In an exclusive interview, Carsten Ibsen, head of group tax at Danske Bank, explains why he believes the financial sector is not undertaxed, why the European Commission’s proposal for a financial transactions tax (FTT) is a bad idea and why Denmark’s largest bank is not going to become a tax exile.
Companies argue they are being robbed by Germany’s interest regime Taxpayers are angry over Germany's unfair enforcement of interest on old VAT errors even when there has never been any loss to the exchequer.
Efforts to replace aid to poor countries with tax as a more stable source of revenue have almost entirely focussed on the corporate sector. But a UK International Development Committee meeting in Parliament saw an interesting debate emerge on the role of VAT.
Philip Kermode is director of Direct Taxation, Tax Coordination and Economic Analysis and Evaluation at the European Commission. In an exclusive interview, he discusses how the Commission’s policies are making life easier for taxpayers doing M&A work, its efforts to iron out the creases caused by national tax policy and the importance of tax in the functioning of the single market.
Companies around the world are beginning to understand the importance of transparency about their tax affairs and the reputational benefits of eschewing aggressive tax planning. They will have the opportunity to debate these crucial issues with administrators, activists and practitioners at International Tax Review's first Tax & Transparency Forum on May 2.
