With two Congressional Decrees approved in February and March 2012 (“Ley Antievasión II” (Decree 4-2012), and “Ley de Actualización Tribuaria” (Decree 10-2012) respectively), Congress introduces several reforms to the Guatemalan Tax System through extensive amendments to the Tax Code (“Código Tributario”) and other tax laws. The most notorious and substantial reforms affect the VAT Law, the Tobacco Tax Law, the Tax Code, and Income Tax Law ...
Managing General Agent (“MGA”) Agreements are unique and can be exceedingly complex. They often include detailed underwriting guidelines and strict limits on an MGA’s authority. After all, an MGA is authorized to bind an insurer on substantial risks often with little direct supervision by the insurer. While no two MGA Agreements are the same, all must incorporate certain required provisions. The NAIC has promulgated the Managing General Agents’ Act (NAIC Model No ...
Parallel debt is a legal concept applied in international financing transactions that involve multiple lenders. In order to simplify the administration of security (for example, to avoid the need for retaking or reregistering security for a fluctuating group of lenders) and to reduce costs, the banks select a single entity from among them to administer the security ...
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) are currently consulting on changes to the definition of type 9 regulated activity that will affect all Hong Kong asset managers who use over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives in their portfolios. The consultation ends on 31 August. We encourage you to read the consultation paper ...
On August 2, 2012, the Court of Appeal rendered a major decision on professional liability insurance1. As a result of this ruling, insureds and insurers alike should review the wording of such policies, especially gross fault exclusions and the definition of "professional activities". The ruling is also noteworthy for its treatment of apportionment of liability between the professional and the client ...
Under what condition will an offshore trust still fall within your government’s tax net? Offshore trusts may be established and managed in many jurisdictions. In most countries personal taxation is based on residence. The question often asked is what the residency of an offshore trust established by a resident of a certain country is. In the case recently reported in Canada “Fundy settlement, Canada, 2012 SCC 14” (Tim Gestnick – The Globe and Mail Apr ...
No, it is not a nice Mediterranean dish! The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) is the newest piece of legislation from the US which should ensure and enforce the correct declaration and payment of taxes owed by US tax payers. The bill was passed in March 2010 whereupon the proposed regulations were presented on February 8th, 2012. The act should come into effect through several steps from January 1st, 2013 to January 1st, 2017 when full reporting requirements will be in force ...
Geography, History & Economy The country of Belize is located on the Caribbean coast of northern Central America. Bordered to the North by Mexico, South and West by Guatemala and East by the Caribbean Sea, Belize forms part of Central America and the Caribbean ...
Although Cyprus usually tends to be associated with company formation (in an international tax planning context), Cyprus has an efficient trust legislation in force. The latest legal reform of trusts has enhanced the appeal of Cyprus International Trust (CIT) to both professionals and high net-worth individuals.Legislation and Legal Requirements CITs used to be governed by the International Trusts Law of 1992 ...
The Securities Act [SA] allows the Autorité des marchés financiers [the “AMF”] to order investigations to ensure compliance with the SA and to repress contraventions which may be committed1. This is the context in which the Court of Appeal handed down a decision2 on June 22, 2012 going to the very heart of the role played by the AMF’s investigators and the scope of their powers during examinations conducted in connection with an investigation ...
On April 20, 2012, Justice Mongeon of the Quebec Superior Court rendered an important decision in the restructuring of the White Birch Paper Company ("White Birch")1. The judgment could have a lasting effect on CCAA Jurisprudence in Quebec since it deals with issues relating to the pension plans of insolvent companies and the applicability of an important decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal in Quebec ...
The LA CAPITALE Ruling has been expected since 2009, when the Superior Court authorized a Class Action against an insureer who had unilateraly modified the Waiver of Premiums Clause in a group insurance contract in 2001 ...
In a unanimous decision rendered on June 22nd , the Supreme Court of Canada confirms the principles previously established by the Court of Appeal: Quebec’s Automobile Insurance Act1 (“Act”) must be given a large and liberal interpretation. In this case, the Court confirms that the mere use of a vehicle as a means of transportation will be sufficient for the Act to apply even if the vehicle is not the cause of the accident ...
The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) issued its conclusions on its proposals in relation to the establishment of a financial dispute resolution centre and to amend the Code of Conduct (Code) on 21 May 2012 and the conclusions are available on the SFC website: http://www.sfc.hk/sfc/doc/EN/speeches/consult/Conclusions_Paper_FDRC_21May2012_EN.pdf On 19 June 2012 the SFC released the revised version of the Code which can be accessed here: http://www.sfc ...
On April 16, 2012 the Swedish government submitted the 2012 spring budget to parliament. On the same day, the Ministry of Finance released a memorandum with proposed changes to tax legislation, which was sent for consideration. It is proposed that most of the changes come into effect on January 1, 2013. Below you will find a short summary of the key changes in the memorandum ...
In a previous newsletter (no. 1, April 2012) we described the Swedish government’s proposal on limitation of interest deductions. The bill was circulated for comments, which has now resulted in an amended proposal which, as a whole, follows the initial proposal. The most significant change in the amended bill concerns the reversed general exemption ...
LAST JUNE WE DISCUSSED THE COURT OF APPEAL DECISION IN STONEHAVEN COUNTY CLUB1, WHICH DEALT WITH THE APPLICATION OF SECTION 139 BIA TO A CLAIM BY INVESTISSEMENT QUEBEC.2 THE COURT OF APPEAL HAS RULED ON THE SCOPE OF THIS SECTION ONCE AGAIN ...
In recent public speeches and correspondence, senior officials at the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) have provided details regarding an examination strategy that will be applied to newly-registered investment advisers.1 Under this strategy, a new registrant may be subject to examination by the SEC as early as this coming fall. Accordingly, newly-registered advisers should be proactive and prepare to respond to SEC document and information requests ...
On 6 June 2012, the European Commission announced new crisis management measures to deal effectively on a cross border basis and in a harmonised manner with any future bank crisis ...
Contents: The Trust: An Efficient Asset Protection Tool? Amendments to the Obligations of Employers Hiring Foreign Workers – One Year Later: Are You Ready for Service Canada’s Verification? Did You Know? Trustee’s Tax Liability THE TRUST: AN EFFICIENT ASSET PROTECTION TOOL? Valérie Boucher [email protected] In the last few years, trusts have been growing in popularity among business people, including as an asset protection mechanism ...
The Registrar of Companies (ROC) has introduced an annual government licence fee of €350. The government licence fee for 2011 was payable by 31 December 2011. From 2012 onwards the government licence fee will need to be paid by 30 June of that year.Companies which are dormant and/or do not own any assets are exempt from this licence fee ...
The notion of insurable interest is funa mental to insurance law as it is at the very heart of the validity of this contract. The lack of insurable interest leads to the nillity of the insurance policy and justifies the insurer's refusal to indemnify its insured1. In a decision rendered on March 2, 2012, the Court of Appeal upheld a judgment of the Superior Court2, where an insurer refused to indemnify the insured, raising its lack of interest in the property3 ...
On the 27th of February 2012, the Montenegrin Parliament enacted amendments to the Law on Corporate Income Tax, the Law on Personal Income Tax and the Law on Contributions for Mandatory Social Security Contributions. These amendments were published in the Official Gazette of Montenegro no. 14/12 dated the 7th of March 2012 and came into force that same day.I ...
The Securities and Futures (Amendment) Ordinance 2012 ("Amendment Ordinance"), except Part 2 of which in relation to disclosure of inside information, comes into operation as it is published in Gazette on 4 May 2012. The Amendment Ordinance has introduced several regulatory initiatives which will be discussed in brief details below ...
Contents: Recourses Seeking Rectification Under the New Business Corporations Act; You Do Business in a Province Other than Quebec: Are You Required to Register Yourself?; Resale Prices and Authorized Distributors: a Synopsis; France Arms Itself Against Trusts ...
