Intax Info

Tax Updates INTAX INFO Newsletter


09 November 2011

  

 

European Commission adopted a proposal for the FISCUS   

 

With a budget of 777.6 million euro¸ the programme will run for 7 years from January 1 2014

 

FISCUS merges the current two separate programmes for taxation and customs into one¸ thereby meeting simplification and cost-cutting goals of the Commission without compromising the activities in these individual areas.

 

FISCUS will facilitate networking¸ joint actions and training amongst tax and customs personnel¸ while also funding cutting-edge IT systems to enable the development of fully fledged e-administrations in customs and tax. By relying on shared development of IT¸ every euro spent jointly can generate cost-savings of at least four times as much for Member States.

 

The objectives of FISCUS are to protect the financial interests of the EU and Member States¸ facilitate trade¸ ensure the safety and security of EU citizens¸ improve the capacities of customs and tax authorities¸ and implement EU legislation in these fields. Having assessed the challenges for the years ahead¸ the Commission proposes that particular focus is also given to fighting fraud¸ reducing administrative burdens and cooperating with third countries.

 

The draft Regulation will now be discussed by the Council and the European Parliament¸ with a view to adoption by the end of 2012¸ so that the new programme can start on 1 January 2014.

 

ec.europa.eu

 

 

Denmark announced plans to curb tax avoidance by multinational enterprises

 

If approved¸ the measures are expected to boost tax revenue by DKK 625 million in 2013

 

In a press release dated 29 October 2011¸ the Danish government announced plans to introduce measures to curb the avoidance of Danish taxation¸ particularly by multinational enterprises.

The proposal was prompted by an analysis prepared by the government indicating that 40% to 50% of Danish companies do not pay corporate tax in any given year.

The following measures are proposed:

  • Increased transparency and publicity about cash tax payments by Danish companies will be introduced.
  • The tax authorities will receive additional resources in 2012 and 2013 to strengthen the auditing of multinational enterprises and certain other high-risk areas.
  • The indefinite loss carryforward rules will be restricted.
  • The basic limit of DKK 21.3 million (2011) under the interest cap rules will no longer be subject to upward adjustments (net financing expenses below the threshold of DKK 21.3 are not subject to the interest cap rules¸ and th