EU COMMISSION PROPOSED DIRECTIVE ON SHELL ENTITIES

On 22 December 2021, the European Comission published the Proposal for a Council Directive 2021/0434, also known as the Anti tax Directive III („ATAD III“), with the stated intention being to prevent the misuse of so-called „shell“ entities for the tax purposes. ATAD III  aims to highlight the importance  of minimal substance requirements and is  applicable to […]

Additional Corporate Tax Residency Test – our remarks

On 21.12.2021, amendment 193(I)/2021 to the Income Tax Law has been published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Cyprus by adopting an additional test for determination of corporate tax residency based on the incorporation principle. The new amendments will come into force on 31 December 2022. It provides that any company having its […]

New Tax Incentives for first employment in Cyprus

Cyprus Tax Incentives 2022 IBCCS TAX International Tax Planning

On 26.07.2022, new amending provisions under Articles 8(21) and 8(23) of the Income Tax Law have been published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Cyprus, which establish 50% tax exemption for the first employment income under certain conditions: Prior to the commencement of employment in Cyprus, the employee should not be a tax […]

Estonia – country with one of the most competitive tax system

Estonia Tallin taxation tax havens, IBCCS TAX Cyprus, Georgia

The Tax Foundation recently published a report on the tax competitiveness of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, which ranked Estonia as the 1st country for the eighth consecutive year. Its top score is driven by three positive features of its tax system: First, it has a 20 percent tax rate on […]

Government’s Plan for Tax Reform in 2022 – announcement of improve national taxation framework through the reduction of administrative burden associated with compliance.

The Minister stated that increasing corporate tax in Cyprus from 12,5% to 15% will not significantly affect the foreign investments in Cyprus. The main matter for the tax reformation to be examined are as follows: Increase of corporate tax from 12.5% to 15%; Reduction or abolition of the €350 annual company levy; Reduction of contribution […]

Cypriot DAC6 Guidelines Decree

tax Cyprus companies offshore podatkizagraniczne incorporation

On 29th October 2021 the Cypriot Ministry of Finance issued guidelines in the form of Ministerial decree which clarify key terms of Cypriot Mandatory Disclosure Rules Law (we have already written article about the law itself). Its main target is to provide explanation for the relevant persons influenced by the EU Directive related to exchange […]

EU set to remove Seychelles, Anguilla and Dominica from the Tax Haven Blacklist

The European Union has agreed to remove Anguilla, Dominica, and Seychelles from its blacklist of tax havens. All three had previously been placed on the list because they did not fulfill the EU's tax transparency standards of being assessed as at least "largely compliant" by the OECD Global Forum in terms of information exchange on request. The delisting was preceded by the forum’s decision to grant these jurisdictions a supplementary review on this matter. Nine jurisdictions still remain on the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions (Annex I): • American Samoa, • Fiji, • Guam, • Palau, • Panama, • Samoa, • Trinidad and Tobago, • US Virgin Islands • Vanuatu. Anguilla, Dominica, and Seychelles are now included in the state of play document (Annex II) called also “grey list”, which covers jurisdictions that do not yet comply with all international tax standards but have committed to adopting tax good governance principles pending the allowed additional review. Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Malaysia, North Macedonia, Qatar and Uruguay have also been added to this document, while Australia, Eswatini and Maldives have implemented all the necessary tax reforms and have therefore been removed from it. Turkey continues to be mentioned in Annex II. In its conclusions of February 2021, the Council called on Turkey to commit to automatic exchange of information with all member states. Even though progress has since been made, further steps need to be taken. The Council revises its list of non-cooperative jurisdictions and an accompanying state of play document twice a year. This practice was formed in 2017 to promote global good governance in taxes and to alert member countries on which non-EU jurisdictions engage in abusive tax practices. They can then take defensive steps to protect their tax income and fight against tax fraud, evasion, and abuse. The criteria for listing are in line with international tax standards and focus on tax transparency, fair taxation and prevention of tax base erosion and profit shifting. The Council engages with the countries that do not meet these requirements, monitors their progress, evaluates, and updates this list on a regular basis.

The European Union has agreed to remove Anguilla, Dominica, and Seychelles from its blacklist of tax havens. All three had previously been placed on the list because they did not fulfill the EU’s tax transparency standards of being assessed as at least “largely compliant” by the OECD Global Forum in terms of information exchange on […]

DAC6 – Automatic Exchange of Information

DAC6 IBCCS TAX Cyprus

The Council of the European Union has adopted the Directive 2018/822 for amending the Directive 2011/16/EU as regards mandatory automatic exchange of information in the field of taxation. Genesis UE Member States find it increasingly difficult to protect their national tax bases from erosion as tax-planning structures have evolved to be particularly sophisticated. Such structures […]

Georgia for business

Georgia Tbilisi tax incentives company incorporation free zone IBCCS TAX Cyprus

Attractive transit location with easy access to Europe, the Black Sea coast, and the Caucasus Mountain range, as well as delicious cuisine and wine. These are not the only advantages of Georgia that make more and more companies locating there. Why Georgia? Following a severe economic slump in 2015, the Georgian economy has been able […]

Personal Income Tax Return

Individual Tax Return deadline 2020 2021 IBCCS TAX Cyprus

Individual Income Tax Return Submission Obligation Individuals with gross income that falls under the criteria of Article 5 of the Income Tax Law (i.e., dividends, interest, and certain other income) must file a personal income tax return (Form T.D.1). According to the decree issued on July 09, 2021, in the Republic’s official gazette, the Council […]