International

  • June 20, 2024

    China Denies Tax Crackdown As 2 Cos. Report $80M In Bills

    China's tax authority denied a nationwide crackdown on companies' old tax returns Thursday, less than a week after a chemical firm facing 500 million yuan ($69 million) in additional liabilities halted production and a beverage maker reported owing 85 million yuan.

  • June 20, 2024

    UK Tax Pros Largely Support 2027 Carbon Border Tax Plan

    Two groups representing tax professionals welcomed the U.K. government's plan to introduce a carbon border tax on certain carbon-intensive imports by 2027, but specifics regarding both default embedded emissions values and carveouts for smaller businesses must be ironed out, they said.

  • June 20, 2024

    Norway's $95M Yearly Dividend Tax Losses Spur Joint Audit

    Norway's tax agency announced a joint audit with other Nordic tax agencies, saying it loses an estimated 1 billion kroner ($95 million) a year in withholding taxes that should be paid by foreign shareholders on dividends but aren't due to aggressive tax planning.

  • June 20, 2024

    Canada Lawmakers OK Digital Tax, Advance Min. Tax

    Canada's Senate passed a 3% digital services tax that would target the revenue of large technology companies, following through on a plan that has drawn criticism from the U.S. and groups representing American tech giants.

  • June 20, 2024

    UK Tax Gap Continues Downward Trend, HMRC Says

    The U.K. has continued to shrink its estimated tax gap, reaching a new low of 4.8% in the 2022-2023 tax year, following a trend of decreases over the past almost two decades, HM Revenue & Customs said Thursday.

  • June 20, 2024

    G20 Should Not Give Up On Pillar 1, Gentiloni Says

    The Group of 20 rich and developing countries should not give up on the Pillar One agreement to reallocate corporate taxing rights globally, European Union tax commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said Thursday, pointing to a G20 summit in November as crucial.

  • June 20, 2024

    EU Adopts Sanctions On Russian LNG, Oil Tanker Fleet

    The European Union agreed in principle Thursday on the 14th economic sanctions package against Russia since its war against Ukraine began, targeting liquefied natural gas, dual-use goods and technologies, and a fleet of oil tankers from non-EU countries.

  • June 20, 2024

    Repatriation Tax Doesn't Violate Constitution, Justices Rule

    The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the 2017 federal tax overhaul's mandatory repatriation levy on Thursday, finding the measure applies to the earnings of foreign corporations with U.S. shareholders and therefore does not raise constitutional questions about taxing unrealized income. 

  • June 20, 2024

    German Casino Tax Regime Is Illegal State Aid, EU Says

    Germany's special tax system for public casino operators violates the European Union's law on state aid law, the bloc's executive branch and treaty regulator said on Thursday.

  • June 19, 2024

    EU Commission Tells France, Italy To Lower Budget Deficits

    The European Commission told France, Italy and six other European Union countries to rein in their big budget deficits on Wednesday, although their governments can decide themselves on the details of spending cuts and tax hikes.

  • June 19, 2024

    Problems With VAT Law Still Not Resolved, Estonia Says

    Estonia said Wednesday that it continues to have concerns about a proposed change to the European Union's value added tax law, which the small northeastern European country said would hurt small businesses.

  • June 18, 2024

    IRS Guidance Doesn't Perceive Spinoff Abuse, Official Says

    Recent IRS guidance limiting the corporate spinoffs that revenue officials will approve as tax-free ahead of time was designed to reflect the drafters' current views, rather than suggest perceived abuse of these transactions, a U.S. Treasury Department official said Tuesday.

  • June 18, 2024

    AbbVie Says IRS Can't Treat $1.6B Break Fee As Capital Loss

    The Internal Revenue Service cannot reclassify as a capital loss a $1.6 billion payment AbbVie made to an Irish biotechnology company after their failed merger and thereby raise the pharmaceutical giant's tax bill by $572 million, the company's attorneys told the U.S. Tax Court.

  • June 18, 2024

    Lithuania Legislature Approves Bank Windfall Tax Extension

    The Lithuanian legislature voted to extend a temporary "solidarity tax" on bank profits through 2025, expecting to generate between €50 million ($53.7 million) and €70 million, it said Tuesday.

  • June 18, 2024

    Hungary Aims To Fight Evasion, Foster Certainty As EU Chair

    Hungary, the incoming chair of the European Union council of member states, said Tuesday that it will prioritize fighting tax evasion and ensuring legal certainty for taxpayers during its time in the role.

  • June 17, 2024

    $2.1B Danish Tax Fraud Defendant Pushes For Separate Trials

    An attorney facing trial alongside his clients on allegations of filing $2.1 billion in fraudulent tax refund claims in Denmark urged a New York federal court to hear his case separately, saying disparate legal arguments could confuse a jury if only one trial is held.

  • June 17, 2024

    OECD Tax Plan Is Developing Nations' Best Choice, Prof Says

    Developing countries could gain more revenue from the OECD's multilateral plan to tax the digital economy than the U.N. Tax Committee's bilateral alternative because they have small treaty networks, many customers and few large companies, an academic argued Monday during an Oxford University panel.

  • June 17, 2024

    Saudi Arabia Should Boost Non-Oil Tax Revenue, IMF Says

    Saudi Arabia has had an "unprecedented economic transformation" in recent years, but maintaining such growth will require further tax efforts, particularly when it comes to non-oil revenue generation, the International Monetary Fund said.

  • June 17, 2024

    OECD Clarifies Rules For Global Minimum Tax

    The OECD-led international negotiating body working on fundamental changes to corporate tax law clarified rules under the global minimum tax on deferred tax and securitization, the organization said Monday.

  • June 17, 2024

    EU Approves Italian Fee Cut For Boats Using Cleaner Energy

    The European Commission approved an Italian plan Monday which, by waiving a fee, incentivizes boats to use a cleaner way of obtaining electricity.

  • June 14, 2024

    US Urges 5th Circ. To Back $2M Tax Bill For Tire Imports

    The Fifth Circuit should overturn a lower court's ruling that a Houston truck company was not an importer responsible for nearly $2 million in excise taxes on tires it bought from a Chinese manufacturer, the U.S. told the Fifth Circuit on Friday.

  • June 14, 2024

    Eaton Says Court Improperly Required Int'l Employee Evals

    An Ohio federal court should reconsider its decision that multinational power management company Eaton must disclose the personnel records of its foreign employees that were requested by the Internal Revenue Service in a transfer pricing investigation, the company told the court.

  • June 14, 2024

    Mining Co. Entity Can't Deduct Loan Interest, UK Court Says

    A U.S. mining company's entity in the U.K. that was created to save taxes through the acquisition of a Texas-based firm cannot overturn the Upper Tribunal's decision that its U.K tax deductions weren't deserved, according to a Court of Appeal judgment.

  • June 14, 2024

    G7 Chiefs Agree On Using Frozen Russian Profits For Ukraine

    Leaders from the Group of Seven countries reached a provisional agreement to use windfall profits from frozen and immobilized Russian state assets to back a $50 billion loan to Ukraine, they announced Friday, although details have to be ironed out before the end ot the year, said Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni.

  • June 14, 2024

    Swiss Council OKs Tax Agreements With Angola, Germany

    Switzerland's executive body, the Federal Council, approved a double taxation agreement with Angola and an amendment to an existing agreement with Germany, it announced Friday.

Expert Analysis

  • Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct

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    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.

  • Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave

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    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.

  • A Year-End Look At Florida's Capital Investment Tax Credit

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    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.

  • Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    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.

  • The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms

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    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.

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    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.

  • Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

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    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.

  • General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

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    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.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    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.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

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    Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • 1st Tax Easement Convictions Will Likely Embolden DOJ, IRS

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    After recent convictions in the first criminal tax fraud trial over allegedly abusive syndicated conservation easements, the IRS and U.S. Department of Justice will likely pursue other promoters for similar alleged conspiracies — though one acquittal may help attorneys better evaluate their clients' exposure, say Bill Curtis and Lauren DeSantis-Then at Polsinelli.

  • Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes

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    Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.

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