Features

Switzerland’s federal tax administration has published an update on its tax ruling practice for federal taxes, withholding taxes (WHT) and stamp duty as it nears a second referendum on corporate tax reform. burckhardt Switzerland’s Rolf Wuethrich explores how these may affect tax structuring and merger and acquisition (M&A) sentiment.

China has implemented venture capital (VC) tax rules at the same time economic substance requirements for key offshore centres have been introduced. KPMG’s Michael Wong, Christopher Mak and Alan O’Connor highlight the key considerations for businesses.

The method a firm employs to merge or acquire a corporation in Mexico carries with it a complex array of tax opportunities and challenges. SMPS Legal’s Ana Paula Pardo and Jorge San Martín Elizondo explore how local and international firms can best position themselves with Mexico’s varied tax framework.

Mexico’s economy has made notable gains in the past decade, bringing opportunities for financially healthy Mexican corporations to exploit leveraged recapitalisations. Galicia Abogados’ Federico Scheffler and Sebastián Ayza discuss the tax implications and impact for mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

In early 2019, Malta implemented both the EU’s anti-tax avoidance directives and multi-lateral instrument (MLI), seeing Malta harmonise a number of its domestic tax regulations. Camilleri Preziosi’s Donald Vella and Kirsten Cassar explore how this will impact local business and multinationals, controlled foreign company rules and exit taxes.

Taxing cryptocurrencies and assets digitally conceived and transferred has little precedence globally. In Malta, the Commissioner for Revenue has recently released guidelines for local authorities to understand their tax liability, particularly as they grow in European popularity. Camilleri Preziosi’s Donald Vella and Kirsten Cassar discuss the VAT, income tax and stamp duty obligations from a Maltese perspective