International
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July 22, 2024
Spain Busts €100M Hydrocarbon VAT Fraud Scheme
Spanish authorities said they busted a suspected tax fraud scheme involving the sale of large quantities of hydrocarbons at below-market prices that ultimately defrauded Spain out of more than €100 million ($109 million) in corresponding value-added tax payments.
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July 22, 2024
South Korea, Turkey Amended Tax Treaty Takes Effect
An amended version of the treaty to avoid double taxation between South Korea and Turkey, which features lower maximum tax rates on dividend and interest income earned by those covered by the treaty, has taken effect, South Korea said.
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July 22, 2024
Kyocera Failed To Back R&D Credits With Records, US Says
Multinational electronics maker Kyocera AVX Components Corp. failed to back up its claim to research tax credits with the required paperwork, the U.S. government told a South Carolina federal court in asking it to stop part of the company's nearly $9 million refund suit from going to trial.
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July 22, 2024
Challenge To Romanian Trading Tax Referred To ECJ
Europe's highest court has been handed a challenge to trading tax in Romania, as a national court seeks guidance on whether EU law would prevent a member country from creating an extra tax liability for some participants in the wholesale energy market.
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July 19, 2024
Edwin Coe Adds To Team Ahead Of Planned UK Tax Changes
Edwin Coe LLP is preparing for an expected surge in disputes following the U.K.'s planned tax changes by hiring as a partner a Harbottle & Lewis lawyer with expertise in litigation and tax planning, according to a news release.
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July 19, 2024
Luxembourg Floats Corp. Tax Cut To Boost Attractiveness
Corporations in Luxembourg may see their income tax rate drop by a percentage point in a bid to make the country more attractive to businesses as part of a larger proposed tax package presented by its finance minister.
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July 19, 2024
6 Nations Must Improve Transparency Measures, OECD Says
Six countries were found largely compliant with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's tax transparency and exchange of information measures due to needed improvements to their beneficial ownership information mechanisms, the organization said Friday.
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July 19, 2024
Attorney Denied Separate Trial In $2.1B Danish Tax Fraud
An attorney facing trial alongside his clients for alleged ties to a $2.1 billion Danish tax fraud has been denied a separate hearing by a New York federal court, which remained unconvinced that his co-workers' advice to the clients could rebound on him prejudicially in a joint trial.
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July 19, 2024
Taxation With Representation: A&O Shearman, Gibson Dunn
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. buys Stelco Holdings Inc., KBR acquires LinQuest Corp., Blue Owl Capital Inc. purchases Atalaya Capital Management LP, and Amphenol Corp. buys two mobile networks units from CommScope.
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July 19, 2024
2 Arrested In €8.8M VAT Fraud Involving Cleaning Products
Italian financial police arrested two people Friday who are suspected of leading an €8.8 million ($9.6 million) value-added tax fraud scheme involving cleaning products and beverages, the European Public Prosecutor's Office said.
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July 19, 2024
Gov't Floats Draft Proposal For OBR 'Fiscal Lock' Powers
HM Treasury proposals for a new "fiscal lock" in a draft Budget Responsibility Bill will allow the Office for Budget Responsibility to scrutinize any tax-and-spend decisions with a cost factor of 1% of gross domestic product or more.
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July 19, 2024
International Tax Policy To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2024
An abundance of loose threads pervades the international tax landscape as the first year of the global minimum tax unfolds, with the battle over digital services taxes still smoldering and diplomats talking tougher taxes on the wealthy. Here, Law360 looks at international tax policy to watch in the second half of 2024.
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July 19, 2024
EU Parliament's Tax Body To Elect Chair On July 23
The European Parliament's subcommittee on taxation plans to elect its chair and vice chairs when it meets on July 23, the Parliament confirmed in a statement on Friday.
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July 18, 2024
Treasury Starting To Address Amount B, Official Says
The U.S. Department of the Treasury is just starting to decide how to handle a transfer pricing regime under a prong of the OECD-led global tax overhaul, a Treasury official said Thursday.
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July 18, 2024
Tax Pros Say Gov'ts Stretching 'Realistic Alternative' Analysis
Tax authorities including the Internal Revenue Service are overstepping in their use of "realistic alternative" arguments, substituting their own judgment for that of businesses, transfer pricing specialists said Thursday.
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July 18, 2024
Ex-Venable Trusts And Estates Partner Joins Stradling In LA
Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth PC announced that it launched a trusts and estates practice with the hiring of an experienced Los Angeles-based partner from Venable LLP.
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July 18, 2024
Most Top US Cos. To Report Tax Under Aussie Bill, Study Says
Australia's Senate is expected to consider adoption next month of the world's most extensive public country-by-country reporting rules, which would require 51% of large U.S. multinational corporations to disclose tax arrangements retroactively from July 1, according to a study published Thursday.
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July 18, 2024
UK Brothers Sentenced For £3.2M Offshore Tax Evasion
A pair of brothers each received suspended two-year prison sentences for charges related to a tax evasion scheme where they hid more than £3.2 million ($4.1 million) using companies in Gibraltar and the British Virgin Islands, HM Revenue & Customs said Thursday.
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July 18, 2024
Rising Star: Latham's Eric Kamerman
Eric Kamerman of Latham & Watkins LLP in recent years handled the tax aspects of several multibillion-dollar acquisitions of powerhouses in British soccer and American fashion, earning him recognition as one of the tax attorneys under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.
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July 18, 2024
Top International Tax Cases To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2024
Tax attorneys will be tracking several high-stakes cases in the second half of 2024 that could define the bounds of the IRS' ability to craft regulations or lodge direct challenges aimed at what it sees as the tax avoidance maneuvers of multinational corporations. Here, Law360 looks at key international tax cases to follow during the rest of the year.
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July 18, 2024
GE Can't Claim Credit For £189M In Double Tax, Court Says
A U.K.-registered subsidiary of General Electric does not qualify for at least £189 million ($245 million) in double tax relief under a U.S.-U.K. treaty because it lacks a U.S. presence akin to a domicile, a London appellate court ruled.
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July 18, 2024
Von Der Leyen Confirmed For New Term Leading EU Executive
The European Parliament reelected Ursula von der Leyen to a second five-year term as the head of the European Commission on Thursday after a speech in which she advocated cutting red tape for businesses.
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July 17, 2024
Much Of Pillar 1 Treaty Agreed On, OECD Official Says
Agreement has been reached on the bulk of a multilateral pact to implement new taxing rights that are part of a revamp of the international tax system and on expansions to a part of the taxing rights plan, an OECD official said Wednesday.
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July 17, 2024
Gov't Views On OECD Risk Guidance Vary, Economists Say
In allocating risk among different components of a business for transfer pricing purposes, analysts need to consider governments' varying interpretations of guidance from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a panel of economists said Wednesday.
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July 17, 2024
Aussie Gov't Seeks Tighter Promoter Penalties After PwC Leak
Australia is poised to penalize a wider range of advisers who promote tax schemes to multinational corporations and beef up its Tax Practitioners Board's ability to investigate cases after it uncovered PwC sharing confidential draft laws with clients, according to a consultation that began Wednesday.
Expert Analysis
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A Tough Road Ahead for Democrats' Ambitious Policy Agenda
While Democrats in Congress are well on their way to enacting an initial COVID-19 relief bill, they will face challenges when pivoting to President Joe Biden's Build Back Better goals for job creation and economic revitalization, say Russell Sullivan and Radha Mohan at Brownstein Hyatt.
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Coca-Cola Tax Ruling Offers 5 Lessons For Multinationals
The U.S. Tax Court's decision that Coca-Cola owes more than $3.3 billion in taxes is instructive on important transfer pricing concepts, including those regarding intercompany agreements, the arm's-length standard and tax certainty, says Justin Radziewicz at Duff & Phelps.
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Start Preparing For Germany's Corporate Sanctions Act
Germany’s soon-to-be-adopted Corporate Sanctions Act carries a presumption of mandatory prosecution but also a defense in cases where reasonable precautions fail to prevent nonmanagers from committing crimes, so companies should start putting such compliance programs into place now, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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Analyzing Illegality Defense Trend In Investor-State Arbitration
Cairn Energy v. India, a recent Permanent Court of Arbitration case, highlights the growing trend of states alleging illegal investor conduct to challenge tribunal jurisdiction or investor claim admissibility, say Caline Mouawad at Chaffetz Lindsey and Jessica Beess und Chrostin at Covington.
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Small Biz Should Self-Advocate For Tax Relief Under Biden
Small and medium-sized businesses have significant potential for achieving regulatory relief from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and other federal agencies during the Biden administration, but to do so they must define their priorities, leverage two federal statutes that require the Treasury to protect them and make their voices heard through communal e-advocacy, says Monte Silver at Silver & Co.
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Consider Mutual Agreement Procedures For Double Tax Relief
Taxpayers wary of using mutual agreement procedures for double taxation relief should revisit the process, which is more straightforward than many believe, lest they miss out on tax savings, says Monique van Herksen of Simmons & Simmons.
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A Road Map For US Involvement In Europe's Cum-Ex Probe
The dividend arbitrage trading strategy known as cum-ex continues to face regulatory scrutiny in Europe, and stateside regulators may soon follow suit with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent American depositary receipt probe as a guide for enforcement, says Joshua Ray at Rahman Ravelli.
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Congress Should Make TCJA Income Definition Permanent
Congress should not allow the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act's definition of adjusted taxable income, which includes depreciation and amortization, to expire in 2022 because it would discourage debt-free investment, running counter to the law's intent, says George Callas at Steptoe & Johnson.
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OECD Delays Are Imperiling Digital Tax Deal
As the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development continues to push back its deadline for a digital tax overhaul, countries are beginning to pursue unilateral solutions and the negotiations are turning political, decreasing the likelihood of an agreement, says Joyce Beebe at Rice University.
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Mitigating IRS Cryptocurrency Enforcement Risk In 2021
The IRS seems poised to shift focus in 2021 from education to enforcement of virtual currency tax laws, and noncompliant taxpayers should consider whether they are eligible to file amended returns or voluntary disclosures to mitigate the risk of civil penalties, criminal investigation or prosecution, say Don Fort and Lawrence Sannicandro at Kostelanetz & Fink.
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2020's Key Tax Controversy Developments
Andrew Roberson and Kevin Spencer at McDermott highlight 2020's key tax controversy developments, offering their perspective on important tax decisions, the Internal Revenue Service’s cooperative audit program, informal tax return amendment procedures, Large Business & International Division campaigns, and handling virtual appeals conferences during the pandemic.
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Justices Likely To Shield Treasury From Preemptive Action
Recent U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments in CIC Services v. Internal Revenue Service suggest the court will resolve a circuit split by ruling the Anti-Injunction Act shields the U.S. Department of the Treasury from preemptive challenges — bad news for those hoping to challenge unfavorable regulations, says Monte Silver at Silver & Co.
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Response Options For Danish Cum-Ex Interview Targets
As the Danish tax authority prepares for the first of a three-part U.K. trial involving cum-ex fraud, U.K. recipients of interview requests from the Danish prosecutorial agency should neither automatically accept, nor ignore the invitations, despite that agency's seeming lack of power to compel their attendance, says David Corker at Corker Binning.