Hong Kong: Government Renews Anti-Money Laundering Guidelines
Hong Kong has gazetted an anti-money laundering amendment notice that will allow its financial institutions to continue to delegate customer due diligence (CDD) functions. The Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (Financial
See MoreHong Kong: Government Intends To Extend Offshore Fund Exemption Regime
New rules in Hong Kong are being planned to exempt offshore private equity funds from tax in Hong Kong with respect to investments made outside of Hong Kong. The proposed changes were initially announced by the Financial Secretary in his 2013/14
See MoreVietnam – Publishes Guidance on Corporate Income Tax Incentives
Vietnam publishes guidance on corporate income tax incentives for enterprises that rearrange or with respect to incentives granted on a “location basis.” Under December 2014 guidance, if an enterprise is currently enjoying the benefits of a
See MoreThird Meeting of Second Phase of Negotiations on China-Pakistan Free Trade Area Held in Islamabad
The Third Meeting of the Second Phase of negotiations on the China-Pakistan Free Trade Area was successfully held in Islamabad on January 6-8, 2015. The two sides had talks on various topics including the implementation of reduced taxes in the first
See MoreEconomic Partnership Agreement between Japan and Australia enters into force
On January 15, 2015, the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement entered into force, opening up opportunities for increased trade and investment by Australia with Japan which is the third largest economy in the world and Australia’s second
See MoreFrance and Singapore Sign Bilateral Double Tax Agreement
A revised double tax treaty was signed between Singapore and France on 15 January 2015. In the case of the Singapore, the treaty covers the income tax. In the case of France, the treaty covers the income tax, corporation tax, contributions on
See MoreChina will look to reach agreements with more nations this year
China will step up the pace of its free trade negotiations this year as it seeks to build stronger trade ties with more partners and reduce the dominance of the United States’ currency in the global trading system. Zhang Shaogang, director-general
See MoreSingapore and Uruguay sign Income Tax Treaty
An Income and Capital Tax Treaty between Singapore and Uruguay was signed on 15th January 2015. Further details of the treaty will be reported
See MoreMalaysia: Decentralization of Income tax Files Subsequent to the Setting Up of Large Taxpayer Branch (LTB) and Large Taxpayer Unit (LTU)
To improve the quality of services to clients, Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (IRBM) released a press notice to inform that with effect from 1 January 2015, the Corporate Tax Department has been renamed to Large Taxpayer Branch (LTB) and will
See MorePakistan: Government Declares Sales Tax Rate From 2015
The government of Pakistan issued Notification No. 1152(I)/2014 on 30 December 2014, declaring the sales tax rate to be charged on certain items. The current rate will be effective from 1 January 2015, the sales tax is to be charged at the rate of
See MoreDTA between Taiwan and Ireland under negotiation
On January 13, 2015, Ma Ying-jeou, the Taiwanese president said that the Republic of China and Ireland have enjoyed close exchanges in recent years and that both sides are now negotiating on signing an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation
See MorePhilippines: Personal income tax reforms
The Tax Management Association of the Philippines (TMAP) has raised a concern to revamp the Personal Income tax threshold and tax brackets. To ensure secure revenue collection levels, TMAP has recommended a raise on Personal Income Tax (PIT) exempt
See MoreFrance-China Income Tax Treaty Enters Into Force
The income tax treaty between France and China became effective from January 1, 2015. The treaty was signed on November 26, 2013 and the necessary ratification procedures have now been completed. Under the treaty, the following withholding taxes
See MoreKazakhstan: DTA between Kazakhstan and Qatar Approved
On December 24, 2014, Kazakhstan's lower house of Parliament the income tax treaty signed with Qatar for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on
See MoreJapan: Plans for an increase in Consumption Tax from April 2017
The government has confirmed that Japanese consumption tax will rise from 8% to 10% from 1 April 2017. This latest date was announced in the 2015 Tax Plan. The increase in the consumption tax rate was first scheduled for 1 October 2015, but was
See MoreJapan: Honda Succeeds in Transfer Pricing Case
The Tokyo District Court in the case of: Heisei 23 (2011) gyou-u No. 164 ruled on 28 August 2014 that, in using the residual profit split method, the profits to be attributed should include the special tax benefits enjoyed by the Brazilian
See MoreProtocol to treaty between Austria and Tajikistan approved by Tajikistan
Tajikistan's parliament approved the amending protocol on 7 January 2015 which was signed on 13 March 2013, to the Austria - Tajikistan Income and Capital Tax Treaty (2011). Further details of the protocol will be informed
See MoreAzerbaijan: Tax Withholding On Income from Bank Deposits Needs To Take Into Account the Relevant Rebate
Senior officials of Ministry of Taxes and banks in Azerbaijan held a meeting on January 9. It was decided in the meeting that the tax withholding on incomes from bank deposits will be applied on the interests charged by 1 January 2015 taking into
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