The New Zealand Government has announced that it will launch an investigation into the possibility of reforming the national company registration process in the wake of controversy surrounding a New Zealand company’s involvement with North Korean weapons smuggling. Simon Power, Commerce Minister of New Zealand, issued a press release on January 21st stating that he is requesting feedback from officials and industry figures regarding whether any aspects of the New Zealand company registration process can or need to be strengthened. Prime points of ... Read More

The New Zealand Government initiated research group, the Tax Working Group, has released its final report cataloging numerous tax changes it considers essential for the country. On January 20th The Tax Working Group published its widely anticipate final report, which recommends thirteen primary changes to the New Zealand tax landscape, along with identifying concerns regarding the current tax situation. The Tax Working Group report claimed that there is a lack of coherence, integrity and fairness within the country’s tax system, saying that a too ... Read More

Three Australian men are under trial for allegedly evading AUD3.7 million in taxes, which was brought back into Australia through ATM withdrawals and orchestrated through a Swiss-based accountant. On January 18th a court case was opened concerning Daniel Aran Stoten, Adam John Hargraves and Glenn Luke Hargraves, who are alleged to have evaded nearly AUD4 million in taxes over the period of four years. The three men, who ran a phonebook publishing company, are accused of grossly overstating their business expenses and ... Read More

The Finance Ministry of Germany has stated that it is opposed to the imposition of an EU-wide tax, in response to a suggestion by the Finance Ministry of Luxembourg. Ahead of the EU and Euro-zone Finance Minister Summit held on January 18th and 19th, Luc Frieden, Finance Minister of Luxembourg, called for a new tax to be instated across the whole of the EU. German officials quickly denounced the idea, claiming that the EU already has sufficient funds. The German Ministry also ... Read More

Tax revenues collected in the People’s Republic of China rose by 9.1 percent in 2009 compared to the previous year. In a statement published by the Chinese State Administration of Taxation on January 15th the department declared that the country’s tax revenues had risen by CNY524.1 billion in 2009, bringing the collections to CNY6.31 trillion (approx. USD928). The tax revenues growth exceeded Chinese Government set targets by 1.1 percent after an unexpected economic resurgence in June. Domestic retail sales revenue showed the largest ... Read More