Judge Andre van Niekerk handed down an interesting judgment in the High Court of South Africa (North Gauteng Division) on 30 September 2013.  In my respectful opinion the judgment is insightful and is correct.  The facts are fairly simple.  Miles Plant Hire (Pty) Ltd (MPH) had a tax liability of R37 441 090.59 to the commissioner of the South African Revenue Services (SARS). SARS had levied a tax assessment in this amount on MPH, which included penalties and interest.

Summary of miscellaneous French draft legislation
• Draft law granting amnesty for acts committed in the course of social movements and trade unions' protesting activities – Filed on
November 28, 2012 – Adopted in first reading by the Senate on February 27, 2013 – A vote for a referral to commission was adopted
during the first session on May 16, 2013.
• Draft law relating to social and solidarity-based economy, n°805 – filed on July 24, 2013 – adopted in first reading by the Senate on
November 7, 2013.

Our note provides a high-level guide to securitisation transactions under English law. Written in partnership with Chambers and Partners, it forms the UK-focused section of the Chambers and Partners Global Practice Guide: Securitisation 2020.

This general guide discusses a broad range of topics to provide a helpful overview to those that are looking at a first time securitisation. It also provides guidance on a number of more detailed points to assist with those more experienced in securitisations, including recently regulatory development.

Guidance published by HMRC in its Corporate Finance Manual has recently been updated to reflect a change in practice regarding the corporation tax treatment of debt for equity swaps.

Debt for equity swaps are commonly used in corporate restructuring, particularly when a company is in financial difficulty. They may also be encountered in the termination of joint venture arrangements where, prior to the sale of shares in the joint venture company by one co-venturer to the other, the parties wish to convert any loans made to the company into shares.

Recent regulatory developments of interest to all financial institutions. Includes key COVID-19 updates from the UK FCA, AML/CTF updates and more.

COVID-19: FCA statement on handling of post and paper documents

On 13 May 2020, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a statement on how firms should handle post and paper documents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A recent decision provides new support for excluding a broad range of severance pay from FICA taxes—a position undercut by the taxpayer’s loss in CSX Corp. v. United States, 518 F.3d 1328 (Fed. Cir. 2008). United States v. Quality Stores Inc., (W.D. Mich., Feb. 23, 2010), affirms a bankruptcy court’s conclusion that, contrary to Revenue Ruling 90-72, 1990-2 C.B.

The Great Brexit Debate dentons.com Introduction The UK is now counting down to the 23 June 2016 referendum on whether to stay in or leave the European Union. Dentons summarises the background to this momentous choice, and takes a deeper look at some of the legal issues involved in some key areas that would be impacted by a vote to leave the EU.

Ruling description

In the judgment of August 18, 2015 (case no. II FSK 2510/13) the Supreme Administrative Court confirmed that a registered partnership is excluded from the scope of application of the Capital Duties Directive (69/335/ EEC). Therefore, Restructuring activities in such a company are subject to civil law transactions tax (PCC).

When undergoing a restructuring, a borrower/officeholder's main focus is often the company's lenders. However, there are occasions when HMRC's agreement can be just as key to ensuring any process runs smoothly. In this article, Sonia Jordan and Hayley Çapani discuss some key areas where HMRC's agreement is essential to ensuring a smooth restructuring or insolvency process.

Ruling description

In its judgment of January 15, 2014, the Provincial Administrative Court (WSA) in Warsaw (case no. III SA/Wa 1928/13) ruled that a bankruptcy receiver was not required to correct input tax under the procedure set forth in Art. 89b (1) of the VAT Act (in the version which took effect on January 1, 2013) if the creditor cannot correct output tax under the “bad debt relief” procedure due to the debtor being bankrupt.