Hong Kong: Tax Measures Proposed in Budget 2015-2016

26 February, 2015

The Financial Secretary proposed a number of tax measures in his 2015-16 Budget speech on 25 February 2015. All of these measures require legislative amendments before implementation. Highlights of the measures are given below; Reducing profits tax,

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Hong Kong-Vietnam: Protocol To Tax Treaty Enters Into Force

25 February, 2015

The second protocol to the double taxation agreement between Hong Kong and Vietnam has entered into force, a government spokesman said on 23 February 2015. The second protocol was signed in January last year. It came into force on January 8, 2015,

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Japan: Tax Reform Legislation Introduced

24 February, 2015

The Japanese Government submitted legislation to Parliament on February 17 2015, including the planned corporate tax cuts.  As the Prime Minister previously had previously promised growth strategies, the Government plans to reduce the country's

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Japan- Qatar: Income Tax Treaty Signed

24 February, 2015

The Japan - Qatar Income Tax Treaty (2015) was signed on 20 February 2015 in Tokyo. Once in force and effective, the treaty will replace the Japan - Qatar Transport Tax Treaty (2009). Further details of the treaty will be reported

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Singapore: Budget proposals for 2015

24 February, 2015

The Finance Minister of Singapore presented The Budget for 2015 to Parliament by on 23 February 2015. The proposals include measures regarding: Corporate taxation; Individual taxation; Goods and services tax; and Other taxes and measures. The

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India- Trade Agreement With GCC

22 February, 2015

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and India are in the process of negotiating a Free Trade Agreement. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) consists of six countries - Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar. The negotiations with all

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Bahrain and Pakistan Sign a Protocol to Amend the 2005 Tax Treaty

22 February, 2015

On January 7, 2015 Bahrain and Pakistan signed a protocol. This is the first protocol to amend the double tax treaty of 2005. It will enter into force after the exchange of the ratification

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Qatar Approves Draft Income Tax Treaty with Japan

22 February, 2015

The Qatari government approved the signature for a draft income tax treaty with Japan on January 14th, 2015. This would be the first Income Tax Treaty between the two countries.  However, it must be signed and ratified by both sides before entering

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DTA between Qatar and Bangladesh ratified

18 February, 2015

On February 4, 2015, Qatar's Cabinet ratified the pending DTA between Qatar and Bangladesh at its meeting for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on

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Singapore: Research and Development tax incentives 

16 February, 2015

From 2010 the economic policies of the government of Singapore have focused on reducing reliance on foreign workers and encouraging businesses to invest in improving productivity, skills, and innovation. However, recent information shows that

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Myanmar: IMF report refers to tax reform

13 February, 2015

A statement released at the close of a visit by officials of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to Myanmar indicates that the outlook for economic growth remains favorable at least in the medium term. There are fiscal risks in the near term as a

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India: Amendments to Transfer Pricing Guidelines Issued

10 February, 2015

The Central Board of Direct Taxes released amendments to the transfer pricing guidelines on 4 February 2015. The “simplified” transfer pricing documentation rules were released by a notification dated 4 February 2015 for domestic transactions of

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China: SAT Standardizes the CIT Administration of Indirect Transfer of Taxable Properties in China by Non-Tax Resident Enterprises (Non-TREs)

10 February, 2015

Since the ‘Economic Reform and Opening up’, China has maintained an ongoing economic boom which has resulted in the accumulation of a considerable amount of wealth in the value of immovable properties, equity investments and other properties.

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IMF reports on discussions on Pakistan’s economic position

06 February, 2015

The IMF has held meetings with officials from Pakistan to conduct discussions as part of the sixth review under its Extended Fund Facility and has issued a press release reporting on its preliminary findings. A Memorandum of Economic and Financial

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Indonesia: Releases Regulation on New Advance Pricing Agreement

05 February, 2015

The Ministry of Finance in Indonesia has released regulation No. 7/PMK.03/2015 (PMK-07) on the implementation of advanced pricing agreements (APAs). The guidance on the processes is provided in PMK-07.  PMK-07 states that the Directorate General of

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Pakistan: Companies operating in Gwadar Free Zone to get 20-year tax holiday

05 February, 2015

The Pakistan government plans to provide a 20-year tax holiday to companies that want to establish their business in Gwadar Port's Free Zone. The government has also decided to exempt from customs duties, machinery, equipment and other

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Thailand: IMF reports on preliminary findings

04 February, 2015

The IMF has completed a mission to Thailand from 15 to 29 January 2015 to hold discussions in connection with the Article IV Consultation. The IMF is expecting Thailand to continue a gradual economic recovery in 2015 and growth is estimated at 3.5%.

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Japan Publishes New Consumption Tax Plans for Foreign E-services

04 February, 2015

Japan has published new plans to subject the supply by foreign providers of electronic services to their consumers to 8% Consumption Tax. This should come into place from 1 October 2015. Here is the summary of plans: Changes from the origin to

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