International
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June 11, 2024
Latvia Renominates EU Trade Commissioner To Retain Role
The Latvian government has renominated former Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis to retain his European Commission position as the commissioner for trade, the government announced Tuesday.
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June 11, 2024
Extension OK'd For Carbon Program Tax Exemption In Norway
An extension of a program that makes certain carbon emissions tax-exempt for some Norwegian businesses was approved by an official watchdog group Tuesday.
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June 11, 2024
Compliance Costs Outweigh Min. Tax Gains, Biz Reps Say
Multinational businesses are concerned that the burden of complying with the 15% global minimum tax outweighs any potential revenue gains associated with the burgeoning system, tax attorneys and a trade association representative said during a panel Tuesday.
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June 11, 2024
House Panel Chair Seeks To End Media Org's Tax Exemption
The House's top tax writer wants the Internal Revenue Service to revoke the tax-exempt status of a nonprofit Mideast-focused news outlet, telling Commissioner Daniel Werfel that the organization is aiding Hamas.
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June 11, 2024
Lawmakers Urge Biden To Back Brazil's Int'l Wealth Tax Plan
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic lawmakers asked the Biden administration Tuesday to support the global minimum tax on billionaires being proposed by Brazil, which is encouraging the Group of 20 nations to endorse the initiative at its meetings next month.
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June 11, 2024
Kostelanetz Partners Talk Benefits Of Atlanta Tax Firm Tie-Up
Kostelanetz LLP partners Bryan Skarlatos and Todd Welty discuss the firm’s recent combination with Atlanta boutique Welty PC.
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June 11, 2024
Democratic Republic Of Congo Joins African Tax Coalition
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has officially joined the African Tax Administration Forum as its 44th member, the group announced.
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June 11, 2024
Tory Tax Cut Plans Raise Questions On Funding Gaps
The prime minister unveiled plans for £17.2 billion ($21.8 billion) in tax cuts at the launch of the Conservative Party's election manifesto on Tuesday, but a headline cut of two percentage points in the payroll tax was put off for three years — and funding plans left some experts unconvinced.
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June 11, 2024
French Tax Law Challenged On Free Movement Grounds
The European Court of Justice is examining a French law regarding undeclared assets held outside the country to determine whether it is in line with the European Union's law respecting free movement of capital, the EU's official journal said.
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June 11, 2024
Sunak Pledges Further Tax Cuts In Election Manifesto
Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday that his Conservative Party would establish a tax system that "rewards work" by slashing a range of levies if it wins the general election, including another cut in the national payroll tax by 2027.
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June 10, 2024
Canadian Gov't Proposes Capital Gains Tax Hike
A new tax rate on capital gains realized annually above CA$250,000 ($181,700) by individuals and on all capital gains realized by Canadian corporations would go into effect this month under a proposal introduced by Canada's finance minister Monday.
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June 10, 2024
Big Tech Urges US Reprisal Over Canada's Impending DST
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative should open formal dispute proceedings with the Canadian government in response to a 3% digital services tax that is expected to soon pass in the Canadian Senate, business groups with members in the U.S. tech industry said Monday.
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June 10, 2024
UN Aims To Finish Drafting Tax Convention By Fall 2026
The United Nations should aim to finish a framework convention on international tax cooperation and early protocols that address taxation of the digital economy, cross-border services and high-net-worth individuals by September 2026, according to draft terms of reference open for comment through June 21.
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June 10, 2024
3rd Prime Suspect Arrested In €50M Italian VAT Fraud Ring
The Italian Financial Police arrested a third person suspected of leading a value-added tax fraud scheme involving sales of over 3 million Apple AirPods that caused an estimated €50 million ($54 million) in losses, the European Public Prosecutor's Office said Monday.
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June 10, 2024
Authorities Arrest Danish Suspect In €85M VAT Fraud In Kenya
A Dane suspected of leading an €85 million ($91 million) value-added tax fraud ring was apprehended in Kenya after having fled Denmark late last year, the European Public Prosecutor's Office said Monday.
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June 10, 2024
Latvia Parliament Passes Parts Of Minimum Tax Directive
Under pressure from the European Union, Latvia's Parliament approved a bill transposing portions of the bloc's directive to implement the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Pillar Two standards to prevent tax base erosion and profit shifting.
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June 10, 2024
Singapore Seeks Opinions On OECD's Minimum Tax Plan
Singapore is seeking public feedback on a proposal that would introduce the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's corporate global minimum tax, the country's Ministry of Finance said Monday.
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June 10, 2024
EU Commission Invites Experts To Anti-Tax-Evasion Forum
The European Union's executive arm issued a call Monday for nongovernmental organizations to apply to join a platform that discusses measures against tax evasion and avoidance outside the bloc.
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June 10, 2024
EU Countries To Aim Again For VAT Deal, Agenda Says
European Union countries will again discuss proposed changes to the bloc's value-added tax laws at a meeting next week, aiming to find a deal after one country blocked agreement, according to a meeting agenda.
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June 10, 2024
Lib Dems Vow To Raise Capital Gains Tax For UK's Wealthiest
The U.K.'s third-largest political party vowed on Monday to raise taxes on the country's wealthiest individuals if it wins the next election, in a bid to raise £5 billion ($6.4 billion) for the National Health Service.
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June 10, 2024
What Tax Experts Hope To See In Labour's Manifesto
Labour's policy manifesto, expected to be unveiled on Thursday, will be studied by tax lawyers for more detail on the fiscal planning being carried out by the clear favorite to win the general election, including a final word on lifetime pension savings.
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June 07, 2024
IRS Updates EV Battery Reporting Guide For Tax Credits
The Internal Revenue Service provided updated guidance Friday for automakers planning to provide a report on meeting the battery sourcing requirements that can qualify their new electric vehicle models for the consumer tax credit of up to $7,500.
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June 07, 2024
NZ Sets Foreign Investment Interest Deemed Rate Of Return
New Zealand has set the deemed rate of return for attributing interest on foreign investment funds — one of the ways to calculate income from such sources for tax purposes — at 8.63% for the 2023-24 income year, the country's revenue agency said.
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June 07, 2024
Dentons Adds Pair Of Husch Blackwell Tax Attys
Two South Carolina tax attorneys have joined Dentons' corporate, tax and private client practice as partners after moving from Husch Blackwell LLP, the firm announced on Thursday.
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June 07, 2024
Halliburton Wrongly Denied $11.3M Deduction, Court Told
The Internal Revenue Service is arbitrarily and wrongfully refusing to refund Halliburton over $11.3 million in tax deductions taken for a payment to a foreign government to secure the safety of the company's employees, Halliburton told a federal court.
Expert Analysis
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data
Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert
As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic
Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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The Art Of Asking: Leveraging Your Contacts For Referrals
Though attorneys may hesitate to ask for referral recommendations to generate new business, research shows that people want to help others they know, like and trust, so consider who in your network you should approach and how to make the ask, says Rebecca Hnatowski at Edwards Advisory.
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Unpacking The Bill To Extend TCJA's Biz-Friendly Tax Breaks
Attorneys at Skadden examine how a bipartisan bill currently being considered by the U.S. Senate to save the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act's tax breaks for research and development costs, and other expiring business-friendly provisions, would affect taxpayers.
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Deciding What Comes At The End Of WTO's Digital Tariff Ban
Companies that feel empowered by the World Trade Organization’s recent two-year extension of the ban on e-commerce tariffs should pay attention to current negotiations over what comes after the moratorium expires, as these agreements will define standards in international e-commerce for years to come, say Jan Walter, Hannes Sigurgeirsson and Kulsum Gulamhusein at Akin Gump.
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4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy
With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.
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This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener
As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.
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Cum-Ex Prosecutions Storm Shows No Sign Of Abating
The ongoing trial of Sanjay Shah in Denmark is a clear indicator that efforts remain focused on holding to account the alleged architects and beneficiaries of cum-ex trading, and with these prosecutions making their way across Europe, it is a more turbulent time now than ever, says Niall Hearty at Rahman Ravelli.
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Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease
This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.
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Why Supreme Court Should Allow Repatriation Tax To Stand
If the U.S. Supreme Court doesn't reject the taxpayers' misguided claims in Moore v. U.S. that the mandatory repatriation tax is unconstitutional, it could wreak havoc on our system of taxation and result in a catastrophic loss of revenue for the government, say Christina Mason and Theresa Balducci at Herrick Feinstein.
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For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill
A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.
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Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea
A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.