Features

Mexico has established seven special economic zones (SEZs) via special decrees and regulations with several more to come. Raúl Morales Medrano, partner at Chevez Ruiz Zamarripa, discusses the main benefits for taxpayers wanting to operate within these areas.

During 2017 and 2018 the Mexican Stock Exchange witnessed the placement of securities issued by the first two Mexican special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). Alberto Alvarez and Moisés Gutiérrez of Chevez, Ruiz, Zamarripa y Cia., address some aspects of the operation of said companies, as well as the tax implications that could arise for investors as a result of participating in a Mexican SPAC.

Rachit Agarwal and Jian-Cheng Ku of DLA Piper discuss the transfer pricing (TP) aspects of a business restructuring within a multinational enterprise (MNE) group, through reference to a recent high-stakes Dutch court case. The case highlights the importance of TP documentation as evidence in tax litigation and in conducting an appropriate TP valuation.

Without much fanfare, a tax reform in Chile in December 2017 broadened the rules on the parties considered related for transfer pricing purposes, write Roberto Carlos Rivas and Gregorio Martínez of PwC.

Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic have had uneven responses to the BEPS project. Isabel Chiri, Rafael Sayagues and Alexandre Barbellion of EY explain the current situation and why the BEPS project could lead to undesirable outcomes for the region.

On December 29 2016, the Colombian Congress enacted a new tax reform through Law 1819. This reform substantially modifies many aspects of the Colombian tax system. Jaime Vargas of EY summarises and comments on some of the most relevant changes introduced by the reform.