South Africa: Parliament ratified Cyprus-South Africa amending protocol
The South African parliament ratified the amending protocol between Cyprus and South Africa on May 20, 2015. The treaty was signed on 1 April 2015. The protocol modifies the Cyprus - South Africa Income and Capital Tax Treaty
See MoreSwitzerland- Cyprus: Swiss parliament approves the treaty
The Swiss parliament approved the Cyprus - Switzerland Income and Capital Tax Treaty of 2014 on 19 June
See MoreSlovak Republic: New transfer pricing documentation guidance
The Finance Ministry has issued new guidance on transfer pricing documentation. This guidance creates three categories of documentation based on the degree of detail of the information required in relation to a taxpayer’s risk profile. The
See MoreBelgium referred to ECJ on property tax rules
The European Commission has referred Belgium to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on the grounds that its property tax rules are contrary to EU law. Belgium has separate tax rules for property located in Belgium as compared to property located in
See MoreEU: action plan for fair and efficient corporate taxation
On 17 June 2015 the European Commission presented an Action Plan for fair and efficient corporate taxation in the EU. This sets out initiatives to address tax avoidance, ensure sustainable tax revenue and thereby improve the corporate tax
See MoreFinland: Exchange of information agreement with Botswana enters into force
The exchange of information agreement between Botswana and Finland entered into force on 16 May 2015. The agreement was signed on 20 February 2013 and generally applies from 16 May 2015 for criminal tax matters and from 1 January 2016 for other tax
See MoreFinland: Exchange of information agreement with Brunei enters into force
The exchange of information agreement between Brunei and Finland entered into force on 1 May 2015. The agreement was signed on 27 June 2012 and generally applies from 1 May 2015 for criminal tax matters and from 1 January 2016 for other tax
See MoreDTA between Malaysia and Slovak Republic signed
A Double Tax Agreement (DTA) between Malaysia and Slovak Republic has been signed on 25th May
See MoreEuropean Commission re-launches plan for common tax base in the EU
On 27 May 2015 the European Commission moved to re-launch the idea of a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB) in the European Union (EU). This was announced after the College of Commissioners held an orientation debate on measures aimed to
See MorePoland: Draft Regulation Introducing Amendments Based on BEPS Documentation Requirements
The Polish Ministry of Finance published a draft regulation on 27 April 2015 which introduced amendments on transfer pricing documentation in line with the requirements of the OECD/G20 action plan on base erosion and profit shifting
See MoreGreece: Finance Minister Announces Tax Amnesty Plans
The Finance Minister of Greece Mr. Yanis Varoufakis has announced his intention to introduce a bill to allow taxpayers to declare funds held abroad without incurring penalties. Any funds declared under the amnesty will be taxed at rates of 15 to 20
See MoreEU: Plans for digital single market published by European Commission
On 6 May 2015 the European Commission published a document entitled “A Digital Single Market Strategy for Europe” outlining a plan for coordinated action to take advantage of opportunities for innovation, growth and jobs brought about by the
See MoreItaly: Draft legislative decree introduces advance pricing agreement rollback provision
A draft legislative decree was approved by the Italian Government on 21 April 2015 introducing an advance pricing agreement (APA) rollback provision and provisions relating to costs of transactions with tax havens. The draft decree introduces
See MoreUK: New share valuation rules for CGT
The UK tax authority HMRC has published new valuation rules in respect of the valuation of shares for capital gains tax (CGT), corporation tax and income tax purposes. The rules which apply from 6 April 2015 are in the Market Value of Shares,
See MoreDenmark: Parliament Enacts Law to Combat Tax Evasion
The Danish parliament has adopted a law proposal (L 167) that includes some of the measures agreed on in the package of proposals to combat tax evasion. The law covers the following measures: The control of foreign trusts is improved in order
See MoreRomania: Government allows tax breaks for foreign investors
With the aim of encouraging start-up business, the government of Romania has approved a new law to introduce tax relief for foreign venture capitalists. The new law will be applicable to foreign individuals who were previously unconnected with the
See MoreDenmark: Minister of Taxation Clarifies Danish Treaty Policy
The Ministry of Taxation published a press release summarizing the statements given by the Minister to Parliament on 29 April 2015 in an open hearing regarding the Danish treaty policy. The main emphasis of the hearing was the conclusion of tax
See MoreECJ issues preliminary ruling on VAT taxable amount of a building
On 23 April 2015 the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on a question relating to the VAT taxable amount where part of the purchase price of a building relates to interest on borrowed capital. The relevant legislation applicable in this case was
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