The real estate market in Macedonia has been in a state of transition for the last two decades. This period brought the country from a situation in which such investment was seen as a duty primarily fulfilled by State bodies, institutions and enterprises to one in which the sector was left virtually entirely to the private sector ...
1. The recently published Decree-Law 55/2008 of 26 March has set out the regulatory provisions necessary for implementing incentive measures for the speedier recovery of areas in Portugal that suffer most from typical inland regional problems, as provided for in the Tax Benefits Statute (EBF) ...
Firstly the act now expressly states that planning and building shall promote good economic growth and effective competition. This change is a clear signal from the legislator that municipalities must not only take into consideration the social and ecological effects in their planning but also the development of commerce and the provision of commercial service ...
Several major changes to the PRC’s Tax Law have come into effect since 1 January 2008. These include the unification of the income tax treatment of all enterprises (foreign and domestic as well as joint-venture companies), resumption of the previous 20 % withholding tax on outgoing dividends to be paid by foreign investment companies to their foreign parent companies, lower effective income tax rates and introduction of the concept of “resident enterprises” ...
ARGENTINE TAX SYSTEMPOLITICAL CONFIGURATIONThe Republic of Argentina has three levels of Government (Jurisdictions): Nation, Provinces and Municipalities.The government system of the Nation and the Provinces has three powers: The Executive that deals with the Administration, the Legislative in charge of passing the Laws, and the Judiciary responsible for the Administration of Justice ...
1. The long-awaited duty requiring users or promoters of operations and transactions whose sole or principal objective is to obtain tax benefits to communicate such operations or transactions to the tax authorities has finally become law in Decree-Law 29/2008 of 25 February. 2. Due to its excessively wide nature, however, the new antiabuse measure raises some very serious doubts ...
Several legislative instruments on VAT issues were published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 20 February, amending the rules for determining the place where services are supplied for the purposes of VAT: - the general rule will be reversed and services will now be taxed in the place of consumption as opposed to where the supplier has its establishment ...
Dykema attorneys were recently involved in an interesting infrastructure project finance transaction relating to the rehabilitation of a portion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Dykema represented the lender in this transaction. To complete the transaction, a fairly unusual structure had to evolve ...
Commercial properties groups across Europe are being forced to wait longer to refinance their debts as lenders tighten their belts in the wake of the credit crunch, it has been reported ...
The Bush Administration and House leaders Democrat Nancy Pelosi and Republican John Boehner reached an agreement on January 24, 2008 regarding a stimulus package. This stimulus package includes tax relief targeted at both businesses and individuals. As discussed below, the Senate may well have additional individual and business provisions before legislation is passed ...
The Florida Supreme Court has held that defective work performed by a subcontractor that damages a general contractor’s completed work constitutes “property damage” caused by an “occurrence” under a commercial general liability (CGL) policy. U.S. Fire Ins. Co. v. J.S.U.B., Inc., No. SC05-1295 (Fla. Dec. 20, 2007) ...
1. On 31 December 2008, Law 67-A/2007, of 31 December, which enacted the 2008 State Budget, was published. In this booklet, we will discuss the main changes that will take place in our tax laws as a result of this Law, with effect from 1 January 2008. A) PERSONAL INCOME TAX (IRS) i) Capital income – IRS Category E 2 ...
A federal district court judge in Pennsylvania ruled that first-party property claims for damages due to defective stucco arose from a single occurrence and, upon determining the date of loss, held that the coverage claims were barred by the insurance contract’s two-year suit limitations period. Smith, et al. v. Westfield Insurance Co., No. 06-3077; 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 87431 (E.D. Pa. November 27, 2007) Case Background ...
In recent years, Romania witnessed a continuously growing real estate market, along with a sustained rush of investors, including many foreign ones, eager to secure prime locations for their future development projects.On such a rapidly expanding market, it has been difficult at times to implement sophisticated real estate projects, as the country’s legal framework in the area of real estate did not change overnight, despite Romania’s recent accession to the EU ...
In response to certified questions from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the Texas Supreme Court held that unintended construction defects are an occurrence and that allegations of loss of use or damage to a home may constitute property damage under a commercial general liability (CGL) contract. Lamar Homes, Inc. v. Mid-Continent Cas. Co., No. 05-0832 (Tex. Aug. 31, 2007) ...
It is a given that any human endeavor will have effects that we do not expect. Robert Burns identified the problem with the best-laid schemes of mice and men, and investors in the mortgage banking industry are learning that lesson now. In recent years, many borrowers entered into adjustable-rate mortgages with low initial rates, trusting that rates would stay low or that they could refinance or sell a property before larger payments came due ...
On 16 March 2007, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the Enterprise Income Tax Law of the People’s Republic of China. The Law harmonises the tax laws applicable to foreign and domestic enterprises. The new law marks a major change in PRC tax policy. Effective 1 January 2008, both domestic enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) will be subject to income tax at the unified rate of 25% ...
On 16 March 2007, the National People’s Congress issued the Property Law of the People’s Republic of China. Effective on 1 October 2007, the Law defines the scope of property and property-related rights, such as use and possession, and sets out the protections afforded to State, collective and private property owners.BackgroundWork on the Property Law first began in 1993 ...
On 31 December 2006, the State Property Management Commission of the State Council and the Ministry of Finance jointly issued the Notice Regarding Relevant Matters in the Assignment of the State-owned Property Rights of Enterprises to further clarify issues arising from the implementation of the Provisional Measures for the Administration of the Assignment of State-owned Property Rights of Enterprises and the Notice on Relevant Issues in the Assignment of State-owned Property
The State Administration of Taxation issued the Measures on the Self- Declaration of Personal Income Tax (Trial Implementation) on 6 November 2006. The Measures cover the filing process for those who satisfy one of the following conditions:1. Annual income of 120,000RMB or more; 2. Wages or stipends earned from two or more sources within China; 3. Income earned outside China; 4. Any acquired taxable income without withholding; 5 ...
On 22 January 2007, the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Commerce jointly issued the Regulations for the Administration of Construction Project Service Enterprises with Foreign Investment. Effective 26 March 2007, the Regulations outline the approval process for construction project service enterprises with foreign investment and set out the permissible types of business for these enterprises ...
On 27 November 2006, the Ministry of Finance and State Administration of Taxation jointly issued the Notice Regarding Several Stamp Tax Policies. The Notice states that:1. Stamp tax will be levied on contracts submitted electronically. 2. Stamp tax will be levied on purchase and sale contracts between power plants and power grid networks and on those between two power grid networks ...
Since we are in the season for the distribution of dividends, it is not without use to review and update, our last charter on this issue. It shall be recalled that in 2005 the Portuguese tax system streamlined its rules for the taxation of dividends, by harmonising rates which previously varied in accordance to the nature of the recipient of the dividends ...
