Tax

Corporate tax burden shifting to indirect taxes

Corporate tax rates have decreased worldwide in the past six years to help countries attract investment, but indirect taxes are on the rise. So are tax audits and penalties as a source of revenue. Find out the six tax trends companies are likely to encounter worldwide.

FATCA final regulations cover all the bases

The US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued final regulations providing rules on information reporting by foreign financial institutions (FFIs) and withholding on certain payments to FFIs and other foreign entities.

The countries with the most business-friendly taxes

In the past eight years, paying taxes has become easier and the tax burden lighter for many small and mid-size companies around the world, according to research by the World Bank and PwC. Find out which countries have the lowest tax rates and the least compliance hassles.

Tax basics of the “fiscal cliff” deal

The American Taxpayer Relief Act permanently extends a large number of tax items from the 2001 and 2003 tax acts and extends many expired tax provisions. Here is a look at the many changes contained in the bill, as well as other new taxes that took effect January 1st.

US finalises corporate anti-avoidance rules

The Internal Revenue Service, the US tax agency, issued final regulations designed to prevent corporations from avoiding the application of Sec. 304 to transactions in which they repatriate earnings from foreign subsidiaries.

Canadian R&D tax credit programme relies on contingency-based fee arrangements

When a Canadian tax credit programme came under scrutiny because of potential conflict of interest issues, the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants polled its members. Survey results suggest that the contingency-based fee arrangements, which attracted the attention of lawmakers, were an important tool to make the tax credit programme work.

M&A tax efficiencies increasingly scrutinised by authorities

As global companies increase their focus on tax efficiencies in mergers and acquisitions, tax authorities are stepping up their scrutiny. In this risky landscape, companies need a coordinated strategy with respect to tax audits and disputes.

Rapid-growth investment opportunities to research during the lull in M&A activity

While companies are waiting for the global economic climate to stabilise, they have time to look around for rapid-growth markets that might offer similar or better opportunities than China once their appetite for mergers and acquisitions returns. Ernst & Young’s M&A Maturity Index highlights some unexpected candidates.

Small companies must decide to pay or play under new health-care rules

The US Supreme Court's decision to uphold a keystone of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the centrepiece legislation of US health-care reform, is expected to reshape employer-sponsored health insurance. But small companies and companies that employ low-wage workers may feel the most acute effects.

US Supreme Court upholds health-care law

The US Supreme Court on Thursday declared a mandate requiring US citizens and legal residents to maintain minimum essential health insurance coverage, to be a permissible exercise of Congress’s taxing powers under the Constitution.

What to expect from the US Supreme Court ruling on health-care reform

Some of the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—ones that have already taken effect as part of the 2010 health reform legislation—could be here to stay. Depending on how the justices rule, employers could be in for bigger changes starting in 2014.

FATCA adds layer of complexity, penalty exposure to offshore asset reporting

The acronym for the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act—FATCA—is easy to remember if one thinks of “fat cat.” Unfortunately, this may be the only thing about FATCA that is easy. This item highlights the provisions of FATCA that are most likely to affect US tax practitioners and their clients, the taxpayer reporting provisions of new Section 6038D of the Internal Revenue Code.
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