TP WEEK NEWS BRIEFS For April 13, 2016

OECD ‘Panama Papers’ meeting in Paris
APRIL 13 – Australia is leading a high-level meeting of government officials in Paris to share information about the Panama Papers and discuss joint criminal investigations. Some 28 countries are reportedly attending a discussion chaired by Mark Konza, head of international tax for the Australian Tax Office. Government officials asked the OECD to convene a special project meeting of the Joint International Tax Shelter Information and Collaboration Network to identify risks and agree on collaborative action. The 11.5 million leaked Panama Papers cover 210,000 companies in 21 offshore jurisdictions. A statement on the meeting is expected later today.

Crackdown on MNEs in Europe
APRIL 13 – Large MNEs with subsidiaries in the EU are examining new rules proposed by the European Commission that would force them to publish data from tax havens. The post-Panama Papers crackdown on EU and foreign multinationals also includes a plan to require MNEs in Europe to publish detailed country-by-country tax reports on their company websites. The proposed new legislation, announced on Tuesday, puts European Commissioners at loggerheads with the OECD, which does not advocate public disclosure of CbCR.

Transfer pricing expert working with Tax Administration of Jamaica 
APRIL 13 – Ian Wood, a British APA expert affiliated with the OECD, is providing overseas technical assistance on Transfer Pricing to the Jamaican tax authorities during a five-day visit to the island. Jamaican officials say the visit is part of an on-going collaboration with the OECD, which last year began training Jamaican staff who will be administering Transfer Pricing. Wood is expected to meet Audley Shaw, minister of finance & the public service, and the Tax Committee and Tax Administration Jamaica.

South Africa publishes CbCR draft regulations
APRIL 13 - The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has published draft regulations concerning a CbCR standard for multinational enterprises. The draft was issued this week following South Africa’s signing of the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement for the exchange of CbCR in January 2016.

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