Int'l Tax News

AU.K. House of Commonscommittee has greenlighted Finance Bill 2020 provisions introducing a digital services tax, but itrejected a proposed amendment thatwould have required the government to report annually on the tax's operation.

The Czech Republic's ruling parties intend to cut the rate of a proposed digital services tax by 2 percentage points and delay its effective date until 2021 as part of a new coalition agreement.

Governments are expected to focus on tax collections from multinational corporations and foreign investors like private equity and real estate funds to alleviate the financial consequences of COVID-19, a tax practitionerwarned.

EU Tax CommissionerPaulo Gentiloni's upcoming tax action planwill include proposals on administrative cooperation and environmental taxes, aswell as pushing ahead to tax the digital economy if there is no OECD-approved solution.

High public debt resulting from the novel coronavirus pandemic could cause countries to pursue taxation that addresses climate change as part of their efforts to increase revenue, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said in a report publishedwednesday.

As the coronavirus pandemic decimates government revenue across the globe, new taxes on digital commerceÔøΩonce mostly a focus in Europe and other countrieswith large marketsÔøΩare emerging in the developingworld.

Anti-racist protests in the US andworldwide have brought attention to a global problem. Racism still exists in the tax sector and more needs to be done to tackle the issue.

Malaysia's governmentannounced a MYR 35 billion (around $8.2 billion) program to boost economic activity in thewake of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of its key featureswould provide long-term tax exemptions to foreign investors.

A U.K. lawmakerwho heads the United Kingdom's anticorruption efforts has shared key findings regarding its beneficial ownership register and offered to helpwith the development of a similar model in the United States.

Countries inwhich immovable property or other location-specific assets are situated can assess capital gains tax on offshore indirect transfers (OITs) of assets, according to a new report from the Platform for Collaboration on Tax (PCT).

The United States is expected to ask the Czech government to create a jointworking group on digital taxation after announcing a probe into the country's proposed digital services tax.

Paolo Gentiloni, the European Commission's top tax official, provides that the coronavirus crisis has increased urgency for broad and global reform of the international tax system and that the commission plans to propose recommendations in an upcoming document on tax governance.

Tax directors based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) foresee corporate taxes in 2021 after Saudi Arabia broadened its tax based by tripling its VAT rate, a move that is likely towiden tax systems in other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Transfer pricing specialists areworried that 2020 comparablewill be more difficult to use in the future arrangements than those from previous years; but this is just one of many TP challenges.

The EU Council agreed to defer the mandatory disclosure regime (DAC6) for six months, but long-term reporting uncertainties persist in caseswhere companies might be tied to blacklisted jurisdictions.

Despite the challenges of the coronavirus crisis, the technicalwork on a proposed two-pillar solution to tax the digital economy iswell advanced, the chair of a keyOECDbody said.

Robert Goulder examines Hungary's Google tax, built around the idea that a country's native language provides a basis for digital taxing rights.

Nigeria is set to tax nonresident companies involved in digital activities in its jurisdiction based on significant economic presence,while Kenya is expanding its VAT regime to cover supplies made through digital marketplaces.

A proposedEUtax on companies that benefit from theinternal marketcould net ÔøΩ10 billion annuallywhile representing only 0.2 percent of theirEUoperations, according to theEuropean Commission.

A Latin American trade association representing digital services companiesÔøΩ includingAirbnb,Amazon,Facebook, andGoogleÔøΩhas requested a five-month delay in the implementation of Mexico's VAT on digital services.

The Dutch governmentwill submit an anti-tax-avoidance proposal to parliament thatwould introduce awithholding tax on dividends paid to companies in low-tax jurisdictions.

Belgian members of Parliament on June 2will discuss a new proposal to introduce a digital tax at the national level.

In economic analysis, Martin A. Sullivan examines refunds for losses, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mindy Herzfeld describes changes in perceptions of corporate taxes and the concept of a corporation that could result from the coronavirus pandemic.

Carrie Elliot reviews the new rules for computing deemed paid foreign taxes on income contributing to subpart F or global intangible low-taxed income inclusions.

The U.S. Trade Representative's Office announced Tuesday itwas imitating investigations into India and other countries, aswell as the European Union, that have enacted or are considering special taxes on digital services.

The US has announced that itwill begin an investigation into digital services taxes (DSTs) that have been adopted or are being considered, alluding to a more aggressive response to unilateral action.

Special taxes on digital companies seem almost inevitable as the novel pandemic heightens focus on the tech sector, but they could face legal challenges under both international trade and tax rules as countries begin to collect.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has some members of Congress discussing tax policies that could entice multinationals to bring manufacturing home, but those measures, including a slash in the corporate rate, may not make much difference in the current uncertain climate.