Romania: New tax law to conform to EU rules
Romania has passed Law No 8/2014 to bring the tax low into line with EU provisions. The Law provides for new VAT place of supply rules for broadcasting, telecom and electronically supplied services that are similar to EU rules. The Law also reforms
See MoreRomania will not reduce VAT rate yet
Romania has announced that it cannot lower the current 24% VAT rate unless economic growth of more than 3 percent continues until 2015. Like some other EU countries, Romania raised its VAT rate on a temporary basis to deal with the consequences of
See MoreRevision to treaty between India and Bulgaria
Bulgaria’s Ministry of Finance has been authorized to begin negotiations for a double tax treaty with India. After it has been signed and has entered into force the new treaty will replace the current treaty signed in
See MorePortugal: Personal Income Tax System Reform
Portugal has appointed an expert committee to consider improvements to the personal tax system. Simplification of the individual income tax could improve social mobility and encourage tax compliance, according to the government. The tax system needs
See MorePoland – New guidelines concerning transfer pricing regulations on business restructuring
Poland has prepared guidance on some questions arising from the issue of transfer pricing regulations last year. The guidance is generally based on OECD principles. Under the guidance the expression “business restructuring” is defined as the
See MoreNetherlands – Dutch taxpayer liable for Swiss captive subsidiary’s profits
A recent decision by a district Court in the Netherlands involved a Swiss captive insurance company that did not have any employees. The Court reached the decision that the tax authorities in the Netherlands were correct in levying tax on a related
See MoreLithuania – Tax card for 2014
Lithuania has prepared a “tax card” that provides an easy-to-read overview of the tax system in Lithuania for 2014. This provides a convenient reference for businesses operating in
See MoreLatvia introduces Tax card for 2014
Latvia has prepared a “tax card” that provides an easy-to-read overview of the tax system in Latvia for 2014. This card includes a review of Latvia’s corporate income tax rates and rules, micro-enterprise tax, individual (personal) income tax,
See MoreItalian Red Tape Reduction Could Fund Tax Cuts
At its 15th annual forum the President of Confcommercio, the federation representing small and medium-sized enterprises, professionals and sole traders in Italy, re-asserted his appeal for the Government to link a reduction in public expenditure
See MoreIreland – Finance Minister clarifies Corporate Tax Developments
Ireland has confirmed that the changes to residency rules that are intended to deal with the problem of mismatches between treaty partner countries have so far not affected any company’s residence status. The reform which was in the 2014 Finance
See MoreIreland – Car Tax Breaks for Disabled Persons
Ireland has announced that from the end of this year it is to abolish the excise duty relief relating to the fuel portion of the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers scheme. This is a consequence of a decision of the European Court of Justice,
See MoreFrance – VAT on house improvement rises
France has confirmed that the reduced rate of VAT on home improvements is to rise from 7 percent to 10 percent. The previous 7 percent rate will however still apply in certain situations including work that began before 1 January 2014 and cases
See MoreUK Pushes for conclusion of the Canada-EU FTA
The UK is hoping for a swift conclusion to negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) between the EU and Canada, as this could be of considerable benefit to UK companies. The EU is Canada’s second largest trading partner after the US, based on
See MoreFrance – Sin Taxes should target health care goals
In France a committee of the Senate has suggested that the behavioral taxes on certain goods such as tobacco and spirits should be more directly linked to government public health targets. These taxes could be renamed public health contributions to
See MoreFrance – Employers demand Corporate Tax Cuts
Anxious to kick-start talks on a reform of corporation tax, the President of the French employers' federation Medef, has called on the Government to lower the corporate social solidarity contribution (C3S) together with the headline rate of
See MoreExchange of information agreement between Belgium and Grenada ratified by Belgium
Belgium has ratified the Exchange of Information Agreement it has signed with Grenada. The OECD has been encouraging the conclusion of agreements on the exchange of tax information to improve tax transparency and help to combat tax
See MoreEU – Expanded scope of Savings Taxation Directive
According to information released on 21 March 2014 the European Council has given the go ahead to the amended Savings Tax Directive. Luxembourg agreed to the proposed changes and this removed the final obstacle to the adoption of the revised
See MoreEU Report Tracks Protectionist Trade Measures
The European Commission has issued the latest edition of the publication entitled Trade and Investment Barriers Report (TIBR). This looks at the amount of progress made in removing barriers to trade by local companies with third countries and
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