Indonesia to amend rules concerning tax holidays and allowances for investors

23 March, 2014

The Indonesian Deputy Minister of Finance has announced that the Government is planning to amend the rules concerning tax holidays and allowances for investors, possibly as early as April 2014. The changes to tax holidays are expected to include

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China’s Finance Minister considering more tax reforms

23 March, 2014

At a press conference held at the National People's Congress, China's Minister of Finance suggested that there would be more tax reforms in the following year after the recent expansion of the value added tax pilot scheme. The Finance Minister

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Australian Tax Break for Supporting Mining Activities

23 March, 2014

The Australian Government has introduced a consultation on plans to provide investors with a refundable tax offset for Greenfield mineral exploration costs incurred from July 1, 2014. Under the proposed program, a tax credit will be provided to

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Taiwan- Proposal to increase business tax rates

16 March, 2014

Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance (“MOF") has recently spoken about efforts to improve Taiwan’s financial prospects. The proposals include plans to raise business tax rates on the banking and insurance industries, reduce the imputation credit ratio

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Switzerland urged to approve IHT agreement with France

16 March, 2014

The French Finance Minister has informed Switzerland that France will not renegotiate the revised inheritance tax (IHT) agreement the two countries have drafted if it is rejected by Swiss lawmakers. The revised Franco-Swiss IHT accord was signed in

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South Korea: mergers and acquisitions activity and rental market

16 March, 2014

South Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance presided over a Ministerial Meeting on the Economy on March 5 that discussed tax measures to stimulate mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in South Korea and to fine-tune

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Mexico – Government and taxpayers reach agreement on tax certainty

16 March, 2014

The 2014 tax reform provisions have brought significant changes to the tax system in Mexico. New changes will affect both business and individual taxpayers. In response, taxpayers have filed for injunctive relief against certain measures under the

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Malta seeks to attract Small Businesses

16 March, 2014

Malta’s Finance Minister has stated that the country wants to ensure that the country's taxation system is as business friendly and streamlined as possible to facilitate and attract investment. The statement was made at the MIM Malta International

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Irish coalition honoring tax promises

16 March, 2014

The Irish Prime Minister has suggested that Ireland has now implemented more than 90 percent of the tax measures and spending cuts needed to bring its public finances under control. Ireland’s 12.5 percent corporate tax rate has played a central

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Ireland – Finance Minister Talks Fiscal Policy

16 March, 2014

According to the Irish Finance Minister the core objective of the Medium Term Economic Strategy (MTES) is full employment by 2020.  In connection with this strategy Ireland will continue to prioritize taxation measures that ensure the recovery

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Germany reverses plans on Railway Eco Tax Break Repeal

16 March, 2014

The German Economy and Energy Minister has reversed plans to strike out the renewable energy tax (EEG-Umlage) rebate for train operators. The EEG-Umlage is intended to finance the transition in Germany towards the use of renewable sources of

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France To Simplify Tax System

16 March, 2014

The French General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) has found that 192 taxes in France each yield less than EUR150m (USD208m), and has advocated abolishing two-thirds of them. The report has been prepared by the IGF on behalf of the French Budget

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Belgium’s cdH Pledges Election Tax Cuts

16 March, 2014

The President of Belgium's Humanist Democratic Center (cdH) has unveiled details of the party's plans to lower taxes for individuals and corporations.  The tax reductions would amount to around EUR10bn. The party which is currently a member of the

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Australian Prime Minister Loses Senate Carbon Tax Vote

16 March, 2014

The Australian Prime Minister’s plan to abolish Australia's carbon tax regime received a setback when the Senate failed to pass legislation to dismantle the independent Climate Change Authority. The bill was defeated on its second reading by 38

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UAE: No Tax for Individual Income

09 March, 2014

The UAE Finance Minister has confirmed that, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) does not plan to initiate an income tax for individuals. The country is however exploring the possibility of taxing companies and introducing fees for newly introduced

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Spain Slashes Labor Taxes To Create Jobs

09 March, 2014

Spain has announced plans to significantly lower social security contributions for employers who recruit permanent members of staff. The Prime Minister has suggested that an upwards revision of the growth forecast for this year and next will enable

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Mexico promises an unchanged tax regime until 2018

09 March, 2014

Following the completion of tax reforms, the Mexican Government has now signed a Tax Certainty Agreement under which Mexico's tax system is to remain unchanged throughout the remaining period of the current government. This means that the tax regime

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Italy: Prime Minister Explains ‘Double-Digit’ Cut to Italian Taxes

09 March, 2014

The Italian Prime minister has issued a clarification about a statement made earlier in respect of a double digit reduction in the tax burden. The reduction would amount to tens of billions of Euros and in this respect was a double digit

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