International

  • January 28, 2025

    4 Convicted In Lithuania In €10M Cigarette Tax Fraud Ring

    A Lithuanian court convicted four people, including two former customs officers, for their roles in a cigarette smuggling scheme that evaded €10 million ($10.4 million) in import, customs and excise taxes, the European Public Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday.

  • January 28, 2025

    France Probes Binance Over Money Laundering Breaches

    France's public prosecutor on Tuesday opened a criminal investigation into crypto exchange Binance over suspected money laundering and terrorist financing breaches that authorities said may have enabled tax fraud and drug trafficking.

  • January 28, 2025

    EU Authorities Smash €100M Money Laundering Scheme

    A group of more than 20 individuals suspected of running a €100 million ($104 million) money laundering scheme in Europe has been arrested following a two-year investigation by law enforcement authorities in Spain, Cyprus and Germany, an EU agency said Tuesday.

  • January 27, 2025

    Canadian Taxpayer Group Plans To Contest Capital Gains Hike

    A Canadian taxpayers group said it plans to ask the nation's Federal Court to block a proposed increase in capital gains tax that is said has not been approved by the Canadian Parliament.

  • January 27, 2025

    HMRC Can Appeal In Dispute Over UK-Ireland Tax Agreement

    HM Revenue & Customs can proceed with an appeal in its case alleging an Irish company's investment in a U.K.-based company was made to gain tax advantages, the Court of Appeal ruled Monday after hearing arguments.

  • January 27, 2025

    Senate Confirms Bessent As Treasury Secretary

    A bipartisan majority of senators voted Monday to confirm billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as Treasury secretary, putting in place a key member of President Donald Trump's Cabinet.

  • January 27, 2025

    ITC Says China May Be Dumping Erythritol In US

    The U.S. International Trade Commission has determined that there is a "reasonable indication" that imports of the artificial sweetener erythritol from China are damaging U.S. industry, it announced.

  • January 27, 2025

    Tesla Takes EU To Court Over Electric Vehicle Tariffs

    Tesla is taking the European Union to court over anti-subsidy tariffs the bloc has imposed on imports of electric vehicles from China, Europe's top court confirmed on its website Monday.

  • January 27, 2025

    Transfer Pricing Brought In £1.8B In Tax Last Year, HMRC Says

    U.K. transfer pricing activities brought in nearly £1.8 billion ($2.2 billion) in additional tax revenue in the 2023-24 tax year, HM Revenue & Customs said Monday, an over £150 million increase from the year prior despite a decrease in overall inquiries.

  • January 27, 2025

    Suspected Leader Of €297M VAT Fraud Indicted, EPPO Says

    The suspected ringleader of a €297 million ($312 million) value-added tax fraud ring was indicted two months after the European Public Prosecutor's Office first broke up the scheme, the EPPO said Monday, saying he was indicted in record time for such a complex case.

  • January 27, 2025

    HMRC's Response To Phone Calls Hits Decade Low, Firm Says

    HMRC answered half as many phone calls from taxpayers during the last tax year compared with 2015, with that figure reaching a decade low, a publicly traded British brokerage said Monday, citing documents the firm said it received in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

  • January 27, 2025

    Mike Ashley Wins Data Request Battle With HMRC

    HM Revenue and Customs wrongly withheld personal information from Mike Ashley after the founder of the Sports Direct chain issued a data request following the tax authority's demand for £13.6 million ($17 million) in additional taxes, a London court ruled Monday.

  • January 24, 2025

    Gov't Says Ukrainian Duo Should Get 15 Years For $25M Fraud

    Prosecutors have asked a Florida federal court to sentence two Ukrainian men to 15½ years in prison after they pled guilty to laundering money from a hotel staffing scheme that the U.S. government said cost it $25 million in taxes.

  • January 24, 2025

    Tax Break Doesn't Apply To £1.3M Project, UK Court Affirms

    Investors who sank £1.3 million ($1.6 million) into a children's cartoon show will not qualify for a special tax break because the investment failed to meet at least one of the program's qualifications, the U.K.'s Upper Tribunal affirmed.

  • January 24, 2025

    Reed Smith Brings Back Tax Pro From Amazon In Brussels

    An attorney who specializes in customs, trade and excise tax matters in the European Union and U.K. has rejoined Reed Smith LLP in Brussels after a stint at Amazon, the firm announced.

  • January 24, 2025

    Manchester United Ambassador Liable For Tax On £450K

    An ambassador for the Manchester United Football Club is liable for additional taxes on about £450,000 ($562,000) paid by the club over 16 months, but he successfully appealed assessments on about £1.1 million received during several other years, according to a First-tier Tribunal decision.

  • January 24, 2025

    House Bill Would Repeal Stock Buyback Tax

    The excise tax on stock buybacks would be repealed under legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

  • January 24, 2025

    UK Gov't Launches Review Of HMRC Loan Charge

    HM Treasury has launched a review into the U.K. tax authority's loan charge targeting individuals who incurred hefty tax bills after signing up for disguised remuneration schemes, a move critics claim has unfairly hit tens of thousands of contractors.

  • January 24, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Latham, Simpson Thacher

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, a Brookfield private real estate fund acquires Divvy Homes' property portfolio and platform, Kantar Group proposes the sale of Kantar Media, and an Ares Management-led group buys a majority of Form Technologies Inc.'s common equity.

  • January 24, 2025

    Australian Tax Transparency Rules Could Set Benchmark

    Australian lawmakers recently enacted legislation that requires large multinational corporations to publicly disclose their worldwide business operations and tax information with an unprecedented level of scope and detail, which advocates say could set a global standard for corporate transparency.

  • January 23, 2025

    Taiwan Double-Tax Relief Floated In Senate After House OK

    The Senate Finance Committee introduced bipartisan legislation Thursday that would grant tax benefits to Taiwanese businesses in the U.S. and authorize the White House to negotiate a tax agreement with Taiwan, following the House of Representatives' approval of companion legislation.

  • January 23, 2025

    Corporate Transparency Law Remains Flanked By Threats

    The Corporate Transparency Act is facing threats across the branches of government despite the U.S. Supreme Court pausing a nationwide injunction on it Thursday, with another universal injunction in place, other court battles underway and some Republican lawmakers targeting the law.

  • January 23, 2025

    Finland's Corporate Tax Revenue Dipped 8% Last Year

    Finland's corporate tax take fell about 8% last year on an annual basis, although the government has a slight surplus overall with €81.7 billion ($85.1 million) in total revenues, the country's tax authority said Thursday.

  • January 23, 2025

    UK Gov't Tones Down Plan For Non-Dom Tax Changes

    The U.K. government will amend its finance bill to soften its plan to abolish the nondomicile tax status for people claiming tax benefits as nonresidents, Exchequer Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in an interview broadcast Thursday.

  • January 23, 2025

    Australia Looking To Combine 3 Accounting Bodies

    The Australian government asked for feedback Thursday on a plan to combine three accounting standards boards into one, with the goal of streamlining the country's financial reporting architecture to adapt to continued changes to the economy and reporting rules.

Expert Analysis

  • How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'

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    Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.

  • Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process

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    Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.

  • What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires

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    Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.

  • Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support

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    A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.

  • Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where

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    During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.

  • Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing

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    Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address

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    A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union

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    As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act

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    In its recent Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed the Administrative Procedure Act in ways that undermine Congress and the executive branch, shift power to the judiciary, curtail public and business input, and create great uncertainty, say Alene Taber and Beth Hummer at Hanson Bridgett.

  • Tips For Tax Equity-Tax Credit Transfers That Pass IRS Muster

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    Although the Internal Revenue Service has increased its scrutiny of complex partnership structures, which must demonstrate their economic substance and business purpose, recent cases and IRS guidance together provide a reliable road map for creating legitimate tax equity structures, say Ian Boccaccio and Michael Messina at Ryan Tax.

  • Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?

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    A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent dismissal of the defendants’ counterclaims in Morgan v. Noss should remind attorneys to avoid the temptation to repackage a claim’s facts and law into a mirror-image counterclaim, as this approach will often result in a waste of time and resources, says Matthew Selmasska at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • 3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture

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    Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents

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    Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.

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