International
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June 12, 2024
Aussie Senate's Final PwC Report Focuses On Integrity Recs
Australia's Senate released its final report Wednesday regarding PwC's marketing of confidential draft tax laws to clients, pushing for both consulting firms and the government to assure that the firms, particularly the Big Four, act with integrity.
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June 12, 2024
Treasury Issued Over $1B In Clean Vehicle Tax Credits
The clean vehicle tax credit of up to $7,500 has saved buyers more than $1 billion in total upfront costs since January, the U.S. Treasury Department announced Wednesday, saying the figures represent a major milestone in lowering transportation costs since the incentive was updated in 2022.
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June 12, 2024
Italy Investigating €13M VAT Fraud Involving Chinese Fabric
An Italian judge issued a freezing order against four people and a company as investigations continue into a scheme involving the illegal importation of Chinese fabric that caused over €13 million ($14.1 million) in value-added tax losses, the European Public Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday.
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June 12, 2024
New Dutch Gov't Agrees On Top Finance Official
The incoming right-wing Dutch government has agreed to appoint a conservative politician as finance minister and to maintain a separate position for the state secretary for taxation in order to comply with a recent Netherlands Supreme Court tax ruling on compensation to investors, Dutch media reported.
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June 11, 2024
US Issues Sanctions For $50M Guyana Gold Tax Evasion
Two Guyanese businessmen and a Guyanese official were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday after a probe into a corruption scheme that helped the businessmen evade $50 million in gold export taxes that should have been paid to Guyana's government, Treasury said.
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June 11, 2024
Latvia Renominates EU Trade Commissioner To Retain Role
The Latvian government has renominated former Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis to retain his European Commission position as the commissioner for trade, the government announced Tuesday.
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June 11, 2024
Extension OK'd For Carbon Program Tax Exemption In Norway
An extension of a program that makes certain carbon emissions tax-exempt for some Norwegian businesses was approved by an official watchdog group Tuesday.
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June 11, 2024
Compliance Costs Outweigh Min. Tax Gains, Biz Reps Say
Multinational businesses are concerned that the burden of complying with the 15% global minimum tax outweighs any potential revenue gains associated with the burgeoning system, tax attorneys and a trade association representative said during a panel Tuesday.
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June 11, 2024
House Panel Chair Seeks To End Media Org's Tax Exemption
The House's top tax writer wants the Internal Revenue Service to revoke the tax-exempt status of a nonprofit Mideast-focused news outlet, telling Commissioner Daniel Werfel that the organization is aiding Hamas.
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June 11, 2024
Lawmakers Urge Biden To Back Brazil's Int'l Wealth Tax Plan
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic lawmakers asked the Biden administration Tuesday to support the global minimum tax on billionaires being proposed by Brazil, which is encouraging the Group of 20 nations to endorse the initiative at its meetings next month.
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June 11, 2024
Kostelanetz Partners Talk Benefits Of Atlanta Tax Firm Tie-Up
Kostelanetz LLP partners Bryan Skarlatos and Todd Welty discuss the firm’s recent combination with Atlanta boutique Welty PC.
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June 11, 2024
Democratic Republic Of Congo Joins African Tax Coalition
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has officially joined the African Tax Administration Forum as its 44th member, the group announced.
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June 11, 2024
Tory Tax Cut Plans Raise Questions On Funding Gaps
The prime minister unveiled plans for £17.2 billion ($21.8 billion) in tax cuts at the launch of the Conservative Party's election manifesto on Tuesday, but a headline cut of two percentage points in the payroll tax was put off for three years — and funding plans left some experts unconvinced.
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June 11, 2024
French Tax Law Challenged On Free Movement Grounds
The European Court of Justice is examining a French law regarding undeclared assets held outside the country to determine whether it is in line with the European Union's law respecting free movement of capital, the EU's official journal said.
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June 11, 2024
Sunak Pledges Further Tax Cuts In Election Manifesto
Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday that his Conservative Party would establish a tax system that "rewards work" by slashing a range of levies if it wins the general election, including another cut in the national payroll tax by 2027.
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June 10, 2024
Canadian Gov't Proposes Capital Gains Tax Hike
A new tax rate on capital gains realized annually above CA$250,000 ($181,700) by individuals and on all capital gains realized by Canadian corporations would go into effect this month under a proposal introduced by Canada's finance minister Monday.
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June 10, 2024
Big Tech Urges US Reprisal Over Canada's Impending DST
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative should open formal dispute proceedings with the Canadian government in response to a 3% digital services tax that is expected to soon pass in the Canadian Senate, business groups with members in the U.S. tech industry said Monday.
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June 10, 2024
UN Aims To Finish Drafting Tax Convention By Fall 2026
The United Nations should aim to finish a framework convention on international tax cooperation and early protocols that address taxation of the digital economy, cross-border services and high-net-worth individuals by September 2026, according to draft terms of reference open for comment through June 21.
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June 10, 2024
3rd Prime Suspect Arrested In €50M Italian VAT Fraud Ring
The Italian Financial Police arrested a third person suspected of leading a value-added tax fraud scheme involving sales of over 3 million Apple AirPods that caused an estimated €50 million ($54 million) in losses, the European Public Prosecutor's Office said Monday.
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June 10, 2024
Authorities Arrest Danish Suspect In €85M VAT Fraud In Kenya
A Dane suspected of leading an €85 million ($91 million) value-added tax fraud ring was apprehended in Kenya after having fled Denmark late last year, the European Public Prosecutor's Office said Monday.
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June 10, 2024
Latvia Parliament Passes Parts Of Minimum Tax Directive
Under pressure from the European Union, Latvia's Parliament approved a bill transposing portions of the bloc's directive to implement the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Pillar Two standards to prevent tax base erosion and profit shifting.
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June 10, 2024
Singapore Seeks Opinions On OECD's Minimum Tax Plan
Singapore is seeking public feedback on a proposal that would introduce the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's corporate global minimum tax, the country's Ministry of Finance said Monday.
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June 10, 2024
EU Commission Invites Experts To Anti-Tax-Evasion Forum
The European Union's executive arm issued a call Monday for nongovernmental organizations to apply to join a platform that discusses measures against tax evasion and avoidance outside the bloc.
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June 10, 2024
EU Countries To Aim Again For VAT Deal, Agenda Says
European Union countries will again discuss proposed changes to the bloc's value-added tax laws at a meeting next week, aiming to find a deal after one country blocked agreement, according to a meeting agenda.
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June 10, 2024
Lib Dems Vow To Raise Capital Gains Tax For UK's Wealthiest
The U.K.'s third-largest political party vowed on Monday to raise taxes on the country's wealthiest individuals if it wins the next election, in a bid to raise £5 billion ($6.4 billion) for the National Health Service.
Expert Analysis
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Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms
In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.
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AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier
Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.
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Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.
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General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI
With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.
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Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information
As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.
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Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD
Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.
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Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence
Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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1st Tax Easement Convictions Will Likely Embolden DOJ, IRS
After recent convictions in the first criminal tax fraud trial over allegedly abusive syndicated conservation easements, the IRS and U.S. Department of Justice will likely pursue other promoters for similar alleged conspiracies — though one acquittal may help attorneys better evaluate their clients' exposure, say Bill Curtis and Lauren DeSantis-Then at Polsinelli.
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Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes
Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.
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Anticipating Intensified Partnership Enforcement From IRS
The Internal Revenue Service's decadeslong difficulties with partnership audits led to the recent announcement of a clear, well-funded, focused initiative, and businesses operating in the partnership form will feel the impact, with definite changes ahead, says Sharon Katz-Pearlman at Greenberg Traurig.
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Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys
Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'
The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.