On 1 January 2004 Ukraine woke up to the new personal income tax. A development of the previous individual income taxation, this tax is, if anything more sophisticated. Its novelties will have a lasting impact on many of the tax planning strategies involving individuals. Without attempting a comprehensive analysis of the new tax, this article offers an outline of some of its major implications for tax planning. A ...
Immigration
Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (“BCIS”): * BCIS has announced the availability of electronic filing (e-filing) for two types of applications: Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, and Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization Document. Although many applicants will be eligible to take advantage of the e-filing system, some applicants will still need to make paper filings. Additional e-filing information may be obtained at www.bcis.gov ...
Incoming Call ChargesIn February 2003 the Ukrainian Parliament overruled President Kuchma's December 2002 veto against an amendment to Article 12 of the Communications Law 1995. The amendment prohibits all telecommunications operators from charging their customers for incoming calls. On March 13 2003 the president duly signed the amendment, which will come into effect six months after its official publication (ie, on September 18 2003) ...
On April 9, 2003, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) issued a new rule directing the national securities exchanges and national securities associations to prohibit the listing of any security of a company that is not in compliance with the audit committee requirements mandated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The new rule implements the requirements of Section 10A(m)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) by adding new Exchange Act Rule 10A-3 ...
As seen in Oil & Gas Journal
Department of Homeland Security/Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Service: * BCIS announced plans to implement electronic filing (e-filing) as an option for two of the most commonly submitted immigration applications, the Application to Renew or Replace a “green card” and the Application for Employment Authorization. BCIS plans to launch e-filing for these applications in May 2003 and to further expand e-filing to other applications and petitions in fall 2003 ...
Mobile TeleSystems, Russia's leading mobile communications operator and one of the largest mobile operators in Eastern Europe, has acquired a 57.7% stake in Ukrainian Mobile Communications (UMC), the second largest Ukrainian mobile operator, for €194.2 million. In November 2002 Mobile TeleSystems signed a purchase agreement for 57.7% of UMC's shares. Under the agreement, Mobile TeleSystems was to acquire the 16 ...
Department of Homeland Security/Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Service: * Immigration benefits previously provided by the Department of Justice’s Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) are now the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Service (BCIS). All familiar customer services are to remain in place ...
Department of Justice/Immigration and Naturalization Service: * DOJ’s Immigration and Naturalization Service becomes part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on March 1, 2003. Within the DHS, the Bureau for Citizenship & Immigration Services (BCIS) will handle the immigration benefits function, including employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant petitions and applications for adjustment of status. The new Director of the BCIS is Eduardo Aguirre ...
Reprinted with the permission of the Houston Business Journal
Department of Justice/Immigration and Naturalization Service: * INS has temporarily lowered its filing fees for certain petitions/applications. The fee change is due to a provision of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 requiring the elimination of a surcharge the INS previously attached in order to fund asylum and refugee services, fee exemptions and fee waivers ...
Department of Justice/Immigration and Naturalization Service: * DOJ is implementing the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) to enable the government to track the approximately 35 million non-immigrants who enter the U.S. each year. As part of NSEERS, certain non-immigrants will continue to register at a port-of-entry upon admission to the U.S. Other non-immigrants who were admitted to the U.S ...
Reprinted with permission of Texas Lawyer
Homeland Security Act of 2002: * On November 25, 2002, President Bush signed the “Homeland Security Act of 2002” into law, which establishes the Department of Homeland Security and includes provisions which may significantly alter the visa issuance process at U.S. Consulate/Embassy posts and adjudication of INS petitions. We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available. Department of State: * DOS issued a Worldwide Caution on November 20 reminding the country that U.S ...
Houston American Corporate Counsel Association Chapter, November 8, 2002, Houston, Texas
Department of State: * U.S. Consulate Ciudad Juarez, Mexico will no longer process Third Country National visa applications as of November 1, 2002. Only residents of the consular district and Third Country Nationals with FM2/3 visas will be allowed to apply. * DOS non-immigrant visa application fee will increase to $100.00 effective November 1, 2002 ...
Department of State: * DOS issued a Worldwide Caution on September 9, 2002 advising of the continuing threat of terrorist actions, which may target civilians and include suicide operations. DOS also indicates terrorist groups may seek softer targets including foreign facilities where American citizens are generally known to congregate or visit, such as clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools or outdoor recreation events ...
Department of State: * DOS has released the instructions for the 2004 diversity immigrant visa program. The congressionally mandated program is a lottery for 50,000 permanent residence visas. Applicants must meet strict eligibility criteria. Instructions have been issued by the DOS at www.travel.state.gov/DV2004.html * Jordanians are now eligible for E treaty trader/treaty investor visas upon the basis of reciprocity secured by the United States-Jordan Free Trade Area Implementation Act ...
Every company with operations or sales overseas should carefully consider whether it has effective policies and procedures in place that adequately manage the company’s risks under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”). Recently, The Wall Street Journal reported that Enron Corp. is the target of a new U.S. Department of Justice criminal investigation involving allegations of FCPA violations ...
A reference guide to articles, speeches and presentations created by Allen Cummings ...
Department of State: * Nationals of the twenty-six countries subject to additional DOS consular scrutiny are experiencing lengthy delays in the processing of nonimmigrant visa applications. For example, the U.S. Consulate in Paris is unable to specify how long its additional administrative processing will take for these cases, and the previously indicated time frame of 30 days is no longer applicable ...
Department of State: * DOS indicated it plans to end the visa and passport exemptions for Commonwealth Citizens residing in Canada. Currently, citizens of British Commonwealth countries are not required to obtain nonimmigrant visas to enter the United States and do not need passports if they enter the U.S. from a Western Hemisphere country. New regulations would end the current visa and passport exemptions for these individuals ...
Houston Business Journal Internal Revenue Code section 179 contains an important benefit for small businesses—the ability to completely expense the costs of certain assets. In general, businesses who purchase assets with a useful life of greater than one year are required to depreciate the cost of the property over a number of years. Section 179, however, allows a business to fully expense the cost of certain qualifying property in the year it is purchased ...
In the Fall of 2000, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (the “Federal Circuit”) issued a decision known to patent attorneys as “Festo.” Critics argued that Festo retroactively and severely restricted a patent holder’s rights, while proponents argued that the decision created more certainty when trying to decide whether a patent was infringed, thus significantly reducing the cost of patent litigation ...
