International

  • July 11, 2024

    Brazilian Tax Agency Probes Refund Fraud Scheme

    Brazilian federal tax authorities and police said Thursday they had conducted a search-and-seizure operation related to the investigation of an income tax refund fraud scheme.

  • July 11, 2024

    Ex-Leaders Ask Biden For Int'l Coordination On Billionaire Tax

    President Joe Biden should get behind Brazil's proposal for the Group of 20 nations to coordinate a minimum tax on billionaires, nearly 20 former presidents and prime ministers from countries such as Canada, France and South Korea said in an open letter.

  • July 11, 2024

    IRS Proposes 'Basket Contracts' As Listed Transactions

    The Internal Revenue Service proposed rules Thursday that would flag so-called basket option contracts as potentially abusive listed transactions, imposing additional reporting requirements under the threat of penalty for individuals and businesses involved in such arrangements.

  • July 11, 2024

    IRS, OECD Officials Detail Expansion Of AI In Tax Work

    The Internal Revenue Service and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development are making great progress in adopting artificial intelligence in tax administration, representatives of both organizations said Thursday.

  • July 11, 2024

    Israel Says Resident Hid $5.5M In Offshore Bank Accounts

    An Israeli resident was released under restrictive conditions Thursday after the government alleged he failed to report foreign bank accounts that held more than 20 million shekels ($5.5 million), according to a statement from the Israel Tax Authority.

  • July 11, 2024

    Tax Haven Biz Revenues Per Worker Still Far Outpace Norm

    Companies recorded median revenues per employee of $1.6 million in low-tax jurisdictions like Ireland, the Cayman Islands and Hong Kong and around $300,000 in all other jurisdictions in 2021, a difference that has narrowed since 2017, the OECD said Thursday.

  • July 11, 2024

    Biz Officials Call For Simpler Tax Rules In Light Of Pillar 2

    Business representatives said Thursday that tax compliance rules need to be simplified as new minimum tax rules, known as Pillar Two, are added to the existing regime.

  • July 11, 2024

    Failure Of Pillar 1 Would Yield Worse Alternatives, Panel Says

    A failure of the Pillar One agreement to reallocate corporate taxing rights would lead to alternatives that are worse, with the return of national digital services taxes worldwide, tax officials and academics said Thursday.

  • July 10, 2024

    Engineer Who Faced Export Charges Cops To Tax Counts

    A Chinese-born engineer has pled guilty to two counts of filing a false tax return related to allegations that he and his wife omitted gross income from their tax returns between 2015 and 2019, after Texas federal prosecutors initially charged the couple with export violations and fraud. 

  • July 10, 2024

    Portugal Enacts Pillar 2 As Part Of Economic, Tax Package

    Portugal's Council of Ministers approved the minimum tax provision known as Pillar Two in a package of economic and tax measures designed to boost the country's economic growth, the council announced.

  • July 10, 2024

    OECD Publishes Pillar 2 Technical Reporting Language Draft

    The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development published a draft of technical details required to digitally input and disseminate information required for Pillar Two global minimum tax returns Wednesday.

  • July 10, 2024

    Americans Overseas Ask for Clarity In Foreign Trust Regs

    An advocacy group representing U.S. citizens living abroad urged the U.S. Treasury Department to clarify proposed rules for reporting transactions with foreign trusts, contending that guidance should explain which common pension arrangements are exempt from disclosure obligations.  

  • July 10, 2024

    Curtis Mallet-Prevost To Open Law Office In Saudi Arabia

    Curtis Mallet-Prevost Colt & Mosle LLP has obtained a license to practice law in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the firm announced this week.

  • July 10, 2024

    HMRC, CPS Beat Financier's Claim Over Botched Prosecution

    HM Revenue and Customs and the Crown Prosecution Service have beaten claims of malicious prosecution and misfeasance in public office by a corporate financier following a failed criminal fraud case, with a judge finding that they had enough evidence to pursue him.

  • July 10, 2024

    French Left's Tax Pledges May Go Unfulfilled

    The tax policy pledges put forward by the leftist bloc of parties that won the most seats in France's legislative election may not be fulfilled given the bloc's failure to win an outright majority.

  • July 10, 2024

    India's High Court Nixes Challenge To Taxing Of Tour Vehicles

    The Indian Supreme Court dismissed a group of petitions challenging border taxes imposed by state governments on tour company vehicles because it said the litigation should have begun in a different court.

  • July 10, 2024

    Attempts To Scrap EU Tax Veto Are Useless, Hungary Says

    Attempts by European Union countries to try to remove the requirement of unanimity for delicate policy decisions such as tax law and adding new EU member states are futile, Hungary's minister for European affairs said Wednesday.

  • July 09, 2024

    House Panel OKs Tax Breaks For More Education Expenses

    The House Ways and Means Committee sent several education-related tax bills to the full House of Representatives on Tuesday, including legislation that would make additional elementary and secondary school expenses eligible for tax-advantaged education savings accounts.

  • July 09, 2024

    Irish Budget To Allocate €1.4B To Fund Tax Measures in 2025

    The Irish government on Tuesday published the details of its €8.3 billion ($9 billion) budget for 2025, including €1.4 billion set aside to fund tax measures.

  • July 09, 2024

    India High Court Says Rights To Sell Liquor Aren't Taxed

    The rights to sell the alcoholic beverage arrack are not taxed because the liquor vendors who purchase them do not fit into the definition of "buyer" under Indian tax law, the Supreme Court of India ruled.

  • July 09, 2024

    Finnish Tax Take Drops Amid Slowing Real Estate Market

    The Finnish government's tax revenue declined 0.4% last year to €42.3 billion ($45.7 billion) as collections from levies on real estate purchases and car registrations each declined by more than 20%, the country's tax authority said Tuesday in a news release.

  • July 09, 2024

    EU, India Wary Of Overlap From UN's Global Tax Work

    Indian and European Union officials agreed during a meeting that the negotiations around a framework convention on international tax cooperation at the United Nations shouldn't overlap efforts of the ongoing OECD-led global tax overhaul, an EU executive department said.

  • July 09, 2024

    UK's Non-Dom Taxpayer Count Increased 7%

    A growing number of taxpayers in the United Kingdom claimed last year that their permanent home is outside the country, qualifying them for a non-domiciled tax exemption in the crosshairs of lawmakers, HM Revenue & Customs said Tuesday.

  • July 09, 2024

    5 Firms Steer $513M Ryan-Altus Cross-Border Tax Deal

    Dallas-based tax services and software provider Ryan said Tuesday it has inked a deal to acquire the property tax business of Altus Group Ltd. for CA$700 million ($513.4 million), enlisting three firms to assist on a deal that will expand its footprint in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.

  • July 09, 2024

    Maltese Case Tests EU Cooperation To Fight VAT Fraud

    The case of a Maltese man arrested on suspicion of a key role in Sweden's largest value-added tax fraud illustrates how European countries are trying to boost their imperfect cooperation to combat such fraud, which causes billion-euro losses.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Anticipating Intensified Partnership Enforcement From IRS

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    The Internal Revenue Service's decadeslong difficulties with partnership audits led to the recent announcement of a clear, well-funded, focused initiative, and businesses operating in the partnership form will feel the impact, with definite changes ahead, says Sharon Katz-Pearlman at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys

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    Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.

  • The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'

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    The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.

  • How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing

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    Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

  • How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies

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    Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.

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