International
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November 05, 2024
$2.2B Reorg Of UK Group Was Tax-Driven, Tribunal Says
An agricultural company's £1.7 billion ($2.2 billion) purchase of shares between subsidiaries was primarily conducted to avoid taxes, not to reorganize its U.K. business structure, based on the reactions of its officials to the transaction, the First-tier Tribunal said.
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November 05, 2024
HMRC Tells High Court It Can Tax Canadian Bank's Oil Income
HM Revenue & Customs has the right to tax loan payments made to the Royal Bank of Canada relating to oil-drilling rights in the North Sea under the terms of a bilateral agreement, it told the British Supreme Court in the appeal of its case against the bank.
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November 05, 2024
Netflix Europe Offices Raided In Tax Fraud Probe
French and Dutch authorities raided Netflix's offices in the two countries as part of an investigation into possible tax fraud by the streaming giant, news outlets reported Tuesday.
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November 05, 2024
Australia Clarifies Thin Capitalization Rules Interactions
The Australian Taxation Office clarified that the country's new thin capitalization rules must be applied after both transfer pricing and debt deduction creation rules following amendments to the country's tax rules.
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November 05, 2024
Crypto Council Seeks Delay In Digital Asset Broker Regs
The IRS should delay the effective date of a requirement in the digital assets broker regulations that calls for identifying units of the assets in the broker's custody until the agency clarifies the provision, a global council of cryptocurrency companies said in a letter released Tuesday.
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November 05, 2024
2nd Circ. Urged To Rethink Dual Citizen's FBAR Penalties
A dual U.S.-French citizen found liable for tax penalties by the Second Circuit for hiding millions of dollars in foreign accounts asked the court Tuesday to reconsider, saying American authorities demanded she participate in a deposition that would have put her in legal jeopardy abroad.
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November 05, 2024
Sweden Exploring Tax Incentive For R&D
Sweden is hoping to craft an internationally competitive research and development tax incentive and is looking to other countries in the European Union and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development for inspiration, its Ministry of Finance said.
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November 05, 2024
Japan, Greece Tax Treaty To Take Effect In December
The Japanese and Greek governments agreed Tuesday in Athens that their tax treaty will enter into force in 30 days and will impact taxes levied on financial accounting years beginning next year, the Japanese Ministry of Finance said in a news release.
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November 05, 2024
On The Ground: How Attorneys Safeguarded The Election
Attorneys worked tirelessly Tuesday to support citizens and election workers on the final day of voting in one of history's most contentious presidential contests.
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November 05, 2024
EU Secures VAT Reform Deal To Fit Digital Economy
The European Union is preparing to adapt the bloc's value-added tax rules for the growing digital economy, including e-invoicing on cross-border transactions, after a long-awaited agreement announced Tuesday.
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November 04, 2024
2nd Circ. Rejects Man's Challenge To IRS Lien For $4.2M
The U.S. Tax Court correctly found that the IRS appeals office didn't abuse its powers by approving the agency's federal tax lien to collect $4.2 million from a man with a court-ordered payment plan, the Second Circuit said.
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November 04, 2024
Kenya Eyes 300% Tax Increase In Digital Tax Expansion
Kenya is looking at replacing its 1.5% digital services tax with a 6% levy aimed at the country-sourced revenue of a wider set of nonresident digital service providers, including apps for ride-hailing and food delivery, according to a report by the country's Finance Ministry.
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November 04, 2024
Ukrainian Pleads To $11M Tax Fraud, Immigration Scheme
A Ukrainian national charged for immigration fraud and money laundering has pled guilty and could face 20 years in prison, the U.S. Justice Department announced.
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November 04, 2024
Man Loses Extradition Fight Over $9M Romanian Tax Fraud
A man convicted twice of tax fraud in Romania can be extradited despite the fact that a warrant was missing details about his second conviction because those details were later supplied, a London court has ruled.
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November 04, 2024
Justices Won't Hear UBS Suit Over Disclosed Account Info
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a couple's suit accusing UBS of fraudulently flagging an account to the Internal Revenue Service in violation of civil provisions under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
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November 04, 2024
Hedge Fund Lawyer Denies Role In £1.4B Cum-Ex Fraud
The former top lawyer at a hedge fund accused of defrauding Denmark's tax authority of £1.4 billion ($1.8 billion) told a London trial Monday he had no knowledge of cum-ex trading fraud at the business.
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November 01, 2024
Previously Taxed Profit Rules Due By Year's End, Official Says
The Internal Revenue Service will publish the first tranche of long-awaited regulations on offshore earnings and profits previously taxed in the U.S. before the end of the year, an agency counsel said Thursday.
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November 01, 2024
NOL Rules May Retain Favorable Approach, IRS Counsel Says
New proposed regulations governing business net operating losses that could retain a popular provision allowing some businesses expanded use of those losses are a priority to be published next year, a top Internal Revenue Service lawyer said.
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November 01, 2024
Brazil Should Adopt Latest Pillar 2 Safe Harbor, NFTC Says
Brazil should include the latest updates to globally agreed-upon safe harbors in its legislation to enact an international minimum tax agreement known as Pillar Two, according to the National Foreign Trade Council, which said these measures help prevent double taxation.
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November 01, 2024
Couple Tries To Block IRS Summons Issued For Spain
A couple asked a California federal court to block an IRS summons for their financial information issued on behalf of Spain, saying the demand is tantamount to a fishing expedition meant to help the foreign government prosecute them.
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November 01, 2024
Taxation With Representation: Kirkland, Davis Polk, Wachtell
In this week's Taxation with Representation, BC Partners sells its majority equity interest in GardaWorld, Lone Star Funds sells specialty chemicals company AOC to Nippon Paint Holdings, Crescent Biopharma takes GlycoMimetics private, and Francisco Partners buys AdvancedMD from Global Payments.
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November 01, 2024
Danish Tax Agency To Settle With Atty In $2.1B Tax Fraud Suit
Denmark's tax authority has agreed to settle with an attorney whom it has accused of helping clients claim fraudulent tax refunds in a sprawling $2.1 billion case, according to a letter by its attorney in New York federal court.
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November 01, 2024
CFC Dividend Tax Issue Brewing In Exams, IRS Official Says
A memorandum from the IRS chief counsel explaining why a controlled foreign corporation cannot claim a 100% deduction for certain foreign-based earnings was necessary to inform field agents dealing with the issue in the exam process, an agency official said Thursday.
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November 01, 2024
Australia Takes In Record AU$98B In Taxes From Big Cos.
Large corporate entities paid a record of nearly AU$98 billion ($64 billion) in income taxes to Australia in the 2022-23 tax year, a 16.7% increase from the previous year, the Australian Taxation Office said.
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November 01, 2024
UK Private Schools Challenging Plan To Charge VAT On Fees
The Independent Schools Council said Friday it plans to contest the government's decision to levy value-added tax on private school fees beginning in January.
Expert Analysis
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape
The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
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Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct
The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.
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Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.
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A Year-End Look At Florida's Capital Investment Tax Credit
Notwithstanding the Walt Disney Co.’s feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis this year, Florida's capital investment tax credit will continue to make the state a favored destination for large corporations, particularly in light of the new federal alternative minimum tax and the Pillar Two top-up tax, says Alan Lederman at Gunster.
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Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms
In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.
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AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier
Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.
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Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.
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General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI
With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.
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Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information
As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.
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Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD
Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.
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Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence
Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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1st Tax Easement Convictions Will Likely Embolden DOJ, IRS
After recent convictions in the first criminal tax fraud trial over allegedly abusive syndicated conservation easements, the IRS and U.S. Department of Justice will likely pursue other promoters for similar alleged conspiracies — though one acquittal may help attorneys better evaluate their clients' exposure, say Bill Curtis and Lauren DeSantis-Then at Polsinelli.