Nigeria: Potential risks in transfer pricing regulations “safe harbor”

18 February, 2014

Regulation 15 of the Nigerian transfer pricing regulations provides for a transfer pricing safe harbor. A safe harbor is a statutory provision that relieves a given category of taxpayers or transactions from specific obligations otherwise imposed by

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UK and Zambia sign a DTA

17 February, 2014

On 4 February 2014 the United Kingdom (UK) and Zambia signed a Double Taxation Agreement. The Agreement will replace the existing Double Taxation Agreement between the UK and Zambia which was signed in 1972. The new agreement generally follows the

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South Africa reminds employers to make ETI claims

17 February, 2014

South African businesses have been reminded that their first monthly claim for the Employment Tax Incentive (ETI), which came into effect on January 1 2014, should be submitted by February 7, 2014. The ETI is an incentive mainly aimed at encouraging

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DTA between Malawi and Netherlands terminated

17 February, 2014

Malawi has terminated the double taxation agreement (DTA) previously in force between Malawi and the Netherlands. The termination takes effect in the Netherlands from 1 January 2014 and in Malawi from 1 April

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Luxembourg and Mauritius sign DTA Protocol

17 February, 2014

Luxembourg and Mauritius have signed a protocol amending the bilateral double tax agreement between the two countries. This protocol modifies a number of provisions in the agreement, and provides for the exchange of information upon request between

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Canada: FTA with Israel is under negotiation

17 February, 2014

A first round of negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Canada and Israel was held from 3 to 9 February 2014, in

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Egypt to announce second stimulus package

17 February, 2014

The Egyptian finance minister has said the government will announce within days details of its second stimulus package to boost Egypt’s rapid growth and to reassure

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Egypt aims to unveil new fiscal incentive package

17 February, 2014

The Egyptian Finance Minister has announced that the Government aims to unveil details of a new fiscal stimulus package shortly. The Government adopted its first stimulus package in the second half of 2013. The Finance Minister indicated that the

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Bahrain ratifies its TIEA with Canada

17 February, 2014

An Agreement between Canada and Bahrain for the exchange of information on tax matters which was signed on June 4, 2013 it was ratified by Bahrain on February 4, 2014. The Agreement provides for the mutual exchange of tax information that is

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Turkey Raises Consumer Taxes

09 February, 2014

Turkey intends to increase state revenues by raising indirect taxes, fines and fees. An announcement by the Council of Ministers of Turkey on 1 January 2014 will increase purchase taxes on cars, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and mobile phones, as

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Ethiopia intends to negotiate a tax treaty with Canada

09 February, 2014

Following a meeting held on 27 January 2014, Ethiopia has expressed its intentions to negotiate and sign a Double Tax Treaty (DTA) with Canada. In recent years Ethiopia has been one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. The country is one of

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Estonia – Six new DTA in effect

09 February, 2014

From 1 January 2014, six new Double Tax Treaties (DTA) were added to Estonia’s income tax treaty network. The treaties are with Bahrain, Thailand, Cyprus, Mexico, Turkmenistan, and

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South Africa: Tax implications of assumption of contingent liabilities

03 February, 2014

The tax implications in relation to the assumption of contingent liabilities in partial settlement of the purchase price of assets acquired as part of a going concern have been addressed by the South African Revenue Service (SARS). The initial views

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Turkey: Specific Transfer Pricing Compliance

26 January, 2014

An annual transfer pricing report must be prepared by the date of the annual tax return. The transfer pricing rules also specify documentation that must be maintained. Listed companies may also be required to submit a report on controlled

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Egypt: Reconsidering a VAT system

23 January, 2014

Egypt is considering the introduction of a value added tax (VAT) system to replace the current sales tax. It is understood that this has been identified as a priority; the likely VAT rate will be around 10% with higher rates for such items as

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South Africa: Tax Administration Laws Amendment Act 39 of 2013 promulgated

19 January, 2014

The Tax Administration Laws Amendment Act, 2013, has been promulgated as Act 39 of 2013 on 16 January 2014. The Act amends the Transfer Duty Act, 1949; the Income Tax Act, 1962; the Customs and Excise Act, 1964; the Value Added Tax Act, 1991; the

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Russia: Ministry of Finance clarifies patent system taxation issues

19 January, 2014

The Ministry of Finance published Letter No. 03-11-09/55604 on 17 December 2013 which sets out the maximum and minimum thresholds of potential annual income to apply with regard to the patent system of taxation. The MoF also clarified that under

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Egypt: Introduction of VAT law

19 January, 2014

It has been reported that Egypt will introduce Value Added Tax to replace the existing General Sales Tax by the end of 2014.  The new VAT will be a broad based tax, covering a much wider range of goods and services; the new provisions will also

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