International
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July 24, 2024
Nigerian Parliament Passes 70% Bank Windfall Levy
The upper house of Nigeria's Parliament passed an amendment to its finance bill that included a 70% one-time levy on banks' foreign exchange gains, an increase over the 50% rate originally proposed by the country's president.
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July 24, 2024
IRS' $15M Jeopardy Assessment OK'd In Offshore Tax Fight
A Florida federal court has upheld a $15 million immediate tax assessment against a man who transferred his father's estate into trusts for himself and his mother and refused to pay what the IRS claimed was tax debt on his father's undisclosed offshore accounts.
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July 24, 2024
Affordable Housing Pro Moves Practice To Nelson Mullins
An attorney who specializes in advising clients on completing affordable housing development projects has recently moved her practice to Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough's Pittsburgh office.
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July 24, 2024
HMRC Wins Battle Over Candy Maker's Holiday Fund Scheme
HM Revenue & Customs has convinced an appeals tribunal that a Scottish sweet maker must compensate its employees for salary deductions it put aside in "holiday funds," with the judge finding the scheme ran afoul of national minimum wage regulations.
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July 24, 2024
Germany Failing To Address Nonprofits' Tax Status, EU Says
Germany has failed to make any progress addressing uncertainty surrounding the tax-exempt status of nonprofit organizations a year after the European Commission recommended it do so, the commission said Wednesday.
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July 24, 2024
Dentons Brings On Former Big 4 Exec As New Global CEO
Global law firm Dentons, which has made a name for itself by aggressive growth through combinations, has tapped a new global chief executive officer with leadership experience at accounting giant EY, the firm's first change at the top in over a decade.
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July 24, 2024
Phillips Lytle Private Wealth Pro Joins Gunster In Florida
Gunster has announced that the firm picked up an of counsel for its private wealth services team in West Palm Beach, Florida, from Phillips Lytle LLP, as well as three associate attorneys.
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July 24, 2024
Can New Pensions Minister 'Serve Two Masters'?
A new British pensions minister with a foot in two competing government departments could help create a more coherent pensions reforms, although some analysts warn of a potential Treasury takeover of pensions policy to prioritize economic stimulus.
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July 23, 2024
Newell Says IRS Misapplied Pricing Law In $124M Dispute
Newell Brands told the U.S. Tax Court the Internal Revenue Service misapplied transfer pricing law to levy almost $124 million in additional taxes and penalties.
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July 23, 2024
IRS Notice Signals Direction On Corp. AMT Regs, Official Says
An Internal Revenue Service notice regarding the U.S. corporate alternative minimum tax can be read as a signal about how the agency will more broadly address the measure's potential for counting offshore income twice, an IRS official said Tuesday.
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July 23, 2024
Winston & Strawn Adds MoFo Tax Pro As Partner In NY
Winston & Strawn LLP has added a transactional tax specialist from Morrison Foerster LLP as a partner with the firm's transactions department and tax practice in New York.
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July 23, 2024
India Eyes End Of Digital Tax For E-Commerce, But Not Ads
Foreign e-commerce companies would be exempted from India's equalization levy, a 2% digital tax, but online advertisers would continue to pay a 6% rate on gross revenues sourced to Indian customers under a budget bill presented Tuesday by the government.
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July 23, 2024
Australia Mulling Higher Foreign Resident Capital Gains Tax
The Australian Treasury said Tuesday it is seeking feedback on a plan to increase the country's capital gains withholding tax rate for foreign residents, among other plans it said will strengthen the country's foreign resident capital gains tax regime.
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July 23, 2024
EU Seeking Comments On Digital VAT Exemption Certificate
The European Commission is seeking public comments on a proposal to replace the current paper version of certificates for value-added tax exemptions with a digital version, the European Union's executive branch said Tuesday.
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July 23, 2024
Former Doctor To Be Released From Jail In FBAR Fight
A former doctor will be released from U.S. custody after a Michigan federal court lifted Tuesday an order of civil contempt against him for failure to pay about $1 million in foreign account reporting penalties.
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July 23, 2024
Orrick Hires Ex-Winston & Strawn Tax Partner In Chicago
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP announced the hiring of a former partner at Winston & Strawn LLP for its renewables tax equity and tax credit team.
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July 23, 2024
5-Hour Energy Partner Owes No Tax On Sale, DC Circ. Says
The D.C. Circuit found Tuesday that a Canadian citizen's $6.5 million in gains from her sale of a U.S. partnership interest in a company that sold 5-hour Energy drinks was not federally taxable as inventory income, reversing a U.S. Tax Court ruling.
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July 23, 2024
Hungary's EU Leadership Could Slow Tax Progress
Hungary's six-month term leading meetings of European Union ministers could hinder progress toward agreement on tax legislation, as the country's position on the war in Ukraine alienates other bloc members.
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July 23, 2024
EU Parliament's New Tax Group Head Has Eye On Evasion
The newly elected chair of the European Parliament's subcommittee on tax affairs said Tuesday that a major committee goal would be to examine the issue of tax fraud and evasion at a multinational level.
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July 22, 2024
3 Policies Tax Pros Want Congress To Pass This Year
As momentum around the House-passed tax break bill has fizzled and election season ramps up, tax experts hope lawmakers use what little time they have left to extend expired research tax breaks, approve the Taiwanese tax agreement and pass disaster relief before the end of the year. Here are three policy changes tax professionals think Congress should make before the end of the year.
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July 22, 2024
HMRC Wins Appeal Over Taxation Of Partnership Rewards
Financial rewards from a partnership were taxable as income even though they were made at the partnership's total discretion and the partners had no legally enforceable right to receive them, a London court ruled, siding with HM Revenue & Customs.
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July 22, 2024
US Treasury Working To Extend Pillar 1 DST Compromise
As OECD-led negotiations continue on a taxing rights overhaul known as Pillar One after a missed June deadline, the U.S. Treasury Department is working to extend the political agreement between it and several countries to nullify their digital services taxes once the rights overhaul is implemented.
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July 22, 2024
Pension Plans Slam Biz Docs In $2B Danish Tax Fraud Case
Denmark's tax agency has produced experts who are relying on unauthenticated documents in litigation accusing U.S. pension plans of participating in a $2.1 billion fraud scheme, the pension plans claimed in urging a New York federal court to exclude the testimony.
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July 22, 2024
Argentina Broadens Access To Beneficial Ownership Info
Argentina is opening up access to its collection of beneficial ownership information in what it is calling a "significant advance" in transparency and anti-money laundering and terrorist financing measures in line with international standards.
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July 22, 2024
UN Aims Tax Convention At Digital Economy, Rich Individuals
The United Nations General Assembly should take aim at taxation of the digital economy and wealthy individuals in a framework convention on international tax cooperation, according to a U.N. committee's revised draft term of reference released after a consultation.
Expert Analysis
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Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers
BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.
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How Associates Can Build A Professional Image
As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.
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Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age
As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing
When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians
Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent
As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.
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Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge at Robinson Bradshaw.
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A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence
The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.
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To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef
To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.
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Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys
As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.
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How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case
The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.
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Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content
From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.