International
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June 05, 2025
Swedish Tax Cuts Could Imperil Emission Targets, OECD Says
Energy tax cuts included in Sweden's 2025 budget run counter to greenhouse gas reduction goals and may result in Sweden failing to meet its legally binding targets, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Thursday.
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June 05, 2025
OECD Suggests South Africa Expand Tax Base To Cut Debt
South Africa overly limits its tax base through expenditures like deductions and exemptions, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Thursday, recommending the country broaden its base in order to reduce its debt.
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June 05, 2025
Trump Expects China Trade Talks To Resume After Xi Phone Call
President Donald Trump said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke over the phone Thursday about an impasse in ongoing trade talks over U.S. claims China was slow-walking the exports of rare earths, with Trump saying he expects meetings between the countries' negotiating teams to resume.
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June 05, 2025
EU Wants To Loosen State Aid For Affordable Housing
The European Union wants to address a lack of affordable housing by making it easier for governments to provide state aid to support the construction of new buildings and renovations of existing buildings, the bloc's executive branch said in a consultation.
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June 05, 2025
Sweden Proposes $2.6M Cap On Interest Deductions
Sweden would ignore contributions within corporate groups and deficits from prior years when calculating a company's interest deduction, under rules proposed Thursday.
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June 05, 2025
German Court Convicts 2 More Tied To €100M VAT Fraud
A German court convicted two more people for their roles in a €100 million ($114 million) value-added tax fraud scheme involving services that let users make phone calls via the internet, the European Public Prosecutor's Office said Thursday.
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June 05, 2025
HMRC Loses £47M To Phishing Targeting PAYE Accounts
HM Revenue & Customs has detected phishing attacks on 100,000 taxpayer accounts, costing the revenue service £47 million ($64 million), the tax authority's new chief executive told members of Parliament.
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June 05, 2025
US Biz Council Wants Treaty Talks With Switzerland, Taiwan
Large U.S. multinational corporations want to see the U.S. Department of the Treasury prioritize tax treaty negotiations with Switzerland and Taiwan, according to survey results published Thursday by the National Foreign Trade Council.
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June 05, 2025
EU OKs Irish Tax Credit For Unscripted Cultural TV Programs
The European Commission announced Thursday that it approved the Irish government's €211 million ($241 million) tax credit designed to support unscripted audiovisual programs with Irish and European cultural content.
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June 05, 2025
About 30% Of Firms Paying UK DST Aren't In US, Report Says
Nearly 30% of companies that paid the U.K.'s digital services tax in 2023-2024 were headquartered outside the U.S., which contrasts with the popular notion that American firms pay the tax almost exclusively, advocacy group TaxWatch said Thursday, citing data provided by HM Revenue & Customs.
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June 05, 2025
KFC Parent Co. Fights $4B IRS Bill In Tax Court
The parent company of Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell is challenging $2.5 billion in taxes and penalties that the IRS claims it owes for a corporate reorganization to restructure its international operations, according to a U.S. Tax Court petition served Thursday, a figure that has topped $4 billion with interest.
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June 04, 2025
NJ Man Cops To Dodging $2M Tax Bill On Real Estate
A New Jersey man linked to an intricate pension plan scheme involving refunds from the Dutch government pled guilty to evading more than $2.4 million in U.S. taxes by concealing ownership of more than $5.5 million in real estate, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday.Â
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June 04, 2025
Steel, Aluminum Tariff Hike Casts Cloud Over US Investment
President Donald Trump's latest tariff increases on steel and aluminum imports strengthen an existing barrier to an already duty-riddled trade environment and could put both domestic and foreign businesses' investment opportunities in the U.S. at risk, experts say.
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June 04, 2025
Biz Groups Urge US To Pressure Canada To Drop Digital Tax
A coalition of business lobbying groups have urged the U.S. government to take "decisive action" against Canada's digital services tax before the June 30 payment deadline, contending that the levy will cost U.S. companies about $2 billion this year.
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June 04, 2025
Bulgaria Meets Criteria To Switch To Euro Next Year, EU Says
The European Commission and European Central Bank affirmed that Bulgaria has met all necessary criteria to adopt the euro as its currency starting Jan. 1, which would make it the 21st country to do so.
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June 04, 2025
US Again Tops Tax Advocacy Group's Financial Secrecy Index
The U.S. has again topped the list of the world's biggest enablers of financial secrecy, in part due to a continued lack of transparency for trusts, according to a report from advocacy group Tax Justice Network.
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June 04, 2025
Brazil Removes UAE From List Of Problem Tax Jurisdictions
Brazil no longer considers the United Arab Emirates to have an improper preferential tax regime, which the Middle East country said should foster greater cooperation between the two countries, the UAE said Wednesday.
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June 04, 2025
Satellite Co. Execs Released In $250M Fraud, Evasion Case
Two more satellite company executives facing charges of tricking investors out of $250 million are being released after their leader, who was additionally accused of tax crimes, was deemed a flight risk, according to D.C. federal court documents.
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June 04, 2025
Trade Talks With US Trying To Avoid Tariff Hikes, EU Says
The European Union and the U.S. aim to avoid tariff hikes threatened by President Donald Trump beginning July 9 as they negotiate this week on investments to rebalance trade in goods and on what the U.S. considers trade barriers, the bloc's trade commissioner said Wednesday.
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June 04, 2025
US, UK Clarify Tariffs On Cars, Metals As Trade Talks Continue
A trade deal between the U.S. and the U.K. that will reduce U.S. tariffs on British cars to 10% and remove those levies on some metals will come into effect "in just a couple of weeks," Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Parliament on Wednesday.
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June 04, 2025
Dutch Court Sentences Man To 6 Months In €40M VAT Fraud
A Netherlands court sentenced a man to over six months in prison for his role in a €40 million ($45.7 million) value-added tax fraud scheme connected to a larger investigation, the European Public Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday.
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June 03, 2025
WTO Useful For China Enforcement, US Trade Nominee Says
The U.S. should work with partners at the World Trade Organization to apply further trade pressure on China, making sure the country is complying with rules and trading fairly, a Skadden partner nominated by President Donald Trump to represent the U.S. at the WTO told lawmakers Tuesday.
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June 03, 2025
OECD Predicts Growth Slowdown From US Tariffs, Responses
Trade barriers — most notably U.S. tariffs and other countries' reciprocal measures — could result in a slowdown in global economic growth, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Tuesday, projecting a dip over the next two years.
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June 03, 2025
Senate Panel Advances Trump's Pick To Lead IRS
The Senate Finance Committee approved President Donald Trump's selection of former U.S. Rep. Billy Long to serve as commissioner of the IRS on Tuesday, sending the nomination to the full Senate.
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June 03, 2025
DC Judge Agrees To Pause Tariff Injunction
A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday agreed to stave off a preliminary injunction that blocked the Trump administration from collecting tariffs on two toy makers while the government appeals the ruling.
Expert Analysis
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Reassessing Corporate Separateness After Explosion Of LLCs
Following the dramatic increase of limited liability companies in the U.S., the Corporate Transparency Act's enactment and the Trump administration's subsequent narrowing of that law, it's worth revisiting the underlying legal principles that govern shell companies in order to remedy the problems that initially motivated the CTA, says Jeff Newton at Omni Bridgeway.
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Crisis Management Lessons From The Parenting Playbook
The parenting skills we use to help our kids through challenges — like rehearsing for stressful situations, modeling confidence and taking time to reset our emotions — can also teach us the fundamentals of leading clients through a corporate crisis, say Deborah Solmor at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Cara Peterman at Alston & Bird.
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Adapting To Private Practice: From NY Fed To BigÂé¶¹´«Ã½
While the move to private practice brings a learning curve, it also brings chances to learn new skills and grow your network, requiring a clear understanding of how your skills can complement and contribute to a firm's existing practice, and where you can add new value, says Meghann Donahue at Covington.
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Top 3 Litigation Finance Deal-Killers, And How To Avoid Them
Like all transactions, litigation finance deals can sometimes collapse, but understanding the most common reasons for failure, including a lack of trust or a misunderstanding of deal terms, can help both parties avoid problems, say Rebecca Berrebi at Avenue 33 and Boris Ziser at Schulte Roth.
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A 2-Step System For Choosing A Digital Asset Reporting Path
Under the Internal Revenue Service's new digital asset reporting regulation, each type of asset may have three potential reporting destinations, so a detailed testing framework can help to determine the appropriate path, says Keval Sonecha at Sonecha & Amlani.
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How Attys Can Use A Therapy Model To Help Triggered Clients
Attorneys can lean on key principles from a psychotherapeutic paradigm known as the "Internal Family Systems" model to help manage triggered clients and get settlement negotiations back on track, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.
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3 Steps For In-House Counsel To Assess Litigation Claims
Before a potential economic downturn, in-house attorneys should investigate whether their company is sitting on hidden litigation claims that could unlock large recoveries to help the business withstand tough times, says Will Burgess at Hilgers Graben.
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IRS And ICE Info Sharing Could Drive Payroll Tax Enforcement
Tax crimes are historically difficult to prosecute, but the Internal Revenue Services’ recent agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to share taxpayer records of non-U.S. citizens could be used to enhance payroll tax-related enforcement against their employers, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Enviro To Mid-Âé¶¹´«Ã½
Practitioners leaving a longtime government role for private practice — as when I departed the U.S. Department of Justice’s environmental enforcement division — should prioritize finding a firm that shares their principles, values their experience and will invest in their transition, says John Cruden at Beveridge & Diamond.
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Legal Ethics Considerations For Âé¶¹´«Ã½ Firm Pro Bono Deals
If a law firm enters into a pro bono deal with the Trump administration in exchange for avoiding or removing an executive order, it has an ethical obligation to create a written settlement agreement with specific terms, which would mitigate some potential conflict of interest problems, says Andrew Altschul at Buchanan Angeli.
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10 Arbitrations And A 5th Circ. Ruling Flag Arb. Clause Risks
The ongoing arbitral saga of Sullivan v. Feldman, which has engendered proceedings before 10 different arbitrators in Texas and Louisiana along with last month's Fifth Circuit opinion, showcases both the risks and limitations of arbitration clauses in retainer agreements for resolving attorney-client disputes, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.
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Power To The Paralegals: The Value Of Unified State Licensing
Texas' proposal to become the latest state to license paraprofessional providers of limited legal services could help firms expand their reach and improve access to justice, but consumers, attorneys and allied legal professionals would benefit even more if similar programs across the country become more uniform, says Michael Houlberg at the University of Denver.
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10 Soft Skills Every GC Should Master
As businesses face shifting regulatory and technological uncertainty, general counsel will need to strengthen certain soft skills to succeed, from admitting when they make a mistake to maintaining a healthy dose of dispassion, says Douglas Brown at Manatt.