commercial
Cyprus has concluded numerous Double Tax Agreements whilst certain other agreements are pending enforcement. The main purpose of these treaties is the avoidance of double taxation on income earned in any of these countries. Under these agreements, a credit is usually allowed against the tax levied by the country in which the taxpayer resides for…
Cyprus Parliament has enacted legislation providing for the partial write-off of interest and penalties on overdue tax, provided that the balance is settled by the 31 March 2012. The newly enacted legislation applies to individuals and companies alike and affords a waiver of interest and penalties in excess of 5% of the principal amount owed.…
The Cyprus Parliament unanimously passed a bill on the 3.11.2011 suspending the payment of property transfer fees on properties subject to VAT for a period of 6 months. The bill also provided that the property transfer fee for purchases not subject to VAT will be reduced by 50% of the current level for the same…
A 35% income tax rate has been introduced for taxable income in excess of €60,000. The tax bands and rates are therefore now as follows: ChargeableIncomeEUR € TaxRates% TaxAmountEUR € CumulativeTaxEUR € 0-19.500 0 _ _ 19.501-28.000 20 1.700 1.700 28.001-36.300 25 2.075 3.775 36.301 – €60,000 30 7.110 10.885 over €60,001 35 …
On the 26 August 2011 the House of Representatives approved legislation aimed at stimulating the local property market. The legislation passed provides that eligible persons will be subject to a lower VAT rate of 5% on the purchase or construction of a first residence. The rate will apply for the first 200 square meters of…
On the 19th July 2011, Luxembourg’s Finance Minister Luc Frieden conducted an official visit to Cyprus. According to the Luxembourg government Mr Frieden exchanged views with his Cypriot counterpart Charilaos Stavrakis, on recent developments in their respective financial sectors and on European and national legislation in this area. Within this context, Cyprus and Luxembourg agreed…
The Qatar Exchange and the Cyprus Stock Exchange signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the 6th of June 2011 . The purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding was to formalize cooperation between the two markets. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Mr. Andre Went, CEO of Qatar Exchange and by Mr Epaminondas Metaxas, CEO…
The European Commission has formally requested Cyprus to amend its legislation on depreciation scales for the calculation of excise duties on second-hand motorcycles because the current rules discriminate against imported motorcycles. Under current Cypriot legislation, owners of second-hand motorcycles have to pay an excise duty depending on the depreciation of these vehicles, i.e. their loss…
Following a three-year investigation by the European Commission, called “purity”, Unilever and Procter & Gamble have been fined a total of 315m euros for fixing washing powder prices in eight European countries between 2002 to 2005. The cartel covered Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands. The investigation followed a tip-off by…
On the 18.02.2011, the Republic of Cyprus and the Federal Republic of Germany executed an updated agreement for the avoidance of double taxation on income and capital. The new agreement replaces the existing tax agreement of 1974. The agreement was signed in Nicosia, by Cyprus Minister of Finance Charilaos Stavrakis and German AmbassadorGottfried Zeitz. The…