Tax News

Macron tax cuts to benefit France's richest, study finds

By AFP

Paris - The richest 10 percent of France's households will likely benefit the most from tax cuts proposed by the new centrist government of French President Emmanuel Macron, a study showed Wednesday.

EU vows crackdown on aggressive tax planners

By AFP

Brussels - European tax planners who help rich clients, including sports stars, evade the tax man will risk hefty fines, according to EU plans unveiled on Wednesday.

Are drinking straws an environmental menace?

By Tim Sandle

A waste disposal company has called on plastic drinking straws to be taxed as a disincentive, claiming discarded straws to be a considerable contributor to environmental waste.

'Malta Files' contain no secrets, says PM

By AFP

Valletta - There are no secrets to be found in the "Malta Files", a cache of leaked documents being pored over by European newspapers, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat insisted Saturday.

German FM rebukes Switzerland over tax scandal

By AFP

Frankfurt Am Main - German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Saturday upbraided Switzerland for allegedly monitoring German finance inspectors who hunt cross-border tax cheats.

Swiss spy 'ran mole' in German tax office: report

By AFP

Berlin - A Swiss spy allegedly monitoring German finance officials who hunt cross-border tax cheats also ran a mole in a state finance ministry office, media reports said Thursday.

Germany asks Swiss envoy to clarify 'spy case'

By AFP

Berlin - Berlin on Tuesday asked the Swiss ambassador to clarify the case of an alleged Swiss spy suspected of monitoring German finance investigators who pursue cross-border tax cheats.

Panama Papers law firm partners get bail

By AFP

Panama - The partners of the law firm at the heart of the Panama Papers scandal were given bail pending further legal action over allegations they helped launder money related to a huge Brazilian bribery case.

Dutchman, British wife arrested in tax fraud probe

By AFP

Den Haag - Dutch and British tax authorities have arrested a Dutch man and his British wife, recovering millions of euros in an ongoing tax evasion probe apparently involving Swiss bank accounts, officials said Wednesday.

Credit Suisse apparent target of massive tax fraud probe

By AFP

Geneva - Authorities in Europe and Australia announced a sweeping tax evasion probe Friday reportedly targeting Credit Suisse clients and senior employees, as investigators detailed arrests and the seizure of artworks and gold.

Law firm at heart of Panama Papers a shadow of its former self

By AFP

Panama - Panama has a new tourist attraction: the building hosting the offices of the Mossack Fonseca law firm at the heart of the Panama Papers scandal.

Russian truck drivers strike against road tax

By AFP

Moscow - Hundreds of truck drivers across Russia have stopped working, demanding that the government repeals a controversial transport levy, a coordinator told AFP Wednesday.

Trump pivots to tax reform after Obamacare shipwreck

By AFP

Washington - After a crushing defeat in the effort to repeal Obamacare, the Trump administration is hoping for smoother sailing on tax reform, expecting this will be less divisive among Republican party factions. "Health care is a very, very complicated issue.

'Panama Papers' lawyers held in Brazil graft probe

By AFP

Panama - The founders of the law firm at the center of the "Panama Papers" scandal were being held Friday as part of a probe into a sprawling graft case involving Brazilian construction group Odebrecht.

'Panama Papers' firm partner says Panama leader received Odebrecht 'donations'

By AFP

Panama - A partner in the law firm at the heart of the "Panama Papers" scandal fell out publicly with Panama's president -- a former friend -- on Thursday, accusing him of accepting "donations" from a Brazilian company that has admitted to graft.

Panama suspends Panama Papers probe

By AFP

Panama - Panama is suspending its probe into the Panama Papers, the leak of a legal firm's files on clients who stored assets in opaque offshore companies, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Britain and Gibraltar 'one EU entity': court advisor

By AFP

Luxembourg - Britain and Gibraltar count as one EU state in terms of a key aspect of the single market, a senior EU lawyer said Thursday, in an opinion that could effect the territory's life after Brexit.

Art dynasty heir Wildenstein cleared of tax fraud in Paris

By AFP

Paris - The Franco-American patriarch of the Wildenstein art-dealing dynasty was cleared Thursday by a Paris court of massive tax fraud, in a long-running saga sparked by family battles that had gripped high society watchers.

Verdict due in art dynasty scion's French tax fraud case

By AFP

Paris - A French court will on Thursday rule in the case of Franco-American art dynasty scion Guy Wildenstein, who is accused of keeping paintings and properties worth hundreds of millions of euros from the taxman.

Prosecutors recommend reduced sentences for LuxLeaks whistleblowers

By AFP

Luxembourg - Prosecutors on Monday recommended reduced sentences for two whistleblowers in the "LuxLeaks" tax scandal during closing arguments at an appeal trial in Luxembourg.

Argentine president probed for nepotism in tax amnesty

By AFP

Buenos Aires - Argentine authorities opened an investigation Tuesday into President Mauricio Macri for alleged nepotism in a controversial decree that extended a tax amnesty to his father and other officials' families.

LuxLeaks whistleblowers appeal jail sentences

By AFP

Luxembourg - Two whistleblowers and an investigative reporter in the "LuxLeaks" tax scandal return to court on Monday for leaking thousands of documents that exposed Luxembourg's huge tax breaks for major international companies.

Sarkozy wants tax on US products if Trump scraps Paris climate pact

By AFP

Paris - French presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy has proposed that Europe apply a carbon tax on American imports if Donald Trump pulls the United States out of the Paris climate pact.

Berlin takes aim at shell company tax cheats

By AFP

Berlin - Germany is looking to intensify its crackdown on tax evaders who are stashing their assets in offshore companies, according to a draft law seen by AFP on Thursday.

Jihadists storing loot at Swiss port? Geneva says no way

By AFP

Geneva - When a leading French politician said Switzerland's free ports were helping terrorists hide stolen assets, Swiss officials offered a blunt rebuke.

EU launches new ethics probe into ex-commissioner

By AFP

Brussels - The EU said Thursday it has launched a new ethics probe after revelations that former competition commissioner Neelie Kroes failed to declare an interest in a Bahamas-based firm when in office.

Dead Frenchwoman hit with tax demand — in her grave

By AFP

Rennes - Combining the old adage about death and taxes, French authorities have sent a demand for property duties to a dead woman -- addressed to her grave in a small town in Brittany.

Denmark pays for Panama Papers data on own citizens

By AFP

Copenhagen - The Danish tax authority said on Thursday it had paid an anonymous source almost six million kroner (0.81 million euros, $0.9 million) for leaked data from the Panama Papers on hundreds of Danes.

Germany's 'James Bond' goes on trial over tax evasion

By AFP

Bochum - Germany's former top spy, Werner Mauss, went on trial Monday accused of hiding some 15 million euros from the tax authorities.

EU seeks 'clarification' from top ex-official over Bahamas link

By AFP

Brussels - The EU on Thursday said it was seeking answers from Neelie Kroes, a former top competition regulator, as to why she had failed to declare an interest in a Bahamas-based firm when in office.