International
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October 15, 2024
Law Firms Diverge As Anti-ESG Pushback Continues
A continuing onslaught of legislation and litigation opposing corporate environmental, social and governance actions has created a fork in the road for law firms, with some choosing to scale back efforts and others pushing ahead with their internal ESG and diversity, equity and inclusion goals.
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October 15, 2024
The 2024 Law360 Pulse Social Impact Leaders
Check out our Social Impact Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their engagement with social responsibility and commitment to pro bono service.
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October 11, 2024
Danish Tax Agency Sniffs Out $367M In VAT Fraud
The Danish Tax Agency said it has issued collections for roughly 2.5 billion Danish kroner ($367 million) since 2018 against companies it discovered were carrying out cross-border value-added tax fraud schemes known as VAT carousels.
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October 11, 2024
France Targets Largest Cos. With Tax In Austerity Budget
The French government said it plans to implement a temporary tax targeting the country's biggest companies as part of a budget of €61.3 billion ($67 billion) of fiscal changes intended to help bring the deficit in line with European Union rules.
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October 11, 2024
Italian Police Freeze €12.3M In Textile VAT Fraud Investigation
The Italian Financial Police carried out two freezing orders totaling €12.3 million ($13.5 million) against suspects in an ongoing investigation into a value-added tax fraud involving the illegal importation of textiles from China, the European Public Prosecutor's Office said.
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October 11, 2024
Bird & Bird Adds DLA Piper Legal Director To London Office
Bird & Bird LLP has added a former DLA Piper legal director as a partner to its London tax team.
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October 11, 2024
Disputes May Loom Over Dividend Deductions For CFCs
U.S. multinational corporations are concerned that rulemakers' interpretation of a law allowing tax-free repatriation of certain overseas earnings could lead to controversy after the Internal Revenue Service published a memo indicating the break is unavailable for controlled foreign corporations.
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October 11, 2024
Fla. Businessman's Estate Faces $2.6M In FBAR Penalties
A Florida businessman's estate owes the federal government $2.6 million in penalties plus interest for his failure to report his Swiss bank account from 2013 to 2017, the government told a federal court.
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October 11, 2024
Taxation With Representation: Davis Polk, Latham, Kirkland
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Rio Tinto agrees to acquire Arcadium Lithium for roughly $6.7 billion, Ares Management Corp. and GCP International reach a $3.7 billion deal, and Butterfly Equity announces plans to buy The Duckhorn Portfolio for $2 billion.
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October 10, 2024
Ukraine's Parliament Hikes Taxes To Fund War With Russia
Ukraine's Parliament announced that it approved several amendments to the country's tax code Thursday that will raise revenues for its war with Russia.
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October 10, 2024
Pillar 2 Carveout Should Cover Some Mobile Items, NFTC Says
The exemption for tangible investments from the global minimum tax known as Pillar Two should include certain mobile assets, such as ships and aircraft, the National Foreign Trade Council recommended.
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October 10, 2024
Ryanair To Scale Back German Flights After Tax Hike
Irish discount airline Ryanair announced plans Thursday to follow through on its threat to cut back service to Germany next summer over tax issues, saying it will cut 12% of its total capacity in the country — equal to 1.8 million seats — and close three bases of operation.
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October 10, 2024
Pfizer Lone Holdout In Senate Pharma Tax Probe, Wyden Says
Pfizer Inc. is the only company to withhold a country-by-country breakdown of its tax planning in the Senate Finance Committee's probe into how Republicans' 2017 tax package reduced the pharmaceutical industry's U.S. liabilities, according to a letter Chairman Ron Wyden released Thursday.
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October 10, 2024
UK Exit Taxes OK When Paid Over Time, Upper Tribunal Says
An exit tax on U.K. trusts leaving the country pre-Brexit interfered with their European Union right to free movement of capital, but is brought into compliance if trusts can pay the tax over at least a five-year period, the Upper Tribunal ruled.
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October 10, 2024
Switzerland Reports Info Exchanges With 108 Jurisdictions
Switzerland's Federal Tax Administration has exchanged information on roughly 3.7 million financial accounts with 108 jurisdictions so far in 2024, the government said Thursday.
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October 10, 2024
Ireland's Finance Bill Sets Out Foreign Dividend Exemption
The Irish government set out its plans for a new participation tax exemption for foreign dividends as part of a finance bill published Thursday.
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October 10, 2024
Algeria Joins OECD Tax Transparency Treaty
Algeria formally joined the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's global tax transparency agreement on combating tax avoidance and evasion by multinational corporations, the OECD announced Thursday.
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October 09, 2024
Australia Floats Debt Reduction Creation Rules Guidance
The Australian Taxation Office published draft guidance Wednesday for the country's new debt deduction creation rules, including the planned compliance approach and a framework for risk assessment.
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October 09, 2024
European Parliament Backs Brazil's G20 Wealth Tax Plan
A majority of the European Parliament supports a 2% minimum tax on billionaires presented by Brazil at the Group of 20 nations meeting, asking the European Union to pursue the topic at the group's November summit, according to joint statements by members of Parliament on Wednesday.
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October 09, 2024
Swiss Council Rejects Funding Pensions With Transaction Tax
Switzerland should not use the revenue generated by its two taxes on financial market transactions to fund the country's pension fund, nor should it create new ones for that purpose, the Swiss Federal Council said Wednesday.
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October 09, 2024
OECD Should Clarify Pillar 2 Safe Harbor Timing, CPAs Say
The OECD should clarify when exactly multinational corporations need to determine whether they qualify for a transitional safe harbor under an international minimum tax agreement, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants recommended in a letter.
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October 09, 2024
UK Gov't Greenlights Film Industry Tax Credit
U.K. film companies will be able to gain over 50% tax relief for their films' costs from a tax credit approved Wednesday by the Labour government.
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October 09, 2024
3M Tax Ruling Must Fall Post-Chevron, Chamber Tells 8th Circ.
The U.S. Supreme Court's ending of the Chevron doctrine calls for overturning a U.S. Tax Court ruling that let the IRS allocate $24 million of income to multinational conglomerate 3M from a Brazilian affiliate, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce told the Eighth Circuit on Wednesday.
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October 09, 2024
Starmer Refuses To Rule Out Payroll Tax Hike
Prime Minister Keir Starmer didn't rule out raising employers' National Insurance contributions, a payroll tax used to fund healthcare and state pensions, during Wednesday's question time.
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October 09, 2024
Election Uncertainty Hampers Companies' Tax Planning
With the November election approaching, businesses are bracing for the potential impact of two very different sets of tax policies, with the resulting uncertainty making long-term tax planning increasingly difficult.
Expert Analysis
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Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities
Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
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How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season
Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape
The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
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Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct
The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.
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Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.
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A Year-End Look At Florida's Capital Investment Tax Credit
Notwithstanding the Walt Disney Co.’s feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis this year, Florida's capital investment tax credit will continue to make the state a favored destination for large corporations, particularly in light of the new federal alternative minimum tax and the Pillar Two top-up tax, says Alan Lederman at Gunster.
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Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms
In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.
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AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier
Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.
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Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.
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General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI
With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.
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Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information
As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.