consider the more extensive tax framework in which private business
See MoreTax Devolution process for Wales has been confirmed by the UK Government
The UK Prime Minister has confirmed in a press release on 7 November 2013 that the Government intends to devolve the power to set Landfill Tax and Stamp Duty rates in Wales, and to hold a referendum on devolving the income tax rate. It was announced
See MoreRussian President commands more tax intermission for LNG
Russian President has called for tax intermissions to be prolonged to more gas deposits that produce the Novatek-controlled liquefied natural gas program in the Yamal peninsula and it should also cover the neighboring Gydan peninsula. The tax
See MorePortugal: Gazettes Tax Regularization Decree
Decree-Law number 151-A/2013 is published in the country’s official Gazette. To tighten sanctions, it establishes an exceptional and temporary regime for the regularization of tax debt. From 2014 individuals who committed tax fraud will face
See MoreCroatia: Individual income tax law amended
The Croatian Parliament adopted the amendments to the Individual Income Tax Law on 27 September 2013. Following a decision of the Constitutional Court, the provisions regarding taxation of dividends and profit shares have been amended. The law
See MoreAustralia: Plan to address tax policy backlog
The Australian Government proclaimed arrangements on 6 November 2013 to address the extensive backlog of Australia's previous tax and superannuation policy decisions which had been published but not implemented. The Australian government will enact
See MoreVenezuela – Foreign currency rules regarding import objectives
The decree regardingthe share of foreign currency used for import activities has published in official gazette N° 40.259 and will be effective from September 26, 2013. This contains changes to the rules and authorization procedures for gaining
See MoreUruguay – Guidance on tax implications of fees paid to foreign companies
The tax administration of Uruguay issued guidance on 29 October 2013 about the applicability of Uruguay’s non-resident income tax and value added tax (VAT) on payments of certain fees paid to foreign companies. According to the guidance foreign
See MoreSpain: Tax ruling expanding capital gains tax to indirect transfer of Spanish real estate by Luxembourg entities
Spanish tax authority recently published a ruling regarding indirect transfer of Spanish real estate by a Luxembourg entity which is taxable in Spain under the provisions of the Luxembourg-Spain tax treaty. Investment funds from real estate and
See MorePortugal: Lower tax burden in 2015
The Finance Minister of Portugal has indicated that the Government is aiming to reduce the tax burden on workers in Portugal within the framework of the 2015 State Budget (OE 2015). The State Budget 2014 of Portugal is designed to redress the public
See MorePortugal: Budget VAT announcements
The draft VAT Bill 2014 of Portugal contains a range of amendments to the Portuguese VAT rules. According to the draft amendments, VAT on irrecoverable debts may only be refunded within two years from the beginning of the fiscal year after the bad
See MoreOman: Clarification of tax rules
The Oman government has clarified that the tax rules in Oman require the following: Within three months from the date of incorporation or commencement of activities, taxpayers must be registered with the Omani tax authorities and if there is any
See MoreJapan: tax reform outline announced
The Japanese government has officially decided to increase the rate of consumption tax from the current 5% to 8% with effect from 1 April 2014. It has also delivered a five-trillion yen (US$50B) economic stimulus policy that aims to alleviate
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