EU Commission Notice on notion of State aid
On 19 May 2016, the EU Commission (EC) published its final Notice on the notion of State aid. The Notice updates the EC’s Notice on the application of the State aid rules to various measures including those relating to direct business taxation (98/C 384/03), which essentially sets out the EC’s view on how State aid
European Commission proposes an EU Directive on public Country-by-Country reporting
As already referred to in our newsflash of 13 April 2016, the European Commission has developed a proposal for a directive which, if approved by the European Parliament and Council of Ministers, will require public country-by-country reporting (CbCR) of tax and other financial data by large companies in the European Union (EU). The proposed directive will amend the existing
European Commission proposes public Country-by-Country Reporting (CbCR) rules for EU multinational enterprises
On 12 April 2016, the European Commission (EC) introduced a legislative proposal on public reporting requirements for certain EU enterprises, being multinational groups with a consolidated turnover exceeding EUR 750 million. The proposal is founded on the EC’s determination to address corporate tax avoidance in Europe, of which the cost for the EU Member States
ESMA publishes final guidelines on sound remuneration policies under UCITS and AIFM Directives
In its newest report, ESMA sheds light on the guidelines relating to the remuneration policies and practices for management companies and their identified staff. On 31 March 2016, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published its final guidelines on the remuneration policies for management companies and their identified staff (the Guidelines). These Guidelines refer
European Commission proposes Anti-Tax Avoidance Package
On 28 January 2016, the EU Commission presented its Anti-Tax Avoidance Package. The continuing political will to address tax avoidance may result in the 100% consensus required by EU Member States to effect the proposed tax changes. The EU-28 governments will have to decide if they are willing to go further than the G20/OECD BEPS
Enhanced transparency for multinational enterprises: Multilateral agreement enabling automatic sharing of Country-by-Country reports signed
31 countries signed the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) on 28 January 2016, which will bring greater sharing of information in international tax matters. The MCCA provides for the automatic exchange of Country-by-Country reports, enabling tax administrations to obtain a complete understanding of how multinational enterprise operations are structured across the value chain, while ensuring
EU Commission released new VAT Gap Study – Belgian Gap in 2013 estimated at 10% or EUR 3.2 billion
On 4 September 2015, the European Commission released the latest figures on the so-called “VAT Gap”. The VAT Gap is an indicator of the effectiveness of VAT enforcement and compliance measures, as it provides an estimate of revenue loss due to tax fraud, tax evasion and avoidance, bankruptcies, financial insolvencies as well as miscalculations. Based
European Commission takes the next step in its EU-wide State aid review of tax ruling practices
On 8 June 2015, the European Commission announced its next steps in its EU-wide State aid review of Member States’ tax ruling practices. The European Commission states in its press release that, following the December 2014 enquiry, Estonia and Poland refused to respond in full detail to the information request. Therefore, the Commission has now