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Cyprus Imposes 19% VAT on Building Land

Published: 19/01/2018 | news

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#Cyprus #Taxes #VAT

From January 2, 2018 in Cyprus, the new VAT Law has entered into force, providing for changes in the main VAT Law No.95(I)/2000. The document introduces VAT at a standard rate for the sale of building land, as well as leasing/rental of business premises on the conditions specified in the law. It also introduces the reverse charge mechanism for VAT-subject supplies of land and property under a loan restructuring/force-sale arrangement, which will mostly influence financial institutions. Imposition of VAT at the standard rate of 19% on building land The standard VAT rate of 19% will be applied in the following cases: transfer of ownership; transfer of indivisible land portion; transfer of ownership via contract or sale agreement or agreement which specifies that the ownership will be transferred in the future or leasing agreement with buyout option. The above shall apply to non-developed building land which is meant for the construction of one or more structures in the course of carrying out a business activity. More clarifications are still needed for the application of the law, such as the circumstances whereby a transfer is not considered to be a part of a person’s...

A Number of Agreements on Automatic Exchange of Tax Information Entered into Force in Switzerland

Published: 12/01/2018 | news

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#Switzerland #Tax planning #Tax reporting #Taxation

A number of agreements on Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) on taxation issues, concluded by Switzerland with other jurisdictions, entered into force on January 1, 2018. Data exchange will be carried out in accordance with the Common Reporting Standard of the OECD, which provides for the possibility of automatic exchange of information between the territories that have agreed to such an exchange. Switzerland starts to exchange tax information this year with respect to data on accounts collected for some partners under previously signed agreements, namely Australia, Canada, the European Union, Guernsey and Jersey, the Isle of Man, Iceland, Japan, Norway and South Korea . More complete list of jurisdictions with which Switzerland plans to establish automatic exchange of information since 2019 was published on the website of the State Secretariat for International Finance. In order to fulfill its obligation to exchange information automatically with these territories, Swiss financial institutions will be demanded to comply with the new requirements on information collection from January 1, 2018 for the accounts of taxpayers from such countries as Andorra, Argentina,...

Ministry of Finance Reforms Institution of Financial Liability for Tax Violations

Published: 30/11/2017 | news

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#Cyprus #VAT

Recently the Ministry of Finances of Ukraine, together with the experts from the interactive tax platform TaxLink, has developed a bill “On Amendments to the Tax Code of Ukraine regarding the improvement of the prosecution system for violation of tax laws”. The essence of the document is to reform the liability for tax violations provided by the current legislation. First of all, the bill introduces more effective mechanisms for the settlement of tax disputes in cases when the violation of tax law happened not due to the fault of the payer. In addition, it is proposed to introduce the principle of fault liability of taxpayers which is inherent in all branches of Ukrainian legislation, in contrast to the current liability of the payer without fault. Therefore, the last one will be considered guilty if found guilty that he was able to comply with the relevant rules and regulations, but did not take the necessary measures for this. In this regard, when considering the verification materials by the supervisory authority, the documents of the taxpayer may be subject to the examination that show his due diligence. Another significant innovation is the introduction of the system of...

Undistributed profit in Latvia is exempt from CIT

Published: 01/09/2017 | news

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#CIT #CIT #Dividends

On the 4th and 11th of July, 2017 the Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia approved a number of draft laws providing for the significant changes in the tax legislation of the country which will enter into force on January 1, 2018. The most significant of them will be the application of the CIT 0% rate for the reinvested profits. In other words, the enterprise will be subject to the corporate income tax only if it pays dividends or other payments for the purpose of actual distribution of the profits (conditionally distributed profit). Therefore since 2018, the company's profits are exempted from CIT, but it has to pay 20% of the income tax from the amount of dividends. At the same time, the shareholders will not have to pay personal income tax (PIT). Although, according to the bill, the CIT rate is 20%, and the tax base should be divided by a factor of 0.8, the effective tax rate actually equals 25%. It is notably that CIT will be applied not only to the dividends in the traditional sense, but also to the "deemed dividends", which are considered a new concept in Latvian tax legislation, and comparable with the dividends to the costs. Here it is important to note that the last ones...

Switzerland and Austria dissolve the agreement withholding tax

Published: 14/11/2016 | news

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#Austria #Switzerland #Taxation

Agreement withholding tax (WHT) between Switzerland and Austria, will be phased out from 1 January 2017, when the agreement between Switzerland and the EU on the automatic exchange of tax information comes into force. 11 November 2016, Switzerland and Austria signed an agreement to ensure a smooth transition between the two modes. Austrian authorities, it regulates the arrangements for the transmission of the final amount of taxes and shipping the latest voluntary agreement. "The provisions of a tax treaty withholding will be applied on all the facts and legal rights that materialize during the period of its validity," said the Swiss Federal Council.Withholding tax agreement between Switzerland and Austria came into force on 1 January 2013. It provided for the regularization of assets held in Switzerland Austrian taxpayers and taxation of income derived from these assets. Austrian taxpayers have been an option either to pay by WHT, imposed directly on their accounts and transferred anonymously to the Austrian authorities, or to make a voluntary disclosure. The Swiss Federal Council said that this model is "generally loses its sense of existence with the introduction of an...

The Swiss government supports corporate tax reform

Published: 31/10/2016 | news

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#Reforms #Switzerland

The Swiss Federal Council announced its support for the proposed changes to the corporate tax base in Switzerland, known as - Corporate Tax Reform III (CTR III), on the eve of a referendum on the issue, which will be held early next year. CTR III cancel corporate tax arrangements, which are no longer in line with international standards. These primarily include the cantonal tax status, for possession of residential and mixed companies. "With regard to measures of tax legislation, the focus is on the promotion of innovation," said Federal Department of Finance on 27 October. "In general, the reform will allow Switzerland to remain an attractive location for companies, and for each canton, the ability to adapt their fiscal policies in the economic and financial situation," said a department statement. "Reform will prevent a mass exodus of existing companies with the status and thus, the possible tax losses amounting to more than CHF 5 billion (USD 5 billion) for the Federation, the cantons and communes." Author: Sergey Panovmanaging partner Finance Business...

The changed tax rules for Swiss banks

Published: 04/10/2016 | news

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#Banks #Switzerland

Switzerland has amended the "too large to fail" legislation to reduce the tax burden in some banks. The Swiss Federal Council requested the Federal Department of Finance to prepare a draft consultation document on changes to the position of participations in the deductions TBTF legislation. He noted that the proposed reform would "not allow the tax load of the leading holdings of systemically important banks from raising together with the conditional issuance of convertible securities (CoCos), written off bonds and bail bonds." The Federal Council has proposed that the interest payments on cocos, decommissioned bail bonds and bonds, were not taken into account when calculating the deduction. In accordance with current regulations, the deduction is reduced, because the interest in cocos, written off bonds and bail bonds, regarded as financing costs. The Federal Council said: "The deduction - a system associated with the current legislation, ie all interest on debt capital lead to a reduction in the gross income of all corporations and cooperatives This can lead to a higher tax burden.". The Federal Council said that some banks are required by supervisory law circulate such...

Switzerland amends for keeping tax resolution

Published: 27/09/2016 | news

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#Switzerland

Swiss Federal Council proposed an amendment to the tax deduction management, maintenance is easier finance group. The Council noted that the group created in Switzerland often carry out targeted measures to finance overseas, thus avoiding any deductions that would be related to funding issues, conducted by a group of companies established in Switzerland. The Council added that the Swiss economy as "pass some of the value added in this sector." The proposed amendment to the Retention Tax Resolution can affect groups in which the Swiss group companies (guarantor) provides a guarantee for bonds of foreign companies and groups (the issuer), belonging to the same group. According to the amendment, interest payments within the group made Swiss guarantee will no longer be subjected to withholding taxes. In December 2014, the Federal Council proposed move to a paid agent of the system under which the debtor will transfer all worth paying agent (usually a bank). Implementation of the proposals but has been suspended pending the results of the referendum on popular initiative. Federal Council announced that its 2014 proposal would solve the issue of improving the financing of the...

Italian-Swiss TIEA goes into force

Published: 27/07/2016 | news

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#Exchange of tax information #Italy #Switzerland

The Italiam Ministry of economy and finance claimed that protocol about tax information of double tax agreement between Italy and Switzerland wich was signed 23 of February, 2016 goes into force 13 of July, 2016. The agreement protocol comprises all kind of taxes, point out that country can't deny to represent asking information only because this information has in keeping on bank or any other financial constitution. Much less the country need to empty of all own inner legal proceedings before than protocol can ask information from other. Also need to indicate person or persons who are the object of asking request, period of time need to ask the information, descrabing of information need to and the reason of request if its known, the name and adress of suppose owner of information. This specifications was added for avoiding any want of judgment, general compromative information, and he also added that the second list of specifications don't using for placing obstacles on the way of effective agreements between these countries. This protocol also approves that this contributions will use retrospectively to the data that existed prior to or after the date of...

Tax talks between Switzerland and India

Published: 10/06/2016 | news

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#India #Switzerland

Switzerland's and Indian government expressed their decision to take actions against tax fraud and tax avoidances. Swiss President, Johann N. Schneider-Ammann invited Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi for an official meeting on June 6. Speaking after talks Modi said that fighting against with danger of black money and tax avoidances is on the first place now. We discuss need the early exchange of information for to take to justify tax offenders. The early start of talks about automatic exchange of information agreement will be important right now, added Schneider-Ammann stressed that the desire of Switzerland to make more stronger efforts for free trade agreement. He hopes that visit to India on this week Switzerland's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs will be a step toward the resumption of negotiations. Modi said that India "has affirmed its readiness to resume FTA talks with EFTA." Author: Olena Kutova senior lawyer of the Finance Business Service company ...

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