Regulatory Analysis
On March 29, 2017 the Virginia Governor signed legislation that will exempt the sale of parts and engines used in the maintenance, repair or reconditioning of any manned or unmanned aircraft system. However, as a compromise measure intended to limit the fiscal impact of the new exemption, the rule will not come into effect until […]
New Jersey’s limousine industry won a major legislative battle on February 10, 2017, when Governor Chris Christie signed into a law a bill eliminating sales tax on intra-state limousine services. The tax had been in force since 2006, surviving several challenges in the state legislature. It will officially be phased out on May 1, 2017. […]
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 […]
The IRS has published additional Frequently Asked Questions that address general compliance issues related to FATCA obligations. Specifically, the FAQs touch upon Foreign TIN and Date of Birth requirements. A withholding agent must obtain a foreign TIN for: • A foreign person claiming a reduced rate of withholding under an income tax treaty if […]
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 […]
The Tax Information Authority for the Cayman Islands has published its list of Reportable Jurisdictions in the Cayman Islands Gazette (beginning on page 15). This list is important because it instructs Reporting Financial Institutions which foreign account holders must be reported. In addition, Cayman’s list of Participating Jurisdictions has also been updated. The post Cayman […]
Prime Minister Theresa May has called for an early general election on June 8, claiming it’s the only way to guarantee certainty and stability in Brexit negotiations. The Prime Minister’s Conservative Party is currently polling far ahead of the opposition Labour Party, and her clear hope is that Conservatives will gain enough seats in Parliament […]
Recently, the Cayman Islands published its version 2.0 for CRS Guidance. The Guidance is a very important document for CRS reporting as it contains important information for due diligence and reporting requirements. In particular, Cayman will require Reporting FIs to send separate reports for each of its jurisdictions where it maintains reportable accounts. Moreover, it […]
Germany’s BZSt released both FATCA schema files (XSD files are provided in the [zip file|www.bzst.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/FATCA_downloads/ELANKOM_Schema_FATCAXML2.0_230317_zip.zip?__blob=publicationFile]), and guidance ([Communications Manual Part III, version 2.0|www.bzst.de/DE/Steuern_International/FATCA/Kommunikationshandbuch/Kommunikationshandbuch_FATCA_Teil_III.pdf?__blob=publicationFile]). Both provide important information on how to properly create FATCA returns. Information about the releases can be found in the latest [Infobrief|www.bzst.de/DE/Steuern_International/FATCA/Infobrief/Aktuell/Infobrief_Aktuell.pdf?__blob=publicationFile]. In addition, Germany published guidance on notifications (“[Verarbeitungsprotokolle […]
SSA has released Draft Form W-2 and Form W-2c Specifications for TY2017 Reporting. There are a number of changes from the previous revisions of the two form specifications. Form W-2 Changes Form W-2 has a new box 12 Code FF money field, Permitted Benefits Under a Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement (Code […]
The Belgium Ministry of Finance recently published updated Business Rules and Example Scenarios to aid financial institutions in creating compliant CRS XML files for reporting purposes. These most recent updates include changes to important elements critical to a successful transmittal. The Business Rules, which lay out the multitude of requirements for each field in an […]
On April 4, 2017, the Pennsylvania DOR revised SUT 17 001 to more narrowly define taxable software support services, stating that training and consulting services were not included unless the services otherwise met the definition of support. Generally, support services were defined to include “identifying the source of problems affecting the usability of the property […]
West Virginia’s State Tax Department has released a new publication TSD-100, “West Virginia Business Taxes.” The publication provides guidance to Business who need to register for business tax purposes. The six page document is merely instructive and does not function as a legal document. The last time West Virginia published a similar document was November, […]
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in newly-published 2017 Guidelines for VAT/GST, has opined on how they believe VAT should be assessed on services and intangibles. Their primary recommendations are that countries adopt regimes which: 1. Tax services and intangibles at the place of consumption; 2. Tax business-to-business (B2B) transactions at the […]
The IRS has released an updated version of Publication 1281, Backup Withholding For Missing and Incorrect Name/TIN(S). There are a couple of changes from the previous revision: • Form 1099-G payments made under IRC 6041 and 3406(b)(3)(A), which include taxable grants and agricultural payments, are now subject to backup withholding o New code for […]
Alabama has recently enacted legislation that permanently changes the date of the state’s Back to School Sales Tax Holiday. The Alabama Sales Tax Holiday, which has traditionally been held during the first weekend of August, will now take place during the third weekend of July. For more information, visit the DOR’s Web site. The post […]
The Icelandic Directorate of Internal Revenue has released information about its domestic schema to be used for both FATCA and CRS reporting. There is a new section in the schema, <FatcaCrs í framtalsgögnum> (FATCA CRS tax return data), which is meant to allow for either FATCA or CRS data to be reported. Additionally, there is […]
New regulations came into effect this week for CRS in Singapore. The Minister for Finance has published Amendments the last year’s Regulations. Many of the Amendments concern due diligence procedures, including the self-certification process. Singapore is a late adopter. Financial Institutions are required to complete the due diligence procedures this year, and then report in […]