International
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March 26, 2025
Germany's Reunification Tax Surcharge Still Valid, Court Says
Germany's surcharge on income taxes aimed at financing the country's reunification in the 1990s remains a valid exercise of lawmakers' powers, the Federal Constitutional Court said Wednesday in striking down a challenge to the levy's continuing necessity and impact on private property.
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March 25, 2025
EU Wants Timeline For Blacklisted US Territories' Data Swaps
The European Union asked the U.S. to provide a concrete timeline for when it will set up a framework to begin automatic exchanges of information with three territories on the bloc's blacklist for uncooperative tax jurisdictions — the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa — according to a letter released Tuesday.
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March 25, 2025
German Bankers To Face Cross-Border Tax Fraud Charges
A German appeals court revived first-of-their-kind charges against five bankers accused of a complex cross-border tax fraud scheme, sending the case back to a trial court, according to local news reports published Tuesday.
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March 25, 2025
Carlton Fields Adds Former Tax Law Professor In Atlanta
Carlton Fields has brought on a former tenured professor at Georgia State University College of Law to its team in Atlanta, strengthening its tax and business transactions practices with an attorney experienced in nonprofit law, tax and business matters, the firm announced Tuesday.
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March 25, 2025
Ex-Wife Of UK Activist Barred Over £319K Tax Debt
A U.K. political figure's former wife who owes about £319,000 ($413,000) in taxes has been disqualified from serving as a director of any business for the next seven years because of her failure to keep detailed financial records of her company, the U.K. Insolvency Service announced.
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March 25, 2025
EU Must Strengthen VAT Fraud Measures, Watchdog Says
The European Union needs to introduce measures to protect its single market from the risk of value-added tax fraud in imports since customs procedures were simplified, according to a report by the bloc's independent audit watchdog.
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March 24, 2025
McDermott Hires Skadden Partner To Lead London Tax Office
McDermott Will & Emery LLP announced Monday that it has chosen a former Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP partner to serve as the new leader of the firm's U.K. tax office in London.
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March 24, 2025
Burden Of Proof Is IRS' For $2.3M Bill, Kyocera Tells Tax Court
The Internal Revenue Service should bear the burden of proof in making adjustments to an amended return filed by electronics-maker Kyocera, the company argued as it urged the U.S. Tax Court to review an IRS notice saying the company owes $2.3 million for 2018.
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March 24, 2025
Caribbean Bank, CEO Accused Of Helping In £415M VAT Fraud
A Caribbean bank and its former CEO "knowingly" assisted in the commission of a £415 million ($536 million) value-added tax fraud, the creditors of a company allegedly linked to the scam said on the first day of a London trial Monday.
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March 24, 2025
TV Star Banned As Co. Director Over Failure To Pay £1M Tax
A U.K. reality television star has been banned as the director of his media company after it failed to pay more than £1 million ($1.3 million) in taxes, the government's insolvency agency said Monday.
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March 24, 2025
FinCEN Exempts US Businesses From Disclosure Rules
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's financial crimes unit issued interim final rules that exempt domestic businesses from contested reporting regulations, which the department had previously signaled it would narrow to include only foreign companies registered stateside.
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March 24, 2025
UK Gov't Considers DST Changes To Prevent US Tariffs
The Labour government may be considering changes to the digital services tax as part of talks with the U.S. administration to prevent tariffs being imposed on Britain, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves suggested in a TV interview.
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March 21, 2025
Court Sours On Tribunal's Sweets Ruling For Marshmallows
The First-tier Tribunal applied a faulty interpretation of value-added tax law to rule that jumbo-size marshmallows are exempt from VAT, a U.K. Court of Appeal panel said Friday, remanding the £473,000 ($611,000) dispute back to the tribunal.
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March 21, 2025
Ex-UBS North America CEO Agrees To $4.9M FBAR Judgment
The former North American CEO for Swiss bank UBS on Friday agreed to a $4.9 million judgment to end claims that he failed to file timely or accurate foreign bank account reports with the Internal Revenue Service between 2003 and 2013.
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March 21, 2025
US-Swiss Agreement Exempts Retirees' Dividends, IRS Says
U.S. retirement accounts, including trusts, qualified annuity plans and other schemes, are exempt from Swiss taxes on dividends from Swiss companies in which they don't own a controlling interest, according to a U.S.-Switzerland competent authority agreement released Friday by the IRS.
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March 21, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Cravath, Paul Weiss, Cooley
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Google acquires Wiz, QXO Inc. acquires Beacon Roofing Supply, and the Boston Celtics are bought by a group led by private equity firm co-founder William Chisholm.
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March 21, 2025
Informal Money Transfers Launder £2B Annually, HMRC Warns
Criminals in the U.K. are laundering an estimated £2 billion (£2.6 billion) every year via informal money transfer services, HM Revenue and Customs has warned.
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March 21, 2025
Spanish Lottery Co. Accused Of Tax Insurance Market Breach
Spain's competition authority said Friday it is investigating a lottery company on suspicion of suppressing the marketing of tax insurance coverage for lottery winners.
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March 20, 2025
Corp. Taxes Should Match Climate Goals, OECD Paper Says
Countries that want to reduce carbon emissions should design corporate income taxes that align with climate policy objectives, including providing incentives for clean energy investments, according to an OECD working paper released Thursday.
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March 20, 2025
Frost Brown Adds Former Houston City Atty To Finance Team
Frost Brown Todd LLP announced that it has hired an attorney from the ranks of Houston's city government to strengthen its public finance group, adding his expertise in state and local government operations, taxation and economic development.
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March 20, 2025
PwC, Deloitte, KPMG Back Coke In $2.7B Dispute In 11th Circ.
Three major accounting firms have asked the Eleventh Circuit to reverse a U.S. Tax Court decision affirming the IRS' change to Coca-Cola's intercompany pricing, which led to a $2.7 billion tax bill, arguing the agency's conduct was unsupported and unjustified.
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March 20, 2025
90% Of Crypto Sellers Conceal Income, Danish Data Shows
Danish Tax Agency data shows more than 90% of cryptocurrency sellers don't report that income and that many have shifted to foreign platforms to avoid domestic reporting rules, the EU Tax Observatory said in a working paper, suggesting international coordination is essential to tax crypto effectively.
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March 20, 2025
Prudential's £9.3M Fees To Silverfleet Taxable, HMRC Argues
Prudential's payments of £9.3 million ($12 million) to an investment firm are taxable even though the fees were for services the firm carried out when the two companies were part of the same group, the tax authority's counsel told the U.K. Supreme Court on Thursday.
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March 19, 2025
IRS Hunter Biden Whistleblower Named Deputy Criminal Chief
An Internal Revenue Service special agent who accused the U.S. Department of Justice of mishandling an investigation into former President Joe Biden's son has been named deputy chief in the IRS Criminal Investigation division, the agency said Wednesday.
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March 19, 2025
Coke's $2.7B Tax Bill Arbitrary, Business Groups Tell 11th Circ.
Three industry groups asked the Eleventh Circuit to reverse a U.S. Tax Court decision affirming that the Internal Revenue Service could raise Coca-Cola's taxes by $2.7 billion, saying in friend-of-the-court briefs that the IRS acted arbitrarily in hiking the Atlanta-based beverage giant's tax liability.
Expert Analysis
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US-Chile Tax Treaty May Encourage Cross-Border Investment
Provisions in the recently effective U.S.-Chile bilateral income tax treaty should encourage business between the two countries, as they reduce U.S. withholding tax on investment income for Chilean taxpayers, exempt certain U.S. taxpayers from Chilean capital gains tax, and clarify U.S. foreign tax credit rules, say attorneys at Kramer Levin.
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A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise
After the dissolution of 147-year-old firm Stroock late last year shook up the legal world, a post-mortem analysis of the data reveals a long list of warning signs preceding the firm’s collapse — and provides some insight into how other firms might avoid the same disastrous fate, says Craig Savitzky at Leopard Solutions.
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SG's Office Is Case Study To Help Close Legal Gender Gap
As women continue to be underrepresented in the upper echelons of the legal profession, law firms could learn from the example set by the Office of the Solicitor General, where culture and workplace policies have helped foster greater gender equality, say attorneys at Ocean Tomo.
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Reimagining Law Firm Culture To Break The Cycle Of Burnout
While attorney burnout remains a perennial issue in the legal profession, shifting post-pandemic expectations mean that law firms must adapt their office cultures to retain talent, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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Cayman Islands Off AML Risk Lists, Signaling Robust Controls
As a world-leading jurisdiction for securitization special purpose entities, the removal of the Cayman Islands from increased anti-money laundering monitoring lists is a significant milestone that will benefit new and existing financial services customers conducting business in the territory, say lawyers at Walkers Global.
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The Legal Industry Needs A Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift
As law firms face ever-increasing risks of cyberattacks and ransomware incidents, the legal industry must implement robust cybersecurity measures and privacy-centric practices to preserve attorney-client privilege, safeguard client trust and uphold the profession’s integrity, says Ryan Paterson at Unplugged.
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As Promised, IRS Is Coming For Crypto Tax Evaders
The IRS is fulfilling its promise to crack down on those who have neglected to pay taxes on cryptocurrency earnings, as demonstrated by recently imposed prison sentences, enforcement initiatives and meetings with international counterparts — suggesting a few key takeaways for taxpayer compliance, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.
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5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money
As a number of BigLaw firms increase salary scales for early-career attorneys, law students and lateral associates considering new job offers should weigh several key factors that may matter more than financial compensation, say Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub and Ruvin Levavi at Power Forward.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.
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Employee Experience Strategy Can Boost Law Firm Success
Amid continuing business uncertainty, law firms should consider adopting a holistic employee experience strategy — prioritizing consistency, targeting signature moments and leveraging measurement tools — to maximize productivity and profitability, says Haley Revel at Calibrate Consulting.
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6 Practice Pointers For Pro Bono Immigration Practice
An attorney taking on their first pro bono immigration matter may find the law and procedures beguiling, but understanding key deadlines, the significance of individual immigration judges' rules and specialized aspects of the practice can help avoid common missteps, says Steven Malm at Haynes Boone.
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Lessons From Country Singer's Personal Service Saga
Recent reports that country singer Luke Combs won a judgment against a Florida woman who didn’t receive notice of the counterfeit suit against her should serve as a reminder for attorneys on best practices for effectuating service by electronic means, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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7 E-Discovery Predictions For 2024 And Beyond
The legal and technical issues of e-discovery now affect virtually every lawsuit, and in the year to come, practitioners can expect practices and policies to evolve in a number of ways, from the expanded use of relevancy redactions to mandated information security provisions in protective orders, say attorneys at Littler.