International
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March 27, 2025
Pfizer Tops Pharma Tax Avoidance, Senate Dems Say
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer had no taxable profits in its largest market, the U.S., after booking all its income in jurisdictions including Puerto Rico, Singapore and Ireland, according to a Senate Finance Committee report prepared by panel Democrats that was released Thursday.
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March 27, 2025
US Ranked Low At Fighting Real Estate Money Laundering
The U.S. is the third-worst country when it comes to fighting money laundering in real estate because of a lack of regulations, according to a report ranking the national markets of 24 countries.
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March 27, 2025
Sweden Mulling Restrictions On Tax Regime For Foreign Cos.
Sweden is considering rules that would make it more difficult for foreign companies to be approved for a withholding exemption and expand its ability to revoke such approval as part of the fight against the criminal economy, the government said Thursday.
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March 27, 2025
Final APAs Dipped Slightly From 2023 Record High, IRS Says
The Internal Revenue Service finalized slightly fewer advance pricing agreements for U.S. multinational corporations in 2024 following a record high in the previous year, according to an agency report released Thursday.
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March 27, 2025
EU Parliament Group Pushes For Simplified Bloc Tax Code
The European Union's tax agenda should focus on reducing complexity and fragmentation across the bloc's 27 member states, according to a recent EU Parliament committee report, which recommended embracing coordinated policies.
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March 27, 2025
NFTC Keeps Pushing For Standardized Pillar 2 Reporting
The National Foreign Trade Council reiterated its request for the OECD to ensure a standardized approach to acquiring the cross-jurisdiction information required for Pillar Two global minimum tax returns, noting its members still have confidentiality concerns.
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March 27, 2025
Gov't Urged To Review State Pension Ahead Of Tax 'Cliff Edge'
The U.K. government must reform the state pension or face a "bizarre tax cliff edge" where benefits exceed personal allowance thresholds, experts warned.
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March 26, 2025
EU Import System Fails To Prevent VAT Fraud, Report Says
The European Union's simplified import customs procedures do not do enough to identify and prevent value-added tax fraud because of loopholes and inconsistencies, an EU watchdog said, also pointing out that various bloc members' oversight of such procedures was lacking.
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March 26, 2025
13 Arrested In Connection With €100M VAT Fraud Scheme
The Italian Financial Police arrested 13 people suspected of conducting a large-scale, complex criminal operation involving the sale of plastic products that resulted in the evasion of roughly €100 million ($107.5 million) in value-added taxes, the European Public Prosecutor's Office said.
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March 26, 2025
Ex-UBS North America CEO's $4.9M FBAR Deal Gets OK
The former North American CEO for Swiss bank UBS will pay a $4.9 million judgment under a deal approved by a Connecticut federal court Wednesday that resolves the U.S. government's suit alleging he willfully neglected to file foreign bank account reports with the IRS for a decade.
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March 26, 2025
Australian Budget Includes $11B In Personal Income Tax Cuts
The Australian Labor Party government released plans to further cut personal income taxes by 17.1 billion Australian dollars ($11 billion) over the next five years as part of cost-of-living relief provisions unveiled ahead of upcoming elections.
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March 26, 2025
Germany's Reunification Tax Surcharge Still Valid, Court Says
Germany's surcharge on income taxes aimed at financing the country's reunification in the 1990s remains a valid exercise of lawmakers' powers, the Federal Constitutional Court said Wednesday in striking down a challenge to the levy's continuing necessity and impact on private property.
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March 25, 2025
EU Wants Timeline For Blacklisted US Territories' Data Swaps
The European Union asked the U.S. to provide a concrete timeline for when it will set up a framework to begin automatic exchanges of information with three territories on the bloc's blacklist for uncooperative tax jurisdictions — the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa — according to a letter released Tuesday.
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March 25, 2025
German Bankers To Face Cross-Border Tax Fraud Charges
A German appeals court revived first-of-their-kind charges against five bankers accused of a complex cross-border tax fraud scheme, sending the case back to a trial court, according to local news reports published Tuesday.
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March 25, 2025
Carlton Fields Adds Former Tax Law Professor In Atlanta
Carlton Fields has brought on a former tenured professor at Georgia State University College of Law to its team in Atlanta, strengthening its tax and business transactions practices with an attorney experienced in nonprofit law, tax and business matters, the firm announced Tuesday.
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March 25, 2025
EU Must Strengthen VAT Fraud Measures, Watchdog Says
The European Union needs to introduce measures to protect its single market from the risk of value-added tax fraud in imports since customs procedures were simplified, according to a report by the bloc's independent audit watchdog.
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March 24, 2025
McDermott Hires Skadden Partner To Lead London Tax Office
McDermott Will & Emery LLP announced Monday that it has chosen a former Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP partner to serve as the new leader of the firm's U.K. tax office in London.
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March 24, 2025
Burden Of Proof Is IRS' For $2.3M Bill, Kyocera Tells Tax Court
The Internal Revenue Service should bear the burden of proof in making adjustments to an amended return filed by electronics-maker Kyocera, the company argued as it urged the U.S. Tax Court to review an IRS notice saying the company owes $2.3 million for 2018.
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March 24, 2025
Caribbean Bank, CEO Accused Of Helping In £415M VAT Fraud
A Caribbean bank and its former CEO "knowingly" assisted in the commission of a £415 million ($536 million) value-added tax fraud, the creditors of a company allegedly linked to the scam said on the first day of a London trial Monday.
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March 24, 2025
TV Star Banned As Co. Director Over Failure To Pay £1M Tax
A U.K. reality television star has been banned as the director of his media company after it failed to pay more than £1 million ($1.3 million) in taxes, the government's insolvency agency said Monday.
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March 24, 2025
FinCEN Exempts US Businesses From Disclosure Rules
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's financial crimes unit issued interim final rules that exempt domestic businesses from contested reporting regulations, which the department had previously signaled it would narrow to include only foreign companies registered stateside.
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March 24, 2025
UK Gov't Considers DST Changes To Prevent US Tariffs
The Labour government may be considering changes to the digital services tax as part of talks with the U.S. administration to prevent tariffs being imposed on Britain, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves suggested in a TV interview.
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March 21, 2025
Court Sours On Tribunal's Sweets Ruling For Marshmallows
The First-tier Tribunal applied a faulty interpretation of value-added tax law to rule that jumbo-size marshmallows are exempt from VAT, a U.K. Court of Appeal panel said Friday, remanding the £473,000 ($611,000) dispute back to the tribunal.
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March 21, 2025
Ex-UBS North America CEO Agrees To $4.9M FBAR Judgment
The former North American CEO for Swiss bank UBS on Friday agreed to a $4.9 million judgment to end claims that he failed to file timely or accurate foreign bank account reports with the Internal Revenue Service between 2003 and 2013.
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March 21, 2025
US-Swiss Agreement Exempts Retirees' Dividends, IRS Says
U.S. retirement accounts, including trusts, qualified annuity plans and other schemes, are exempt from Swiss taxes on dividends from Swiss companies in which they don't own a controlling interest, according to a U.S.-Switzerland competent authority agreement released Friday by the IRS.

UK Industry Groups Raise Alarm Over US Tariff Threat
The Labour government must secure a trade deal with the U.S. government soon to prevent new tariffs hitting the British car industry in early April, industry groups warned Thursday.

UK Gov't Targets Tax Dodgers In Austerity Budget
The U.K.'s Labour government will expand its crackdown on tax avoidance and evasion to raise an extra £1 billion ($1.2 billion) in revenue, while it cuts welfare spending and boosts defense spending, the chancellor announced Wednesday in laying out its budget plans.

Ex-Wife Of UK Activist Barred Over £319K Tax Debt
A U.K. political figure's former wife who owes about £319,000 ($413,000) in taxes has been disqualified from serving as a director of any business for the next seven years because of her failure to keep detailed financial records of her company, the U.K. Insolvency Service announced.
Featured Stories
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Technical, Policy Questions Still Swirl Around Amount B
U.S. multinational corporations have welcomed the option of a simplified transfer pricing approach under an international tax framework known as Amount B, but uncertainties linger about how the rules will ultimately shake out on a technical level both domestically and globally.
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The Tax Angle: Lawmakers Huddle To Mull TCJA
From a look at the three-day legislative retreat held by House Democrats to Ways and Means Republicans meeting behind closed doors to discuss the 2017 GOP tax overhaul, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on a few of the week's developing tax stories.
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Tariff Shifts Creating Compliance Chaos For Energy Cos.
The unpredictability of President Donald Trump's tariff maneuvers is challenging energy companies' ability to comply with fluctuating mandates and making tariff violations more likely.
Expert Analysis
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Firms Still Have Lateral Market Advantage, But Risks Persist
Partner and associate mobility data from the fourth quarter of 2024 shows that we’re in a new, stable era of lateral hiring where firms have the edge, but leaders should proceed cautiously, looking beyond expected revenue and compensation analyses for potential risks, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.
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We Must Allow Judges To Use Their Independent Judgment
As two recent cases show, the ability of judges to access their independent judgment crucially enables courts to exercise the discretion needed to reach the right outcome based on the unique facts within the law, says John Siffert at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.
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Preparing For Tariffs On Canadian Power In The Northeast
The on-again, off-again risk of import and export tariffs on energy transactions between the U.S. and Canada may have repercussions for U.S. energy stakeholders in the ISO New England and New York Independent System Operator electricity markets — but there are options that could help reduce cost impacts, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.
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Making The Case For Rest In The Legal Profession
For too long, a culture of overwork has plagued the legal profession, but research shows that attorneys need rest to perform optimally and sustainably, so legal organizations and individuals must implement strategies that allow for restoration, says Marissa Alert at MDA Wellness, Carol Ross-Burnett at CRB Global, and Denise Robinson at The Still Center.
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Mitigating Tariff Risks For Healthcare In US And Canada
Healthcare stakeholders should take steps to evaluate the impact of cross-border tariffs, as the historically strong ties between Canada and the U.S. demonstrate the potential for real disruption and harm to the healthcare industry in both countries, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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4 Ways Women Attorneys Can Build A Legal Legacy
This Women’s History Month, women attorneys should consider what small, day-to-day actions they can take to help leave a lasting impact for future generations, even if it means mentoring one person or taking 10 minutes to make a plan, says Jackie Prester, a former shareholder at Baker Donelson.
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A Judge's Pointers For Adding Spice To Dry Legal Writing
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery shares a few key lessons about how to go against the grain of the legal writing tradition by adding color to bland judicial opinions, such as by telling a human story and injecting literary devices where possible.
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7 Tips For Associates To Thrive In Hybrid Work Environments
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
As the vast majority of law firms have embraced some type of hybrid work policy, associates should consider a few strategies to get the most out of both their in-person and remote workdays, says James Argionis at Cozen O’Connor.
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IRS Should Revise Overbroad Microcaptive Regs
Rather than seeking to curtail use of congressionally sanctioned microcaptive insurance programs by imposing burdensome disclosure obligations, the Internal Revenue Service should revisit its recently finalized regulations and implement rules tailored to address areas of specific abuse, say attorneys at Zerbe Miller.
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What's Next For Russia Sanctions After Task Force Disbanded
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s recent disbanding of Task Force KleptoCapture, which was initially aimed at seizing Russian oligarchs’ funds and assets, is unlikely to mean the end of Russia sanctions enforcement and other economic countermeasures, as the architecture for criminal enforcement remains in place, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.
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How Law Firms Can Counteract The Loneliness Epidemic
The legal industry is facing an urgent epidemic of loneliness, affecting lawyer well-being, productivity, retention and profitability, and law firm leaders should take concrete steps to encourage the development of genuine workplace connections, says Michelle Gomez at Littler and Gwen Mellor Romans at Herald Talent.
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5 Keys To Building Stronger Attorney-Client Relationships
Attorneys are often focused on being seen as the expert, but bonding with clients and prospects by sharing a few key personal details provides the basis for a caring, trusted and profoundly deeper business relationship, says Deb Feder at Feder Development.
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Attorneys Must Act Now To Protect Judicial Independence
Given the Trump administration's recent moves threatening the independence of the judiciary, including efforts to impeach judges who ruled against executive actions, lawyers must protect the rule of law and resist attempts to dilute the judicial branch’s authority, says attorney Bhavleen Sabharwal.