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☆ India's high unemployment is a 'ticking bomb,' opposition says as election battle with Modi's BJP heats up
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Vinay Dwivedi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

India's unorganized sector, which is made up of millions of small businesses that are privately owned, make up about 93% of the country's total workforce. As many as 32% of the respondents said increasing unemployment was the key reason why they would not elect the BJP again. India's Labour Ministry did not immediately respond to CNBC's queries pertaining to the country's unemployment situation. Rajan, who was speaking about how to make India an advanced economy at the George Washington University, said: "Unemployment numbers are high, disguised unemployment is even higher. A slowdown in hiring in India's huge information technology sector is also to blame for the lack of well-paying, white-collar jobs.

Persons: Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi, Modi, Gandhi, —, Manmohan Singh, Arun Kumar, Lokniti, joblessness, Kumar, Raghuram Rajan, Rajan Organizations: DELHI, International Labour Organisation, Institute of Human, Goods, Services Tax, Jawahar Lal Nehru, CNBC, ILO, Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress, BJP, Modi, India's Labour Ministry, Former Reserve Bank of India, George Washington University, Labor Locations: India, Bihar, New Delhi

Vipin Kumar | Hindustan Times | Getty ImagesIndia is set to release its interim budget for 2024 on Thursday, ahead of the country's highly anticipated general elections. The interim budget is seen as a stop-gap financial plan during an election year, aimed at meeting immediate financial needs before a new government is formed. Typically, the interim budget won't include big and sweeping policy announcements. Fiscal deficit targetIndia's fiscal deficit stands at 6.4% of gross domestic product for the 2023-2024 financial year. TaxesDon't expect significant shifts in taxation as this is only an interim budget, analysts say.

Persons: Vipin Kumar, Nirmala Sitharaman, Nomura, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Nilesh Shah, Shah, it's, Bathini, Modi, India's Organizations: Hindustan Times, Getty, India, Bharatiya Janata Party, Goldman, Mahindra Asset Management, CNBC, Capital, WealthMills Securities, India's Finance, BJP Locations: New Delhi, India, China, Japan, Germany

☆ Singapore's central bank leaves policy unchanged in first quarterly meeting of 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Photographer: Lionel Ng/Bloomberg via Getty Images Lionel Ng | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesSingapore's central bank left its policy unchanged on Monday in its first quarterly monetary policy decision of 2024, as expected. The central bank strengthens or weakens its currency against those of its main trading partners, thus effectively setting the S$NEER. The central bank estimates core inflation to average between 2.5% and 3.5% in 2024, unchanged from its October forecast. Economists will monitor for clues on when Singapore's central bank will begin to loosen monetary policy. Singapore's central bank ended its policy tightening cycle in April after five consecutive decisions to tighten.

Persons: Lionel Ng, Goldman Sachs, Yun Liu, CNBC's, Liu Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Monetary Authority, Singapore, MAS, U.S . Federal Reserve Locations: Singapore, Central, ASEAN

☆ Indian foodtechs Zomato, Swiggy get notice for $90 mln in unpaid taxes -CNBC TV18
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Indian food delivery company Zomato is seen on its app on a mobile phone displayed in front of its company website in this illustration picture taken July 14, 2021. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBENGALURU, Nov 22 (Reuters) - India's top organization for indirect taxes has issued notices on unpaid taxes worth about 7.5 billion rupees ($90 million) to food delivery companies Zomato (ZOMT.NS) and Swiggy, CNBC-TV18 reported on Wednesday, citing sources. The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has sent a tax demand of more than 4 billion rupees to Zomato and of around 3.5 billion rupees to Swiggy, the report said. Zomato declined to comment, while Swiggy and the DGGI did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. ($1 = 83.2440 Indian rupees)Reporting by Varun Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Florence Lo, Zomato, Varun Vyas, Savio D'Souza Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, CNBC, TV18, GST Intelligence, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

A man walks past an AVIVA logo outside the company's head office in the city of London March 5, 2009. British life insurer Aviva on Thursday said it was maintaining its dividend, soothing concerns the payout could be cut to conserve capital, and reported annual profits that broadly met forecasts. REUTERS/Stephen Hird/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 14 (Reuters) - India's tax inspectors searched the office of British insurance giant Aviva's (AV.L) life insurance unit near New Delhi last week and seized documents as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion, sources familiar with the matter said. In a statement, Aviva Life Insurance, India, told Reuters "we can confirm that GST officials visited our head office site, we are in full cooperation with them." UK's Aviva has a 74% stake in Aviva Life Insurance in India, with the rest owned by India's Dabur Invest Corp. Aviva's life insurance business has a less than 0.5% market share on the basis of first-year premium collections in India.

Persons: Stephen Hird, Asit Rath, Sonali Athalye, UK's, India's Dabur, Aditya Kalra, Sharon Singleton Organizations: AVIVA, Aviva, Goods, Services Tax, Intelligence, Aviva Life Insurance, Reuters, Indian, Companies, Insurance Corporation, Bajaj Allianz, UK's Aviva, India's, India's Dabur Invest Corp, Thomson Locations: London, DELHI, New Delhi, India

☆ Canada optimistic about digital services tax agreement with US
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Canada's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland speaks to journalists on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada September 19, 2023. REUTERS/Blair Gable Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Tuesday she was cautiously optimistic about settling a dispute with the United States about Ottawa's planned digital services tax (DST) on large technology companies. The digital services plan aims to address the challenge of taxing digital giants like Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Amazon.com (AMZN.O) that can book their profits in low-tax countries. The process of negotiating a global tax deal has dragged on, and it was pushed back further in July to allow for more negotiations. Ottawa says not implementing its DST for another year would put Canada at a disadvantage relative to countries that have been collecting revenue under their pre-existing digital services taxes.

Persons: Finance Chrystia Freeland, Blair Gable, Chrystia Freeland, Freeland, Ismail Shakil, Chris Reese, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Finance, REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, Canadian Finance, DST, Thomson Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, United States, U.S, Washington, Ottawa

☆ New Zealand election: Voters goes to the polls in a narrow race
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins at Parliament on July 26, in Wellington, New Zealand. New Zealand National Party leader Christopher Luxon speaks during a National Party campaign rally on October 10 in Wellington, New Zealand. Before becoming prime minister, he was minister of education, minister of police, minister for the public service, and leader of the house. Hipkins’ main contender Luxon is a businessman and former CEO of Air New Zealand who became leader of the National Party in 2021. Voters get two votes on the ballot: one for a candidate in their local constituency and one for the party.

Persons: Jacinda Ardern, Christopher Luxon, Chris Hipkins, Winston Peters, Ardern, Hagen Hopkins, demagogues, Hipkins, Sophia Ha, ” Ha, “, ” Alex Wareham, ”, It’s, Wareham, Luxon Organizations: CNN, National Party, Labour Party, Radio NZ, NZ, Labour, Zealand, New Zealand National Party, Getty, Air New Locations: Zealand, New Zealand, Hipkins ., Wellington , New Zealand, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland, Sydney, United States, United Kingdom, Covid, Air New Zealand, New

He said the 393.8 billion ringgit ($83.3 billion) budget is aimed at fixing economic imbalances and helping people to cope with rising cost of living amid a global economic slowdown. This year, for instance, he said government subsidies and social assistance surged to 81 billion ringgit ($17 billion) as global commodity prices rose. For 2024, the government allocated 52.8 billion ringgit ($11.2 billion). Anwar said the government will introduce a 5%-10% tax on luxury goods such as jewelry and watches, as well as a 10% capital gains tax next year to expand its revenue base. Tourists will be exempt from the tax on luxury goods, he said.

Persons: Anwar Ibrahim, Anwar, ” Organizations: — Locations: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, — Malaysia

☆ New Zealand's economy poses challenge for election victor
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Christopher Luxon, Leader of the National Party, speaks at the New Zealand National Party’s election campaign launch in Auckland, New Zealand, September 3, 2023. That will stiffen the challenge for the nation's two major parties, the centre-left Labour Party and the centre-right National Party, to deliver its agenda where rising prices and government debt have been hot-button election issues. At the same time government borrowing costs are increasing and the country’s ballooning current account deficit poses a risk to the country’s credit rating. Kelly Eckhold, chief economist at Westpac New Zealand said tough fiscal choices face an incoming government. ($1 = 1.6551 New Zealand dollars)Reporting by Lucy Craymer Editing by Shri NavaratnamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Christopher Luxon, David Rowland, won’t, Kelly Eckhold, ”, Lucy Craymer, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: National Party, New Zealand National, REUTERS, Rights, Labour Party, Bank, Bank of New, National, Statistics New Zealand, Reserve Bank of New, Labour, NZ, Westpac New Zealand, Zealand, Thomson Locations: Auckland , New Zealand, Bank of New Zealand, New Zealand, Zealanders, Reserve Bank of New Zealand

☆ OECD publishes treaty that would replace national digital taxes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ian Langsdon/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published a multilateral treaty on Wednesday that would replace a hodge-podge of national digital services taxes if ratified by enough countries. If ratified, the treaty requires that countries that have, or are planning, national digital services taxes drop them. Washington is particularly sensitive to that issue as many of such taxes were put in place to target big U.S. digital companies such as Google, Amazon and Apple. To enter into force, the 30 countries home to at least 60% of the affected multinational companies have to ratify the treaty, which means that the U.S. has to be on board. OECD head of tax Manal Corwin said failure to ratify the text could lead to "grave consequences" and not only because it could trigger a proliferation in the use of digital services taxes and trade retaliation.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Mathias Cormann, Ian Langsdon, Corwin, Leigh Thomas, Mark Potter Organizations: Organization for Economic Cooperation, Development, Rights, Economic Cooperation, Apple, OECD, Thomson Locations: OECD's, Paris, France, United States, U.S, Washington

☆ New Zealand's Economy Poses Challenge for Election Victor
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

That will stiffen the challenge for the nation's two major parties, the centre-left Labour Party and the centre-right National Party, to deliver its agenda where rising prices and government debt have been hot-button election issues. “The Reserve Bank will need the government to do its bit if it is to cap the cash rate at the 5.5% it currently suggests,” analysts at Bank of New Zealand said in a note. DEBT, AND MORE DEBTThe biggest challenge for many New Zealanders is mortgage rates. At the same time government borrowing costs are increasing and the country’s ballooning current account deficit poses a risk to the country’s credit rating. Kelly Eckhold, chief economist at Westpac New Zealand said tough fiscal choices face an incoming government.

Persons: Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON, won’t, Kelly Eckhold, ”, Lucy Craymer, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Reuters, Labour Party, National Party, Bank, Bank of New, National, Statistics New Zealand, Reserve Bank of New, Labour, NZ, Westpac New Zealand, Zealand Locations: Bank of New Zealand, New Zealand, Zealanders, Reserve Bank of New Zealand

☆ India cuts GST on molasses to 5%, says some millet products exempt
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

NEW DELHI, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Top officials on India's Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on Saturday said some millet products would be exempted from the levy, and that the GST on molasses would be cut to 5% from 28%. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the council had decided to exempt GST on some millet flour products, on which it currently stands at 18%. The council, which includes the federal finance minister and state finance ministers, has also approved a 5% GST rate for millet sold in prepackaged and labelled form. Sitharaman said she hoped the cut to GST on molasses would benefit sugarcane farmers. Reporting by Nikunj Ohri; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nirmala Sitharaman, Sitharaman, Nikunj Ohri, Jan Harvey Organizations: India's Goods, Services Tax, Thomson Locations: DELHI, prepackaged

☆ India's Adani Group to build 10 GW solar manufacturing capacity by 2027 - ET
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of the Adani Group is seen on the facade of its Corporate House on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, January 27, 2023. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBENGALURU, Oct 2 (Reuters) - India's Adani Group plans to build 10 gigawatts (GW) of integrated solar manufacturing by 2027, more than double its current capacity, the Economic Times reported, citing news agency PTI. The conglomerate owned by Indian billionaire Gautam Adani produces solar photovoltaic cells or solar PVs through Adani Solar, with a manufacturing capacity of 4 GW. Adani Solar has confirmed orders worth over 3,000 megawatts (MW), the report said, citing sources. India's current annual solar panel manufacturing capacity of 32 GW per annum falls short of the required 52 GW.

Persons: Amit Dave, Gautam Adani, Nandan Mandayam, Shailesh Organizations: Adani, REUTERS, Rights, Economic Times, PTI, Barclays, Deutsche Bank AG, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, Bengaluru

☆ Indian shares struggle on weak global cues, higher crude prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Sethuraman N R | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsBENGALURU, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Indian shares struggled to add to initial gains on Thursday as weakness in global equities markets over fears of higher interest rates and surging crude prices weighed. "Despite the correction, India has still outperformed the global markets.. But, we are also seeing many emerging risks like higher crude prices and depreciation in rupee," said Samrat Dasgupta, chief executive at Esquire Capital Investment Advisors. Crude prices, which rose 3% overnight will hurt India, the world's third-largest importer, which is also reeling under lower-than-expected monsoon rains, triggering inflation risks. Among sectoral indexes, information technology stocks (.NIFTYIT) fell 0.8%, metals (.NIFTYMET) gained 0.6%, while the public sector banks (.NIFTYPSU) climbed 0.9%.

Persons: Francis Mascarenhas, Samrat Dasgupta, Esquire's Dasgupta, Sohini Goswami, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: Bombay Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Rights, BSE, Esquire Capital Investment Advisors, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Oil India, ICICI Lombard, Sethuraman NR, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, Bengaluru

☆ India's banking system liquidity deficit jumps to over 4-year high
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Dharamraj Dhutia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India’s banking system liquidity deficit is at its widest in over four years ago, amid tax outflows and the lack of any major inflows, traders said on Wednesday. REUTERS/Hemanshi Kamani/File PhotoBanking system liquidity deficit jumped to 1.47 trillion rupees ($17.67 billion) as on September 18, the highest single day shortfall since April 23, 2019, while banks have borrowed a record 1.97 trillion rupees from the central bank’s Marginal Standing Facility window. Advance tax payments took place last week, while outflows towards Goods and Services tax will be completed by Wednesday, with bankers estimating aggregate outflows of up to 2.50 trillion rupees. Moreover, “another drain on rupee liquidity could be from RBI’s (Reserve Bank of India) FX intervention if depreciation pressures on the rupee persist,” said Gaura Sen Gupta, an economist with IDFC First Bank. The liquidity deficit will, however, narrow towards the end of this month and the beginning of October as government spending picks up and the I-CRR is completely wound down.

Persons: Hemanshi, ”, Gaura Sen Gupta, Upasna Bhardwaj Organizations: REUTERS, Goods, Services, Reserve Bank of India, IDFC, Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank Locations: MUMBAI, India, RBI’s

☆ India minister to propose higher diesel vehicle tax, warns automakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Aditi Shah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A worker switches on a fuel pump before filling a car with diesel at a fuel station in New Delhi September 13, 2012. REUTERS/Mansi Thapliyal/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Sept 12 (Reuters) - India's road transport minister, Nitin Gadkari, on Tuesday said he will propose an additional 10% tax on diesel vehicles and warned automakers of even higher levies to cripple their ability to sell such high-polluting vehicles. Gadkari said he will later in the day ask the finance minister for an "additional 10%" goods and services tax on diesel vehicles to tackle problems related to pollution. The Indian government currently imposes a 28% tax on diesel cars and an additional so-called "cess" is levied depending on the vehicles' engine capacity. Shares in Indian automakers Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra, Ashok Leyland (ASOK.NS), and Eicher Motors (EICH.NS) fell between 1.5% and 4.5%.

Persons: Mansi, Nitin Gadkari, Gadkari, Maruti Suzuki, Ashok Leyland, Aditi Shah, Tanvi Mehta, Christian Schmollinger, Tom Hogue Organizations: REUTERS, New, Tata Motors, Mahindra, Maruti, Volkswagen, automakers Tata Motors, Eicher Motors, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, DELHI, India

☆ Canada plans incentives to ease housing burden, CBC reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Lars Hagberg/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 10 (Reuters) - Canada's Housing Minister Sean Fraser is evaluating a wide range of options as he looks to ease the housing crisis in the country, CBC reported on Sunday. "There's a range (of incentives) that we're considering right now. Some could include potential tax incentives for builders to build. Some could include other low-cost financing arrangements," the report quoted Fraser as saying in an interview to CBC. Fraser is also considering removing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on affordable housing projects and dedicating federal lands to rental housing, the report added.

Persons: Lars Hagberg, Sean Fraser, Fraser, Anirudh, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, Canada's, CBC, Goods, Services Tax, Thomson Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, Bengaluru

☆ New Zealand plans digital services tax for multinationals from 2025
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 29 (Reuters) - New Zealand said on Tuesday it would introduce legislation for a digital services tax on large multinational companies from 2025 after talks for a global rollout did not reach consensus at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). But the proposal was pushed back last month after countries with digital services taxes, with the exception of Canada, agreed to hold off applying them for at least another year. The proposed digital services tax will target multinational businesses that earn income from New Zealand users of social media platforms, search engines, and online marketplaces. The tax would be payable by businesses that make over 750 million euros ($812 million) a year from global digital services and over NZ$3.5 million a year from digital services provided to New Zealand users. The tax would be applied at 3% on gross taxable New Zealand digital services revenue, a similar rate adopted by comparable countries like France and the United Kingdom.

Persons: David Gray, Grant Robertson, Renju Jose, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Organization for Economic Cooperation, Development, Apple, Finance, Kiwis, NZ, Thomson Locations: Wellington, New Zealand, Canada, Zealand, France, United Kingdom, Sydney

☆ Americas - Latest News and Analysis from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Warns of Trade Fight Over Canada’s Digital-Tax PlanCanada plans to impose a digital-services tax at the start of 2024, even as other countries agree to delay global tech tax accord until 2025.

Organizations: Tax, Canada

☆ Singapore downgrades GDP outlook, avoids recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Chen Lin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Goss domestic product (GDP) expanded a seasonally-adjusted 0.1% quarter-on-quarter in April to June, slower than 0.3% growth seen in the government's advance estimate. Manufacturing will remain weak, dampened by a protracted downturn in electronics, while finance and insurance sectors will likely be subdued, MTI said. The ministry narrowed its GDP growth forecast to 0.5% to 1.5% this year from 0.5% to 2.5% previously. Analysts are expecting no change to monetary policy at MAS's October meeting, despite cooling momentum. MAS left its policy settings unchanged in April, after tightening five times in a row since October 2021, reflecting concerns over the city-state's growth outlook.

Persons: Feline, Goss, MTI, Yong Yik Wei, Brian Tan, Chen Lin, Tom Westbrook, Kanupriya Kapoor, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Port, REUTERS, MAS, Ministry of Trade and Industry, The Straits Times, Monetary Authority, Singapore's, Barclays, Thomson Locations: Port of Singapore, MTI, SINGAPORE, Singapore, Asia

☆ India gives partial relief on tax to online gaming firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Nikunj Ohri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Aug 2 (Reuters) - India has decided to levy taxes on online gaming companies on the total funds deposited to play online games and not on every bet, federal Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday, offering some relief to the industry. Last month, India decided to impose a 28% tax on funds that online gaming companies collect from their customers for every bet, shocking the nascent $1.5 billion industry which is backed by global investors. More than 100 gaming companies and top investors like Top Tiger Global and Peak XV, previously known as Sequoia Capital India, wrote to government asking it to reconsider the decision. Sitharaman said the government aims to impose the tax from Oct. 1 and a review of the decision would be undertaken in the next six months. Some industry watchers said the 28% tax is still higher for smaller players to survive.

Persons: Nirmala Sitharaman, Sitharaman, Sudipta Bhattacharjee, Nikunj Ohri, Jan Harvey, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Top Tiger, Sequoia Capital, Goods, Services Tax Council, Sitharaman, Khaitan, Thomson Locations: DELHI, India, Sequoia Capital India

☆ India tax council to meet on Aug 2 to finalise online gaming tax - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, July 26 (Reuters) - India's Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council will meet on Aug. 2 to decide on a 28% tax on funds that online gaming companies and casinos collect from customers, and finalise other rules, a government official said on Wednesday. The official asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media. The Finance Ministry and GST Council Secretariat did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Since the government first announced its plan for the tax on July 11, the gaming industry and its investors have asked it to review the decision, which will increase the tax burden on both companies and consumers. This would be taken into account when a final decision is taken by the GST Council, Malhotra told NDTV.

Persons: Nirmala Sitharaman, Narendra Modi, Sanjay Malhotra, Malhotra, Nikunj Ohri, Savio D'Souza Organizations: Goods, Services Tax, India's, Finance Ministry, Tiger, Steadview, NDTV, Thomson Locations: DELHI

OTTAWA, July 18 (Reuters) - Canada on Tuesday defended its decision to push ahead with its implementation of digital services taxes starting next year, citing national interest even as Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland expressed hope in reaching an international consensus. Ottawa refused, saying an extension of the freeze would disadvantage Canada relative to governments that have been collecting revenue under their pre-existing tax regimes. Ottawa's new levy would see a 3% tax on revenue earned by large technology companies in Canada. The process of launching such taxes has dragged on, and the governments planning national digital services taxes had agreed to put them on ice until the end of this year or drop them altogether once the first pillar of the deal takes effect in 2025 or later. Freeland said Canada was already in the process of implementing the second pillar, which calls on governments to set a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15% in 2024.

Persons: Chrystia Freeland, Freeland, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, David Ljunggren, Matthew Lewis, Susan Heavey Organizations: OTTAWA, Apple, Ottawa, Thomson Locations: Canada, New Delhi, India, Ottawa

OTTAWA, July 18 (Reuters) - Canada sees a path forward in reaching international consensus on digital services taxes, and a decision to not back a global agreement on freezing the implementation of domestic taxes was taken in the national interest, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Tuesday. Last week, most countries with planned digital services taxes agreed to hold off applying them for at least a year longer than what was agreed initially as a global tax deal to replace local taxes was pushed back. Ottawa did not back that deal to extend, saying such a delay would put Canada at a disadvantage relative to countries that have been collecting revenue under their pre-existing digital services taxes. Freeland, in India to attend G7 and G20 meetings, said she had good conversations about finding a path forward on digital services taxes. More than 140 countries were supposed to start implementing next year a 2021 deal overhauling decades-old rules on how governments tax multinational companies.

Persons: Chrystia Freeland, Freeland, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, David Ljunggren, Matthew Lewis Organizations: OTTAWA, Finance, Ottawa, Apple, Thomson Locations: Canada, New Delhi, Freeland, India, Ottawa

☆ US trade group blasts Canada for refusal to extend digital services tax freeze
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, July 13 (Reuters) - The U.S.-based National Foreign Trade Council on Thursday blasted Canada for its refusal to back a global agreement to hold off on implementing digital services taxes for at least another year, and said the move could invite retaliation. NFTC President Jake Colvin said he welcomed news from the OECD that most countries with digital services taxes had agreed to extend the moratorium on implementation. He also said the move would allow countries to keep working a global tax deal in good faith. "Canada joined Belarus, Russia and a small handful of others in not joining because they seem to want to move forward quickly with their digital services tax," Colvin said. Colvin said Washington could retaliate under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement if Canada went ahead and implemented the new tax.

Persons: Jake Colvin, Colvin, We're, Chrystia Freeland, Washington, Katherine Tai, Mary Ng, Andrea Shalal, Anna Driver Organizations: Foreign Trade, OECD, Canadian Finance, U.S, . Trade, Canadian Trade, Thomson Locations: U.S, Canada, Belarus, Russia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

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