The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore has updated its guidance on the introduction from January 1, 2020, of an obligation on Singaporean taxpayers to collect GST on imported services under a reverse charge.

The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) has reported that revenues increased by 4.4 percent in the 2018-2019 fiscal year, in its annual report for the year.

Singapore is to add provisions to draft legislation to enhance the new GST regime for imported services and clarify new rules for virtual currencies.

Singapore and Germany have signed a protocol to their double taxation agreement, which brings the treaty into line with international standards and amends the maximum withholding tax rates that may be charged.

The remaining eleven signatories to the Trans Pacific Partnership pact have agreed to seek an accord without the United States.

China has made a number of announcements on anti-dumping duty orders, including to launch an investigation into US, Korean, and Taiwanese exports of styrene, which is used to manufacture plastics and resins.

Malaysia's controversial tourism tax looks set to be introduced on August 1, according to reports.

Following agreement reached by the remaining signatories to the Trans-Pacific Partnership earlier this year to push ahead following US President Donald Trump's withdrawal of the United States from the pact, Japan has taken the lead with regard to formulating a plan B for the agreement.

The European Free Trade Association, which comprises Liechtenstein, Iceland, Switzerland, and Norway, intends to take forward free trade negotiations with India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Ecuador this year.

Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai revealed on July 19 that the Government is considering introducing a more modern, innovative way of levying road tax.

Malaysia is to use targeted tax breaks to support certain industries in this year's budget and in particular small and medium sized businesses, according to a government minister.

Malaysia has decided to keep the crude palm oil export duty at 5.5 percent next month, despite higher Indian taxes on imports, which are expected to dent demand.

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) has called on the Malaysian Government to reintroduce inheritance tax in the Budget 2018.

Canada and representatives from the ASEAN member states have agreed to launch exploratory discussions to determine the potential for a free trade agreement.

Canada's Revenue Minister has provided an update on the progress made by the Government in addressing tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance.

Hong Kong has announced the conclusion of free trade agreement negotiations with the Association of South East Asian Nations.

Malaysian authorities are developing draft legislation to level the tax playing field between online retailers and domestic bricks and mortar retailers.

The Malaysian Government in its Budget 2018 announced numerous tax changes, including an income tax cut, incentives for women to return to work, and tax relief for property investors and venture capital firms.

Muhammad bin Ibrahim, the Governor of the Central Bank of Malaysia, has stressed the need for Labuan to review its international tax framework in light of the OECD's work on Action 5 of the base erosion and profit shifting project, on harmful tax practices.

The Australian Government has said that it intends to extend its network of free trade agreements, as part of its new foreign policy agenda.

Prime Minister Najib Razak has defended the Government's decision to introduce a goods and services tax, claiming that the levy "saved" Malaysia from the fall in oil prices.

Malaysia's Inland Revenue Board on January 11, 2018, released guidelines on applying for the resolution of double tax cases through the Mutual Agreement Procedure.

On March 26, 2018, Malaysia's tax agency announced that businesses can newly challenge late-payment penalties in respect of goods and services tax (GST) via the tax agency's online portal.

Malaysia has suspended its MSC Malaysia tax regime, pending changes to bring it into line with recommendations from the OECD's Base Erosion and Profit Shifting initiative.

The Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia has released new guidance on restrictions to the deductibility of interest expenses.

Franklin Templeton: The fund house has not given any clear indication about the possible timeline within which it will liquidate all its investments and return investors' money

Experts believe there was already a visible turnaround in the pharma sector, both on the domestic as well as on the exports side even before any traces of COVID-19

Besides lending against securities held by MFs, banks have been allowed by the RBI to do outright purchase of more than 25 per cent of Hold Till Maturity (HTM) securities in mutual funds portfolios in the absence of liquidity in the secondary market

Franklin Templeton Debt crisis: FT investors can hope to get better realisation of their locked investment if the market sentiment improves

Observing the need gap, two start-ups LazyPay and Spocto have launched products that will help you figure if you require the moratorium or not

The crisis served as a wake-up call for banks whose digital operations were growing at a snail's pace. They have started embracing the change

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The lesson here is don't marry your stocks. If your original investment thesis fails, you shouldn't shy away from exiting your positions

Coronavirus news: Fears ran amok that Franklin Templeton closing its six debt mutual fund schemes may trigger outflows from debt mutual funds. However, net outflows were only seen in credit risk and medium duration categories

Lack of emergency funds will force you to either go for distress selling of your investments or high-cost borrowing, which will jeopardise all your future goals. One should ideally have an emergency fund which can take care of at least 6 months of expenses

When you approach a lender for loan against mutual fund, it fixes a loan-to-value (LTV) ratio against it. It varies from one lender to another as per risk involved in the MF scheme and regulatory caps fixed by the RBI

The International Monetary Fund has recommended that the United States raise indirect taxes to boost revenues, to offset the cost of recent tax cuts and spending increases.

A number of incentives have been included in the Finnish Government's 2019 Budget to encourage investment in the shares of both small and listed companies.

The OECD and the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development have finalized three practice notes intended to support resource-rich developing countries to protect their tax bases from erosion and profit shifting.

On March 6, 2019, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an Accounting Standards Update that is intended to help organizations align their accounting for production costs for films and episodic content produced for television and streaming services.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has said that France should prioritize tax cuts following the conclusion of a three-month national consultation on the Government's economic and tax policies.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced on April 30, 2019, that plans for reductions in personal and corporate income tax will be released by the Government in June 2019.

The IMF has welcomed Luxembourg's efforts to meet international tax standards but cautioned that international tax reform could hit the country's tax base.

On May 26, 2019, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law the Carbon Tax Act No 15 of 2019, which came into effect on June 1, 2019, as announced by the Minister of Finance in the 2019 Budget.

On May 31, 2019, the Hungarian Ministry of Finance announced numerous tax cuts as part of an economic growth plan.

Hungary's 2020 Budget law is before parliament for approval. Most tax-related proposals would become effective from the start of 2020.

A group of 21 Republican members of the US Senate have signed a letter to the Treasury Secretary urging him to amend how capital gains tax liability is calculated.

United States President Donald Trump said on August 20, 2019, that the administration is considering additional tax cuts to help maintain economic growth.

On September 10, 2019, German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz presented to the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, the Government's draft Budget for 2020, which includes tax reduction measures.

On September 17, 2019, Dutch State Secretary for Finance Menno Snel presented the Government's 2020 Tax Plan to the House of Representatives. It includes revised plans for corporate tax cuts.