South African taxpayers should prove arm’s length in domestic intra-group transactions A Johannesburg Tax Court decision suggests taxpayers should be able to prove the arm’s length nature of domestic, as well as cross-border, intra-group transactions. By Salman Shaheen March 16 2011
Poll finds UK tax reforms too narrow A poll of 204 UK business leaders concluded that while the government has made a reasonable start, it needs to accelerate business taxation reforms to simplify the system and make... By Salman Shaheen March 15 2011
Evolution not revolution for UK tax system Last year’s emergency budget, which was announced last June, shortly after the new government took power introduced some big changes for UK tax policy. By Salman Shaheen March 15 2011
Czech Republic to standardise VAT The Czech government has announced plans to cut the main rate of VAT from 20% to 17.5% in January 2013 By Salman Shaheen March 11 2011
Finnish court asks ECJ for preliminary ruling on cross-border mergers The Finnish Supreme Administrative Court has asked the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for a preliminary ruling on final tax losses in cross-border mergers. By Salman Shaheen March 10 2011
Deal Analysis: Tax education needed for Nortel administration They say that the bigger they come the harder they fall. Few could have expected quite how hard Nortel would fall, however, or the unique cross-border tax issues the resulting... By Salman Shaheen March 08 2011
UK weighs response to Commission anti-avoidance request The UK government is considering its response to a European Commission reasoned opinion to amend elements of its anti-avoidance legislation concerning the transfer of assets abroad and attribution of gains... By Salman Shaheen February 25 2011
Test claimants to appeal to Supreme Court after thin capitalisation defeat After a split decision in which the Court of Appeal in London dismissed the argument of five taxpayers that the UK’s thin capitalisation (thin cap) rules breach the EU’s freedom... By Salman Shaheen February 23 2011
UK’s tax havens feeling the pressure Amid growing EU pressure to end abusive elements of their zero-10 tax policies, Jersey and the Isle of Man have removed attribution and deemed distribution (ADD), changing the tax rules... By Salman Shaheen February 22 2011
UK companies want clearer guidance on distinction between tax planning and avoidance A report from a professional services firm has found that 61% of companies in the UK are unclear about the distinction between legitimate tax planning and tax avoidance. By Salman Shaheen February 21 2011
