Blog

Hungary Adopts Real-Time Reporting Regulations

As European governments trend toward electronic invoicing mandates to gain visibility into corporate tax liability, all eyes are watching Hungary. The NAV, Hungary’s tax authority, announced in late 2016 that it would implement mandated real-time reporting starting July 1, 2017. As that date draws near, technical specifications for the program have yet to be released, […]

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British Virgin Islands Extends CRS Deadlines and Reminds Financial Institutions of Reporting Obligations

The BVI International Tax Authority has relaxed the statutory deadlines for both UK CDOT and CRS – extending them to June 30, 2017 for enrollment and to July 31, 2017 for submissions. The ITA will inform BVI FIs directly once the portal is open to accept UK and CRS enrollments and filings. In addition, UK […]

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Sweden Updates FATCA Technical Guidance

Sweden has released a new version of the SKV 260 which provides a technical description of the XML file for FATCA should be formatted. The new guide applies to reports made for this year’s reporting. The format largely follows the IRS’s XML v.2.0 as outlined in the Publication 5124. However, Sweden has mandated that certain […]

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Luxembourg Releases Reportable Jurisdictions

Luxembourg has published their list of Reportable Jurisdictions in the Journal Officiel. The list is a requirement from the Common Reporting Standard, and should be use by Reporting Financial Institutions if they have Reportable Accounts. It’s Luxembourg’s first publication of such a list. Otherwise, an FI may submit a Nil but it is not required […]

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OECD Releases Second Edition of CRS Guidance

The OECD has recently put out a new edition of the Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information. This text is sometimes referred to as the “purple book.” The OECD explains that the update was made to give more clarity to the process of submitting corrected returns. In that vein, the OECD updated the […]

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Australia Updates FATCA and CRS Pages, Adds FATCA Reporting Explanation

The Australian Taxation Office has made some revisions to the ATO FATCA and CRS websites. Additionally, the ATO has created a new FATCA Reporting page that provides essential information regarding the transmittal of FATCA returns. The reporting page confirms that Australia will continue to use the IRS XML Schema, and permit but not require Nil […]

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Europe: ECOFIN Debates VAT Modifications

The Economic and Financial Affairs Council of the European Union (ECOFIN) recently discussed two hot-button topics that could ultimately lead to changes in European VAT law. First, ECOFIN discussed whether Member States should be allowed to reduce-rate electronic publications. This option already exists for ‘physical’ books, newspapers, magazines, and the like, but EU authorities have […]

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GST Bills Pass in India’s Lower House

The four bills that would implement the long-awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST) in India have taken their first step towards enactment, passing India’s lower house of parliament (the Lok Sabha) on March 29, 2017. The State of Jammu and Kashmir is notably excluded from the scope of one of the bills, the Integrated Goods […]

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“Brexit” Officially Invoked

The United Kingdom took the long-anticipated first formal step towards officially leaving the European Union when on March 29, the UK Envoy to the EU hand delivered the “Article 50 Letter” to the EU Council President. As of today, the clock begins ticking on a 2 year window in which the UK can negotiate its […]

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mexico sat mandates cfdi
The Mexican Value Added Tax (IVA) System: A General Overview (Part I)

Overview The main indirect tax of Mexico is the Value Added Tax (locally known as IVA), which generally applies to all imports, supplies of goods, and the provision of services by a taxable person unless specifically exempted by a particular law. The tax is imposed by the federal government of Mexico and ordinarily applies on […]

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Colombia: 7 Considerations When Evaluating E-Invoicing Compliance Solutions

E-invoicing is now a reality in Colombia, with 58 companies volunteering to begin e-invoicing earlier this year in the pilot program. Eventually ~50,000 companies will be required to shift to e-invoicing in the next few years. Companies in Colombia are faced with creating a comprehensive compliance strategy to avoid the fines and penalties resulting from […]

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Sovos Interviewed in Gulf News Journal About Gulf Coast VAT

On July 12, 2016, Gulf News Journal, an online news journal covering business and innovation in the Gulf Region, published an article highlighting how Sovos Compliance understands how implementing a value added tax (VAT) system in the member of states in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) may affect businesses in the region who will now have to […]

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Breaking News: “Brexit” Now a Reality in the United Kingdom

Brexit is no longer just a catchy phrase. The United Kingdom has voted to withdraw from the European Union. In a nation-wide referendum of June 23, 2016, which saw near-record turnout, the “Leave” campaign won 52% of the public vote, compared to 48% for “Remain.” This historic decision has had immediate ramifications: one day after […]

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Breaking News: VAT Attempt Repealed in Puerto Rico

Dispatches from The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico: The Final Installment (For Now!) At last, the legislation repealing the VAT in Puerto Rico is official law and we can say with certainty that the existing sales tax will apply on transactions on and after June 1, 2016. The route to VAT repeal was circuitous and somewhat […]

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How to Prepare for a VAT Audit
UPDATES: VAT or No VAT? – Dispatches from Puerto Rico

UPDATE on the Legislative Future of VAT – May 16, 2016 The future of the VAT in Puerto Rico, including the rate increase for B2B and designated professional services, is now in the hands of the Governor. While both the House and the Senate of Puerto Rico passed legislation to repeal the VAT, the Governor is […]

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Colombia DIAN Launches Pilot Phase for Electronic Invoicing – Learn More

On April 18th 2016 the Colombia DIAN held a meeting in Bogota, Colombia to announce the start of its pilot phase for electronic invoicing. As the leader in Latin American electronic invoicing and fiscal reporting, Sovos attended this meeting to learn more about the pilot program. Listen to the webinar replay to get the latest details of the pilot and the key […]

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Colombia’s E-Invoicing Mandate: 8 Key Dates

Colombia is the eighth country in Latin America to mandate electronic invoicing. This latest requirement from Colombia comes as no surprise as Colombia has been planning to standardize electronic invoicing for the past decade, starting with decree 1929 in 2007. The old model had a few flaws and in 2013 the DIAN (tax authority) proposed […]

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Colombia Mandates Electronic Invoicing for 2016

The much anticipated news from Colombia has arrived. On November 24, 2015, the Colombia DIAN (tax authority) announced in Decree 2242 that electronic invoicing will be mandated for specified companies starting January 2016. Similar to mandates already in place in Mexico and Chile, for example, this is a way for Colombia to combat tax evasion […]

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