Recently I’ve received a number of queries relating to the Irish tax treatment of CFDs or Contracts for Difference. Although the information available is plentiful and appears to be straight forward, it’s important to be aware that each situation is different and as a result the tax treatment may vary considerably.

Firstly, what is a Contract for Difference?

Essentially it’s a contract between two parties i.e. the investor and the CFD Provider. At the close of the contract, the parties exchange the difference between the opening and closing prices of a specified financial instrument, including individual equities, currencies, commodities, market indices, market sectors, etc. In other words, two parties take opposing positions on the difference between the opening and closing value of a contract i.e. the price Read More

This is a ten-part Worldwide Tax Blog Series on a cross section of amendments in the Irish Tax System and a general overview:

Universal Social Charge – Part 1

The Remittance Basis for Income Tax – Part 2

The Remittance Basis for Capital Gains Tax – Part 3

Taxation of Certain Social Welfare Benefits – Part 4

Mortgage Interest Relief – Part 5

Donations To Approved Bodies – Part 6

Farm Restructuring Relief – Part 7

FATCA – The US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act – Part 8

Close Company Surcharge – Part 9

Stamp Duty – Part 10

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6. DONATIONS TO APPROVED BODIES

Prior to the Finance Act 2013, tax relief for donations was given in two ways:

1.  The self employed individuals and companies received a tax deduction for donations made to approved bodies subject to certain conditions.
2.  PAYE workers (employees paid through the PAYE system) did not obtain a tax deduction.  Instead the approved body applied to Revenue for a repayment as if the PAYE worker had made the donation net of tax at the individual’s marginal tax rate i.e. 41%.

The new provisions have resulted in: Read More

TaxConnections Picture - Africa Money and Flag XSmallTax year-end in South Africa, for smaller companies and all individuals, is on the last day of February 2013.

In terms of the collection process, South African Revenue Services (SARS or the equivalent of IRS and HMRC, the competent taxing authority in SA)  expects all provisional taxpayers to be either 80% or 90% correct in the end February provisional tax estimate, compared to the final assessment or IT34.

Irrelevant I hear the expats shout, as non-resident taxpayers face withholding taxes and are not required to pay provisional tax. True, I agree but non-resident for purpose of the provisional tax exemption, refers to a person that is either actually tax non-resident or was never tax resident and to a person exclusively tax resident of another country in terms of an applicable double tax treaty.

SA expats residing in the USA relying on anything less than a green card is probably exclusively tax resident in South Africa, as the SA Expats in Australia are exclusively SA tax resident (normally) until they receive a Permanent Residence (PR) Permit. The USA PR obviously is the green card and most others are not adequate to change the tax treaty tie breaker outcome. Read More