Cyprus amends Property Tax
The Government of Cyprus has declared details plans to amend the country’s Immovable Property Tax (IPT), exempting the lowest-valued properties. At present, the property tax in Cyprus is based on valuations made on 1 January 1980. If the
See MoreIncome Tax Treaty between Belgium and Uruguay signed
The Income Tax Treaty between Belgium and Uruguay was signed on 23 August 2013. Under the treaty the definition of a permanent establishment includes a building site, construction or installation project that continues for six months. The definition
See MoreBelgium: Notional interest deduction rate
June 2013 Legislation modifies the method which is used to calculate and determine the rate of the notional interest deduction. On the basis of the average return of the 10-year government bond (OLO) in the months July, August and September it is
See MoreBelgium – Clamping down on tax evasion and tax fraud
There has recently been concern internationally about tax evasion and fraud, and many countries have increased their efforts to trace income of their residents that has been illegally concealed in tax havens in an attempt to evade taxes. As a result
See MoreUK: Alternative Dispute Resolution for Large Taxpayers
An evaluation of the pilot project on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) for large taxpayers has been published by the HMRC. The pilot, run by HMRC’s Dispute Resolution Unit, looked at the effectiveness of using ADR techniques in large and
See MoreTax treaty between Malta and Ukraine signed
Malta and Ukraine signed an income tax treaty on 4 September 2013. The treaty is expected to contribute to developing trade and economic relations between the two countries. The signing of this treaty is also in line with Ukraine’s policy of
See MoreTreaty between Finland and Tajikistan enters into force
On 5 September 2013, the Finland- Tajikistan Income Tax Treaty (2012) entered into force. The treaty generally applies from 1 January 2014. The new treaty generally follows the provisions of the OECD Model Tax Convention. Under the provisions of
See MorePoland: Transfer pricing for business restructurings
Poland’s Finance Ministry issued decrees that bring the transfer pricing provisions of Poland’s tax law into line with international transfer pricing standards on September 3, 2013 and the decree effective from 18 July 2013. The decrees
See MoreDTA between Pakistan – Czech Republic
Pakistan’s Cabinet on August 29, 2013, approved the signing of a draft double tax agreement (DTA) with the Czech Republic. A draft agreement was originally initialled on 19 October 2012. No further details of the treaty are currently
See MoreNetherlands: Simplification of individual tax assessment process proposed
A new tax assessment process is proposed by the Netherlands Ministry of Finance on 6 September. This will simplify and speed up the process to determine tax liabilities. A number of new rules for assessment, a rule for revising final assessments,
See MoreNetherlands: Plans to update tax treaties with developing countries
The Netherlands has a plan to significantly improve tax transparency and to combat international tax avoidance by updating double tax treaties with low- and middle-income countries. The Netherlands has signed with more than 90 nations. The
See MoreNetherlands to change statute of limitations period
A Bill to change the statute of limitations period and to simplify the electronic exchange of data was presented on 2 September 2013 to the parliament. The Bill is the result of earlier announcements by the government on 12 March 2013. Under the
See MoreLuxembourg and Uruguay initial a tax treaty
Luxembourg and Uruguay initiated a double tax agreement (DTA) on August 27, 2013. As Uruguay is considered to be one of the leading financial centers in South America a treaty with Luxembourg would open up possibilities for investors and funds from
See MoreItaly: VAT rise may be delayed to 2014
The VAT rise to 22% originally planned in Italy for 2013 may be delayed to 2014. Italy may however fail to meet the 3% budget deficit requirement for 2013 imposed by the European Commission if the VAT rate is not raised. The delay of 3 months is
See MoreItaly: First payment of municipal real estate tax abolished
Law Decree No. 102/2013, providing for urgent measures with regard to the municipal real estate tax (IMU), was published in the Official Gazette No. 204, Ordinary Supplement No. 66 on 31 August 2013. The first payment of the IMU for 2013,
See MoreGermany: New VAT invoice requirements
Germany has approved a new Act to implement changes to bring German VAT compliance rules into line with the EU VAT Directive and with a number of recent court cases. Under the new Act changes to German VAT invoices include: The obligation to
See MoreFrance: Temporary reduction on taxation capital gains on immovable property
The government of France issued guidelines BOI-RFPI-PVI-20-20-20130809 on 9th August 2013, providing new reductions on capital gains for the purpose of individual income taxation and social contributions. The reduced tax rate is 25%. Moreover, the
See MoreFrance: List of non-cooperative states or territories updated for 2013
The French government published a Ministerial Decree on 28 August 2013 updating the list of non-cooperative states or territories (NCSTs). The list will become effective from 1 January 2013. A major consequence for a country that is on the list of
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