Flash News offers the latest information on current tax, accounting, legal and other business issues.
In our Flash News editions of 6 March and 15 May 2020 we said that the EU is planning to simplify the VAT treatment of e-commerce and Latvia is planning to amend the VAT Act on e-commerce. This article explores the progress in adopting these changes and the latest e-commerce developments in the UK.
Collective agreements are a rare occurrence in Latvia, yet they can lay down employment terms such as minimum pay, extra pay and social guarantees applicable to a company in a given industry. These conditions can be enforced whether or not the employer belongs to the main group of employers, so each industry needs to monitor how the social dialogue between employers and workers is progressing. This article explores the significance of collective agreements and their key terms.
The results of a tax audit tend to come as a nasty surprise for the taxpayer. If challenging the tax decision has failed to bring a favourable solution and the option of litigation is not acceptable, the taxpayer can consider reaching a settlement with the SRS to minimise the adverse effects of the tax decision on the taxpayer’s business or financial position.
We wrote a while ago about available corporate income tax (“CIT”) reliefs, including the possibility of deducting provisions made at the end of 2017 from taxable income. This article explores the CIT treatment and issues around a bonus expense accrued at 31 December 2017.
Travel restrictions due to Covid-19 are affecting not only our plans to relax abroad but also trips we take for business purposes. For some workers this means having their regular business trips cancelled and spending more time videoconferencing, while others have their normal place of work changed. We can work from home for foreign as well as local companies. This article explores some aspects of employment income taxation for employees physically working abroad because of pandemic-related restrictions.
An adverse economic environment poses certain difficulties in maintaining transfer pricing (“TP”) policies. However, a global economic crisis does not cancel the requirement that controlled transactions be arm’s length. Following our article on Covid-19 and financial transactions, this one explores some other implications of the pandemic for TP outcomes and provides suggestions for TP analysis.
On 28 September the European Commission announced a new action plan for the Customs Union aimed at making EU Customs smarter, more innovative and more efficient over the next four years. This article explores how these measures are to strengthen the significant role the Customs Union has to play.
On 29 September the Cabinet of Ministers met to debate the Accounting Bill drafted in collaboration with professional organisations and academia. The Bill is to replace the Accounting Act adopted in the early 90s and embrace the latest developments and economic digitalisation. This article explores the proposed amendments and expected changes.
By passing a landmark ruling (C-311/18 Data Protection Commissioner v Facebook Ireland and Maximillian Schrems of 16 July 2020) which emphasises the basic right to privacy when personal data is transferred to third countries, the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) has again confirmed how important it is to maintain a high level of protection of personal data being transferred from the EEA to third countries. The ruling has raised a number of questions about the legal basis for personal data transfers to third countries. As the ruling focuses on transfers to the US, this article explores some of the steps companies should take with the ruling in force.
