NZ Emissions 'Tax' Attacked 15/3/2010
The ACT New Zealand Party, a member of the country’s present coalition government, has continued its opposition to New Zealand’s new carbon emissions trading scheme, calling it a tax that will increase inflation in the economy.

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Hong Kong Property Taxes Reviewed 16/3/2010
Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary, John C Tsang, made the traditional post-budget speech at the Joint Business Community Luncheon on March 12 and, in particular, reviewed the tax measures taken to increase the transaction cost of property speculation so as to reduce the risk of a property bubble being created.

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Australia Promised Full Debate On Tax Review 15/3/2010
Following indications that the Australian government was thinking of a delay to the release of the Henry tax review, the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, has now confirmed that it will be issued in good time for a full debate on any proposed tax changes.

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Malaysia Not Cancelling GST 12/3/2010
After a government meeting, Malaysia’s Second Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, has rejected any suggestion that the proposed introduction of a goods and services tax has been cancelled.

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Germany Approves Liechtenstein TIEA 15/3/2010
Germany’s Cabinet has recently approved a bill pertaining to the bilateral tax information exchange agreement with Liechtenstein.

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UAE Completes VAT Study 12/3/2010
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates are inching closer to the introduction of a value-added tax.

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Orascom Loses Algerian Tax Appeal 12/3/2010
Egyptian telecom company, Orascom Telecom, has announced that its Algerian subsidiary, Orascom Telecom Algérie, has received a rejection to its appeal, made in December last year, against the notice for taxes and penalties it had received from the Algerian tax authorities the month previously.

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Switzerland, Slovakia Initial Revised DTA 12/3/2010
It has recently emerged that Switzerland and Slovakia have initialled a revised bilateral double taxation agreement, containing the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s standard on tax information exchange.

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UK Budget To Hit The Rich 12/3/2010
Wealthy individuals may have less than two weeks to put plans in place to reduce the tax impact of the Chancellor’s pre-election Budget, warns PKF Accountants and business advisers.

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IRS Offers Help To Struggling Taxpayers 14/3/2010
The US Internal Revenue Service has announced several additional steps it is taking this tax season to help people having difficulties meeting their tax obligations because of unemployment or other financial problems.

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Baucus Seeks Trade Preference Reform 15/3/2010
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus is leading efforts for reform of US trade preference programs accorded to developing countries.

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Jersey Riding Out Onshore Storm 15/3/2010
Jersey will overcome the evolving challenges being faced by offshore international financial centres, Geoff Cook, Chief Executive of Jersey Finance, told participants at a Breakfast Briefing in London.

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OECD Urges Fiscal Policy Shift 12/3/2010
Governments must now gear their economies towards jobs, international competitiveness and increasing the tax-take, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has said in its latest ‘Going for Growth’ report, analyzing the next step for recovering economies.

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BVI To Review Taxes And Fees 15/3/2010
British Virgin Islands Prime Minister, Ralph O’Neal has said that the territory will run a budget surplus during 2010, although the government still intends to review indirect taxes and fees on financial services.

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Bahrain And UK Sign DTA 11/3/2010
The Kingdom of Bahrain’s Minister of Finance, Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, and UK ambassador, Jamie Bowden, signed a comprehensive double taxation agreement between the two countries in Manama on March 10.

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Australia And Chile Sign DTA 11/3/2010
Australia’s Assistant Treasurer, Nick Sherry, has announced that Australia and Chile have signed a comprehensive bilateral double taxation agreement – the second such agreement between Australia and a South American country.

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Swiss-German Tax Talks Resume 12/3/2010
During a recent visit to Berlin, Switzerland’s State Secretary Michael Ambühl, Head of the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters in the Federal Department of Finance, met with representatives of Germany's Federal Ministry of Finance and Federal Chancellery to exchange ideas on current financial and tax policy issues.

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Bahamas Achieves White-Listing 12/3/2010
The Bahamas has achieved a place on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's ‘white list’ following the signing of Tax Information Exchange Agreements with the seven Nordic economies of Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, on March 10.

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Tax Relief For California Storm Victims 11/3/2010
The State of California’s Franchise Tax Board on March 9 announced special tax relief for California taxpayers affected by the recent severe winter storms that started in January.

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Belgium's Kilometer Tax Opposed 11/3/2010
The Humanist group cdH of the Walloon parliament in Belgium has rejected the idea of a road tax levied per kilometre travelled, advocating instead the introduction of an inclusive road tax disc, which could then be modified to take certain environmental criteria into account.

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Amazon Retaliates Against Colorado 11/3/2010
Amazon.com cut ties with its Colorado affiliate marketers on March 8 after the US state forged ahead with its plan to introduce a mandatory Internet sales tax on e-businesses with an annual turnover exceeding USD100,000.

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Norway Urged To Revise Fiscal Policy 11/3/2010
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has called on Norwegian authorities to revise fiscal policy in light of the nation’s recovering economy.

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US Senate Approves Tax Extenders Bill 12/3/2010
US Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus has applauded the Senate’s passage of legislation to extend tax cuts, unemployment insurance benefits and eligibility for unemployment benefits and health care for unemployed workers through the end of 2010.

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MEPs Push EU Tobin Tax 12/3/2010
In a recently adopted resolution, the European Parliament has emphasized the need to develop plans for a global tax to discourage excessive risk-taking by financial institutions and to ensure that the financial industry pays for damage caused by the financial crisis.

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OECD Praises Portugal's Fiscal Plan 11/3/2010
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has welcomed Portugal’s fiscal consolidation plan, emphasizing that it will serve to support growth.

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