International
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March 21, 2024
HSBC Settles Investors' £240M Claim Over Disney Tax Scheme
HSBC has settled a £240 million ($304 million) claim brought by more than 100 investors alleging that the bank misled them to finance a Disney film tax relief scheme it developed which turned out to be worthless.
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March 21, 2024
UK Insurance Tax Bill Rises To £8.1B Amid Soaring Premiums
The Insurance Premium Tax raised more than £8.1 billion ($10.3 billion) so far this financial year, according to official figures Thursday, while premiums continue to rise.
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March 21, 2024
ECJ Adviser Rejects Taxing Foreign Pension Funds Differently
Taxing dividends paid to foreign public pension funds while exempting dividends paid to the source country's general retirement savings funds contravenes European Union law, an adviser to the bloc's highest court said Thursday, backing Finnish pension funds' challenge of a Swedish law.
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March 20, 2024
IRS Releases Foreign Housing Expense Limits For 2024
The Internal Revenue Service released adjustments to the limitation on foreign housing expense deductions and exclusions for 2024 on Wednesday.
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March 20, 2024
EU Proposes Sending Russian Assets' Revenue To Ukraine
The European Commission proposed on Wednesday transferring the net income from frozen and immobilized Russian state assets to European Union funds for rebuilding Ukraine and buying arms for that country.
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March 20, 2024
How The Supreme Court Could Narrow Chevron
After hours of oral argument in a closely watched administrative law case, it appeared that some U.S. Supreme Court justices could be open to limiting the opportunities for lower courts to defer to federal agencies' legal interpretations in disputes over rulemaking — and legal experts said there are a number of ways they could do it.
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March 20, 2024
OECD Reports More Compliance With Tax Treaty Standards
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reported Wednesday that members of the group's inclusive framework — countries that have agreed to adopt minimum standards of an international anti-base erosion plan — have increased their compliance with the standard intended to prevent treaty shopping.
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March 20, 2024
IRS Withholding Docs On Partnership Audits, Baker Atty Says
The Internal Revenue Service has not responded to a request for documents pertaining to the agency's scrutiny of large partnerships and should be forced to disclose them, an attorney with Baker McKenzie told a D.C. federal court.
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March 20, 2024
EU Floats Alternative To Unanimity As Bloc Eyes Growth
The European Commission floated an alternative Wednesday to unanimity voting on matters such as tax as it seeks to streamline the way the bloc reaches decisions amid talk of expanding the number of EU countries.
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March 20, 2024
IRS Grants Income Exclusion To Those Fleeing 6 Countries
Individuals who fled conditions in Ukraine, Belarus, Sudan, Haiti, Niger and Iraq after specific dates in 2023 can exclude foreign earned income, and can exclude or deduct housing costs, from gross income that year because of adverse conditions in the countries, the IRS said.
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March 20, 2024
Law360 Announces The Members Of Its 2024 Editorial Boards
Law360 is pleased to announce the formation of its 2024 Editorial Advisory Boards.
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March 20, 2024
King & Spalding Adds Ex-PwC Tax Pro As Partner In NY
An experienced tax attorney has joined King & Spalding LLP in New York after working at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for six years.
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March 20, 2024
HMRC Makes U-Turn On Helpline Cuts After Backlash
The U.K. tax authority backtracked Wednesday on plans to close down several helplines for taxpayers from April through September after facing criticism from politicians and industry groups.
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March 19, 2024
UN Experts Aim To Finalize Tool For Model Treaty Updates
The United Nations' tax committee is aiming this week to finalize a tool to facilitate faster adoption of updates to its model tax treaty within bilateral negotiations, although some members remain skeptical about its usefulness, according to discussions Tuesday.
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March 19, 2024
GILTI Figures Into CFC Applicability Project, Official Says
The U.S. global intangible low-taxed income system is factoring into continuing Internal Revenue Service work on whether a tax code provision limiting corporations from offsetting income with net operating or other tax losses after ownership changes applies to controlled foreign corporations, an agency official said Tuesday.
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March 19, 2024
Pakistan Enlists Nonprofit To Boost Digital Tax Administration
Pakistan's tax authority said it is partnering with a nonprofit focused on business financing to help the government better understand businesses' needs as it works to improve online tax administration tools.
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March 19, 2024
OECD Deputy Tax Director To Leave Post In June
A deputy tax director for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development announced he is stepping down from his position at the end of June after nearly a decade there working on international tax policy.
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March 19, 2024
Exxon Wants Closed Court In $1.8B Tax Trial
Exxon Mobil plans to seek courtroom closures for parts of an upcoming trial in its $1.8 billion suit challenging denied tax deductions for payments it made to Qatar, telling a Texas federal court that certain testimony, if made public, would damage its relationship with the foreign partner.
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March 19, 2024
HMRC Under Fire For Sharply Cutting Back Helpline Service
The U.K. tax authority has moved too quickly to phase out helpline services for taxpayers filing self-assessment returns this year, members of Parliament said Tuesday.
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March 19, 2024
EU Parliament Committees Approve AML Laws
Two European Parliament committees approved new anti-money laundering legislation Tuesday for the European Union to create a single rule book for all 27 EU countries and to establish a common enforcement authority.
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March 19, 2024
Compliance Costs Call For Border Fee, France's Le Maire Says
The cost of compliance with European environmental rules justifies the European Union's recently launched carbon border tax, which is designed to raise the price of imports with lower environmental standards, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Tuesday.
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March 19, 2024
UK Energy Co. Fights To Deduct £2.5M Deal Advice Fees
An investment holding company told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that £2.5 million ($3.2 million) it paid to Deutsche Bank and others for deals advice is tax-deductible because they were the "type of services procured all the time."
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March 18, 2024
HMRC Defends Response To Tax Avoidance Ploy
The U.K. tax authority has rejected claims that it has been "heavy-handed" by applying the loan charge to users of disguised remuneration schemes, according to a letter released on Tuesday by the Treasury Committee.
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March 18, 2024
Australia Seeks Input On Revised Energy Tax Regulations
Australia's Department of the Treasury is seeking responses from the public to a draft of updated regulations for determining petroleum resource rent tax, the department announced Monday.
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March 18, 2024
Justices Won't Review Dead Film Exec's IRS Summons
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied a request from the daughter of a dead film executive to consider invalidating an IRS summons for her father's financial records, letting stand a Ninth Circuit decision that found the agency sought the records in good faith.
Expert Analysis
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4 Legal Ethics Considerations For The New Year
As attorneys and clients reset for a new year, now is a good time to take a step back and review some core ethical issues that attorneys should keep front of mind in 2024, including approaching generative artificial intelligence with caution and care, and avoiding pitfalls in outside counsel guidelines, say attorneys at HWG.
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What The Law Firm Of The Future Will Look Like
As the legal landscape shifts, it’s become increasingly clear that the BigLaw business model must adapt in four key ways to remain viable, from fostering workplace flexibility to embracing technology, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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4 PR Pointers When Your Case Is In The News
Media coverage of new lawsuits exploded last year, demonstrating why defense attorneys should devise a public relations plan that complements their legal strategy, incorporating several objectives to balance ethical obligations and advocacy, say Nathan Burchfiel at Pinkston and Ryan June at Castañeda + Heidelman.
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Unpacking The Proposed Production Tax Credit Regulations
Recently proposed tax regulations for claiming the U.S. clean-energy manufacturers' production credit under Internal Revenue Code Section 45X are less stringent than many had feared but fail to define a fundamental eligibility requirement, say Casey August and Jared Sanders at Morgan Lewis.
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10 Considerations For Litigating A New York Tax Case
While some of New York’s recently adopted corporate tax regulations are likely to face legal challenges, aggrieved taxpayers should answer certain questions before deciding to embark on the tax litigation process, say Cyavash Ahmadi and Jeffrey Friedman at Eversheds Sutherland.
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Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends
Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.
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Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities
Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
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How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season
Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape
The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
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Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct
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.
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Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
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.
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A Year-End Look At Florida's Capital Investment Tax Credit
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.