International

  • December 02, 2024

    Skat Settles With Ex-Barclays Director In £1.4B Fraud Case

    The Danish tax authority has settled its claim against a former Barclays Capital director and four companies that it sued alongside dozens of others over an alleged scheme to defraud it of £1.4 billion ($1.8 billion) in tax revenue.

  • December 02, 2024

    Sports Direct's Ashley Says HMRC Bungled His Data Request

    Sports Direct International PLC founder Michael Ashley argued in a London court Monday that the U.K.'s tax agency improperly handled his data request related to its probe into his 2012 sale of real estate assets, calling its alleged failings "significant, wide-spread and persistent."

  • December 02, 2024

    Australia Seeks Input On Tax Treaty With Portugal

    Australia's Treasury is looking for feedback on plans to implement a treaty with Portugal that would address concerns of double taxation and alleviate cross-border costs by establishing lower withholding rates, the agency said Monday.

  • December 02, 2024

    5 Convicted In €14M COVID Test VAT Fraud Scheme

    A German court convicted five people for their roles in a value-added tax fraud scheme involving the sale of COVID-19 tests that caused about €14 million ($14.7 million) in VAT losses, the European Public Prosecutor's Office said.

  • November 29, 2024

    Audit Watchdog Urges EU To Curb Harmful Tax Practices

    The European Union is still not doing enough to stop harmful corporate tax practices that are costing governments more than €100 billion ($105 billion) a year in revenue, the bloc's independent audit watchdog has warned.

  • November 28, 2024

    Police Detain 32 People In Raids On €297M VAT Fraud Network

    Police have detained more than 30 people in raids on a €297 million ($313 million) value-added tax fraud network that spanned 16 EU countries, the European Public Prosecutor's Office said Thursday.

  • November 28, 2024

    EU Closes Tax Investigations Into Amazon, Fiat, Starbucks

    The European Commission said Thursday that it is closing tax investigations into three multinational companies — Amazon, Fiat and Starbucks — following a series of high-profile court decisions.

  • November 28, 2024

    Ex-HMRC Compliance Officer Helped Husband Launder £3M

    A former compliance officer with HM Revenue and Customs has been handed a suspended sentence for her role in a £3 million ($3.8 million) money laundering operation carried out by her husband, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

  • November 28, 2024

    AXA Loses Time Limits Appeal In HMRC Foreign Tax Claim

    Insurer AXA has lost its fight over time limits for bringing claims for restitution against the British tax authority over taxes collected in violation of European Union law, as a London appeals court ruled that the limits could not be extended.

  • November 27, 2024

    UN Approves Start Of Formal Talks On Global Tax Convention

    The United Nations General Assembly voted Wednesday in favor of beginning formal negotiations on a global tax convention next year with the goal of finishing in 2027, a proposal that was led by the body's African bloc and won support from 125 countries.

  • November 27, 2024

    US Says Prof's 8th Amendment Argument Fails In FBAR Case

    An 86-year-old former professor cannot claim that his $545,000 penalty for failing to report foreign bank accounts violates the Eighth Amendment, the U.S. told a federal court, saying the penalty is neither excessive nor a fine, and that he never raised the argument before.

  • November 27, 2024

    BlueCrest Disputes 'Disguised Salary' Claim In HMRC Case

    British-American hedge fund BlueCrest Capital Management LLP pushed back Wednesday against arguments from the U.K. tax authority that its portfolio managers are employees receiving a disguised salary.

  • November 27, 2024

    US Seeks FBAR Penalties Over $1.7M In Foreign Accounts

    A Texas woman should face penalties for willfully failing to disclose foreign bank accounts from 2011 through 2013, which held balances exceeding $1.7 million, the U.S. government told a federal court Wednesday.

  • November 27, 2024

    UK Gambling Levy Would Generate £100M, Gov't Says

    A new levy on U.K. gambling operations would generate £100 million ($127 million), which would be earmarked for funding various ways to combat problem gambling, a government agency said Wednesday.

  • November 27, 2024

    Info On €12T In Assets Swapped Last Year, OECD Says

    Tax jurisdictions using the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's automatic exchange of information frameworks swapped information on 134 million financial accounts last year, representing nearly €12 trillion ($12.7 trillion) in assets, according to an OECD forum report.

  • November 26, 2024

    Ukrainian Man Admits To $25M Staffing, Tax Scheme

    A Ukrainian man who was recently extradited to the U.S. to face charges that he helped illegally employ immigrants in Florida hotels pled guilty to tax crimes that prosecutors say caused $25 million in tax losses, according to Florida federal court filings.

  • November 26, 2024

    Jones Walker Welcomes New Commercial, Tax Atty

    Jones Walker LLP has added a corporate partner who practices tax law and negotiates, structures and drafts complex merger and acquisition transactions, financings and related contracts and agreements, the firm said.

  • November 26, 2024

    Australia Will Enact Pillar 2 Minimum Corporate Tax

    Australia will institute the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's global corporate minimum tax under legislation enacted Tuesday by Parliament.

  • November 26, 2024

    Many OECD Gov'ts Need More Tax Transparency, Report Says

    Peer reviews found nearly half of OECD countries need to improve their legal frameworks for the automatic exchange of financial account information, a decade-old tax transparency system crafted by the organization, while many developing countries received passing grades, according to a report released Tuesday.

  • November 26, 2024

    OECD Suggests Indonesia Broaden Its Tax Base

    Indonesia should broaden its tax base to account for long-term spending pressures like an aging population, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Tuesday, while also recommending the country pick up the pace on implementing a carbon tax.

  • November 26, 2024

    UK Gov't Urged To Hold Off On Changes To Inheritance Tax

    The British Labour government should hold off on inheritance tax changes for farmers, scheduled to take effect in April, that would make gifts to their heirs taxable if they occur within seven years of the giver's death, a U.K. economics think tank said.

  • November 26, 2024

    Two Arrested In €19M VAT Fraud Involving VoIP

    Authorities arrested two people Tuesday alleging their participation in a €19 million ($19.9 million) value-added tax fraud scheme involving services that let users make phone calls via the internet, the European Public Prosecutor's Office said.

  • November 26, 2024

    Gov't, US-Saudi Former Pilot Close $1.2M FBAR Suit

    A U.S.-Saudi citizen who's been a pilot and luxury airplane consultant settled his $1.2 million dispute with the U.S. government over bank accounts in Switzerland that the IRS said he failed to report.

  • November 26, 2024

    IRS Confirms Commerce Payments In Chips Tax Credit

    Semiconductor development projects that received funding awards from the U.S. Commerce Department's CHIPS incentives program are considered investments that can also take advantage of the advanced manufacturing tax credit, the Internal Revenue Service confirmed Tuesday in guidance.

  • November 26, 2024

    UK Gov't Urged To Rethink Inheritance Tax Plan For Pensions

    The government should consider alternatives to its plan to bring pension assets within the scope of inheritance tax, an online investment company has said, warning that the current proposals could create "financial gridlock."

Expert Analysis

  • 4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy

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    With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.

  • This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener

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    As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.

  • Cum-Ex Prosecutions Storm Shows No Sign Of Abating

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    The ongoing trial of Sanjay Shah in Denmark is a clear indicator that efforts remain focused on holding to account the alleged architects and beneficiaries of cum-ex trading, and with these prosecutions making their way across Europe, it is a more turbulent time now than ever, says Niall Hearty at Rahman Ravelli.

  • Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease

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    This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.

  • Why Supreme Court Should Allow Repatriation Tax To Stand

    If the U.S. Supreme Court doesn't reject the taxpayers' misguided claims in Moore v. U.S. that the mandatory repatriation tax is unconstitutional, it could wreak havoc on our system of taxation and result in a catastrophic loss of revenue for the government, say Christina Mason and Theresa Balducci at Herrick Feinstein.

  • For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill

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    A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea

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    A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.

  • 4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best

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    As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.

  • Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs

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    Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.

  • Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent

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    Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.

  • Neb. Justices Should Weigh IRC Terms In Dividend Tax Case

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    Nebraska’s highest court, which will hear oral arguments in Precision CastParts v. Department of Revenue on April 1, should recognize that the Internal Revenue Code provides key clues to defining “dividends received or deemed to be received,” and therefore limits Nebraska’s tax on foreign-sourced corporate income, says Joseph Schmidt at Ryan.

  • Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year

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    As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

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    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

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