Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore South East Asia Panel Country developments www.taxand.com Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Indonesian Scenario Permana Adi Saputra Taxand Indonesia www.taxand.com Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Tax Challenges in an Age of Scrutiny Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Tax Challenges in an Age of Scrutiny Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Tax Avoidance, Tax Audit, and Tax Incentives www.taxand.com Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore How Tax Avoidance is Tackled Transfer pricing Regulation regarding the application of ALP (Per 43/PJ/2010 as amended by Per 32/PJ/2011) Exchange of Information Treaty shopping Indonesia has signed 61 tax treaties, including the new tax treaty with Hong Kong that will be effective in Indonesia on 1 January 2013 DGT issued a DGT-form to provide certainty in applying the tax treaty (Per 61/PJ/2009 and amended with Per 24/PJ/2010) Thin capitalization Indonesian Tax Office has an authority to redetermine debt as capital Controlled Foreign Company Determination of dividend of an Indonesian tax payer in relation to its shareholding in a foreign company. (Article 18 par. 2 Income Tax law No. 36/2008 and Minister of Finance Regulation No. 256/PMK.03/2008) Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Challenges and Issues in Audit Process Tax audit is focused on certain industries: Mining, palm oil, mass media, chemical, automotive, construction, wholesaler, bank and insurance, real estate, consultancy, processing industry Individual tax payers are also the focus of tax audit: Tax consultant, lawyer, notary, and tax payer who has relation with a company which is being or has been audited Tax audit can be made in the last 5 years, however the tax payer must keep documentation for 10 years Duration of audit process Normal audit is 8 months, transfer pricing is 24 months, and gathering / examination of preliminary evidence for a tax criminal case has practically no time limit Verification is the new audit procedure in Indonesia Tax revenue target for 2012 is IDR13.30 trillion (US$1.46 billion) Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Tax Incentives to Encourage Investment Tax facility for certain industries in certain locations Accelerated depreciation Loss compensation of not more than 10 years 10% dividend tax rate Reduction in net income by 30% of the investment value Tax holiday for new capital investment in pioneering industrial sectors Industries: base metal, oil refinery and base organic chemical, machinery, renewable energy, telecommunication equipment Corporate income tax holiday for 5 to 10 years after the start of commercial production; 50% income tax reduction for two years after the end of the tax holiday period; a maximum dividend tax rate of 10% If the taxpayer already has a tax facility, the tax payer can not propose to get tax holiday Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Indonesia’s New Transfer Pricing Regime www.taxand.com 9 Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Authority in Making Adjustments Article 18(3) of Income Tax Law No. 36/2008 regarding related-party transactions states as follows: The Director General of Taxes shall be authorized to re-determine the amount of income and deduction as well as determine debts as capital to calculate the amount of taxable income for Taxpayer possessing special relationship with another Taxpayer, in accordance with the Arm’s Length Principle by using the Comparable Uncontrolled Price method, Resale Price Method, Cost Plus Method or other methods Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Definition of Related Party Based on Article 18 (4) part a, b, c of Income Tax Law No. 36/2008, special relationship between tax payers exists under the following circumstances: Taxpayer has capital participation directly or indirectly, a minimum of 25% (twenty five percent) at another Taxpayer (one or more Taxpayers); or Taxpayer controls another Taxpayer or two or more Taxpayers are under the common control directly or indirectly; or There is family relation both biologically and by marriage in vertical and / or horizontal lineage of the first degree Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Related Party Transactions The types of related party transaction to be disclosed in the Corporate Income Tax Return consist of: Transactions involving Tangible Properties Transactions involving Capital Goods Transfer / Utilization of Intangible Properties Loans Transfer of Services Transfer / Acquisition of Financial Instruments Cost Allocation Others Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Related Party Transactions Transfer Pricing Documentation is required for the following: Transactions between a tax payer or Permanent Establishment in Indonesia, and a taxpayer outside Indonesia Transactions between two tax payers or Permanent Establishment in Indonesia that are subject to different tax rates due to, among others: Imposition of final and nonfinal income tax in certain business sector Imposition of sales tax on luxury goods Transactions conducted with a taxpayer-contractor under an Oil & Gas Cooperation Contract Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Safe Harbor Transfer Pricing Documentation is not required for related party transactions with total value not exceeding IDR10 billion (approximately US$1.1 million) in one fiscal year for each counterparty Note: Transactions below the threshold limit Must still be disclosed in the Corporate Income Tax Return Must still comply with the arm’s length principle May still be the subject of a tax audit Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Selection of Transfer Pricing Methods The hierarchical application of Transfer Pricing methods has been replaced with the ‘most appropriate method’ approach Transactional Net Margin Method (TNMM) is no longer the last-resort method and can be appropriately applied if one of the transaction parties performs either special contribution or complex / closely linked transactions Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Intangible Assets Intangibles are assets which generally have long useful life, have no physical form, are used in business operation, and are not for resale Intangible assets can be classified as: Trade Intangibles (e.g. patent, know-how) Marketing Intangibles (e.g. trademark, trade name) Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Obligation to Submit TP Documentation Submission of Transfer Pricing No specific penalty shall apply in Documentation along with the case of failure to comply with the Corporate Income Tax Return (four above months after fiscal year-end with two months extension) is required Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Transfer Pricing Penalties No specific Transfer Pricing penalties The following penalties apply in case of non-payment of tax or tax underpayment arising from Transfer Pricing adjustments Administrative sanction in the form of interest at 2% per month for a maximum of 24 months on the amount of tax underpayment in the Tax Assessment Letter (SKPKB) Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP) The Indonesian Tax Authority MAP application can be processed issued in 2010 the regulation simultaneously with the filing of regarding procedure in applying for objection or appeal a MAP Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) The Indonesian Tax Authority issued in 2010 the regulation regarding procedure in applying for an APA Important provisions in the APA regulation: Validity Period is three (3) years Submit of annual compliance report is required Tax payer’s documents and information during the APA process shall remain private and confidential Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Thank you Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Philippines Scenario Euney Marie J. Mata-Perez Taxand Philippines www.taxand.com Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore How Tax Avoidance is Tackled Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Overview Exchange of Information Regulations No consolidated rules on anti-tax avoidance Source of rules: Legislation Regulations issued by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue Court decisions Revenue driven Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Access of Taxpayers Information Exchange of Information Regulations RA 10021: exchange of Information Act of 2009 Prior to RA 10021: authority of the CIR to inquire into taxpayer’s bank deposits is limited to two grounds: (1) determining estate of a decedent, and (2) when taxpayer files an application for compromise. (Exceptions to Bank Secrecy Act) New ground: a taxpayer subject of request for supply of tax information from a foreign tax authority pursuant to an international convention or agreement Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Prior Tax Treaty Relief Application New Tax Treaty Relief Procedures Filing of Tax Treaty Relief Applications (TTRA) is mandatory before a transaction Before the occurrence of the first taxable event Failure of observe the period shall have the effect of disqualifying the TTRA But the BIR does necessarily act on the application, so doubt on interpretation remains Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Additional Disclosure Requirements - FS New Additional FS Disclosures Disclosure on information on taxes, duties and license fees paid or accrued during the year in the audited financial statements (2010) Some implications: Entail additional administrative burden Premature or untimely disclosure of assessments and pending cases Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Additional Disclosure Requirements - ITR Supplemental Information Return Additional attachment to ITRs of individuals Additional disclosures to the ITRS: Requiring information on passive and tax exempt income Includes final taxes withheld on each type of income Basis for exemptions clearly indicated Difficult to comply and implement Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Promulgation of Allocation Rules Allocation of costs and expenses amongst income earnings of banks and financial institutions Rules on the allocation of costs and expenses among the income earnings of banks and financial institutions Prescribed methods: Specific identification Allocation based on gross income earnings Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Review/Reversal of Previous Interpretations Upstream mergers Refusal to issue rulings that these are exempt Further control in a taxexempt transfer to gain control no longer tax exempt VAT on tax-free transfers Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Taxpayer Monitoring Requiring withholding agents to apply for TIN on behalf of non-resident aliens not engaged in trade or business in the Philippines Benchmarking Matching Improvement of data capturing Machine readable returns Additional disclosures Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Challenges/Issues in Audit Procedures www.taxand.com Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Audit Challenges Over-riding New Interpretations on Prescription Persistent call for the Commissioner of Internal Technicalities on VAT Revenue to meet increasing refunds (Aichi case) targets Failure to indicate details of the transaction in the required return is tantamount to a non-filing of return (10 years) Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Audit Challenges Authority to receive assessment notices No case or regulations address the issue on the authority of a corporation’s employee to receive assessment notices for purposes of due process Stricter rules on evidence Due process Assessment of tax-exempt entities who are making profits Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Incentives to Encourage Investments www.taxand.com Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Incentive Laws Existing laws No new laws RA 7916, Special Economic Zone Act of 1995 (PEZA) EO 226, Omnibus Investments Code (BOI) RA 7227, Bases Conversion & Dev. Act (BCDA) Tourism Act 180 other laws Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore General Incentives Income tax holiday 5% tax on gross income, in lieu of other taxes Exemption from duties and taxes on importation of capital equipment and raw materials Exemption from local taxes except real property tax Net operating loss carry-over Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Others Amendment to the Negative List Inclusion in the Investments Priorities Plan Relaxation of nationality restriction Generally, foreign ownership in all forms of gambling is limited to 40% 2011 list added an exception: except those covered by investment agreements with PAGCOR operating in ecozones administered by PEZA Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Recent Developments Harmonization of Incentives House Bill 4935 Creation of an Investment Promotion Action Center at the Board of Investments Various Senate Bills – for harmonization DOF Version Limited scope and period of incentives Proposed reduction of VAT from 12% to 10% Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Thank you Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Thailand Scenario Chinapat Visuttipat Taxand Thailand www.taxand.com Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore How Tax Avoidance is Tackled Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Overview No specific rules on anti-tax avoidance Source of rules: Tax Legislations Civil and Commercial Code Tax competition in the region Court Decisions Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Integrating System Among Three Tax Authorities Integration with E-filing The Revenue Department The Customs Department Bank transactions and records Reconciliation via online data of tax filings The Excise Department Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Transactions in Focus of Tax Authorities Cross-border transactions among related parties Complicate and unexplainable transactions Import of goods with separation of license Royalties transactions Management and consulting services Cost allocation and reimbursable expenses Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Anti-avoidance Tools Under Consideration Transfer pricing Thin capitalization Controlled foreign company General antiavoidance rules Treaty shopping Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Challenges and Issues in Audit Procedures www.taxand.com Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Challenges in Audit Process Time / cost and opportunity to play in the game of tax audit When taxpayers are the What if they lost the game winner in game Pizza Hut’s case (royalties Nike’s case (customs issues taxed on marketing) on license fee) ABB’s case (withholding tax Halliburton’s case (taxpoint on subsidy fund) on profit remittance) SGS’s case (VAT 0% on export of service) Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Issues in Audit Process Tax refund or not refund Personnel in audit process: Put the right man on the right job Share premium is not a safe-habor Oxychem’s case (tax on deemed subsidy) NEC’s case (tax on deemed subsidy) Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Incentives to Encourage Investments www.taxand.com Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Incentive Laws and Tax Privileges Investment Promotion (BOI): Tax and non-tax 3/5/8 years tax holiday Land ownership Foreign business restriction Work permit and visa for expat Revenue Code ROH / IPC Entire business transfer / Amalgamation Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Recent Developments Corporate tax rate reduction from 30% To 23% in 2012 To 20% in 2013 and 2014 Personal tax rate reduction from progressive tax rate 10-37% to 10-35% will be enacted in 2012 AEC full entry in 2015 Free flow of capital and labor Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Thank you Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore In-house perspective Morrie Cheng Sun Life Financial, Asia-Pacific Head of Tax Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Doing Business in the Philippines: Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Euney Marie Mata-Perez Taxand Philippines www.taxand.com Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) BPO Background Engineering design Data transcription Information and communications technology (ICT) BPO includes ICT support services Software development; animation Contact centers Business/ knowledge process outsourcing Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore BPO Background Governing Law Foreign Investments Act of 1991 General policy No foreign equity restriction for export enterprises Allows 100% foreign ownership in domestic market enterprise (except those included in negative list) BPO/IT business can be 100% foreign-owned as an export enterprise Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore BPO Background Foreign Investments Act of 1991 General Policy: BPO/IT business can be 100% foreign-owned as an export enterprise Common forms of business presence Branch Subsidiary Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore BPO Background Volume 2011: US$11 Billion in revenues in Philippines 638,000 or 22% more employees in the same period 24% higher in 2010; 21% growth in 2011 By the end of 2011 416,000 employees US$7.4 billion in services to the world Largest contact center hub in the world Remained largest sector of Philippines IT-BPO at 65% of total industry Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore BPO Background Growth Potential By 2016 (according to BPAP): Philippine IT-BPO could more than double to US$25 billion Equivalent to 10% share of global market To meet goal, industry must: Accelerate its talent development initiatives Obtain stronger government support If achieved, IT-BPO industry could employ up to 1.3 million Filipinos and account of 9% of GDP Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore BPO Background Competitive Advantages Global leader in voice BPO (over 340,000 employees) No. 2 destination for non-voice IT-BPO services (over 200,000 employees) Low infrastructure and labor costs (up to 80% less than in developed countries) Large pool of college graduates each year (over 400,000 graduates) Good English-speaking skills (over 70% of college graduates speak English) Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore BPO Background Competitive Advantages Young and fresh talent pool Large developed Central Business Districts suitable for BPOs (2 million square kilometers leased to BPOs) Customer-centric, warm, and hospitable culture (positive customer feedback) Strong government and academe support (training and curriculum support) Various investment incentives Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Incentives Source of Incentives Omnibus Investments Code (EO 226) Special Economic Zone Act of 1995 (PEZA Law) Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992 (BCDA Law) Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Incentives BOI Incentives 2011 Investment Priorities Plan includes BPO activities, information technology (IT), and IT-enabled services IPP: minimum investment cost of USD2,500 per seat, for contact center project Covers cost of equipment, fixtures and fixed assets, except land ICT Projects with project cost of USD5 million in the initial year qualifies for pioneer status Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Current Issues PEZA BPO using e-commerce may be registered with PEZA for enjoyment of incentives under the PEZA law Must be located in an ECOZONE (including buildings) At present, majority of the firms in the ICT industry are PEZA-registered As of March 2012, there are 159 PEZA-registered IT Parks/Centers Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Current Issues PEZA incentive of 5% on gross income BIR has issued a ruling that royalties are not deductible from gross income Allowable deductions: Direct salaries; production supervision salaries; raw materials used in manufacture; goods in process; finished goods; supplies and fuels used in production; depreciation of machinery and equipment; rent and utility charges; financing charges associated with fixed assets Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Current Issues Transfer pricing BIR not yet so strict on transfer pricing Proposed transfer pricing regulations not yet issued, although the BIR adheres to OECD transfer pricing guidelines in principle Local Governments Since 5% tax on gross income is in lieu of all other taxes, local governments are reluctant to endorse new PEZA buildings Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Thank you Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore South East Asia Panel Presenter Profiles www.taxand.com Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Presenter Profile E. ejmperez@salvadorlaw.com T. (632) 811-2498 Euney Marie J. Mata-Perez Taxand Philippines ‘Euney’ Marie Mata-Perez is based in Taxand Philippines where she is a Partner of Salvador & Associates. “Euney” has more than 19 years’ experience in tax practice and commercial transactions. Euney specialises in tax and corporate matters, and has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, infrastructure projects, project finance and loan transactions, tax advisory work and advocacy work involving refunds and assessments. She was previously a Senior Associate in SyCip, Salazar, Hernandez & Gatmaitan, where she worked for more than 10 years. Euney graduated Salutatorian of her class from the Ateneo de Manila University College of Law (1992), and summa cum laude in her undergraduate course from the University of San Carlos, Cebu City. Euney is a Certified Public Accountant, and worked as an auditor with SGV & Co. She has contributed to several foreign and local publications, including CCH Doing Business in Asia, and is a lecturer at the TAXAND Regional Junior School. At present, she is the Executive Vice President of the Tax Management Association of the Philippines. Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Presenter Profile E. morrie.cheng@sunlife.com T. +852 2918 3839 Morrie Cheng is Head of Tax, Asia of Sun Life Financial. He has responsibility for Sun Life's tax function in Asia. Mr. Cheng joined Sun Life in 2008. Morrie Cheng Asia-Pacific Head of Tax Sun Life Financial Mr. Cheng has a wide range of international tax and insurance tax experience including Associate Asia Tax Director at Swiss Re and Regional Head of Tax at Henkel. Mr. Cheng holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accountancy from City University of Hong Kong and is a qualified chartered accountant. Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Presenter Profile E. permana@pbtaxand.com T. +62 21 835 6363 Permana Adi Saputra Taxand Indonesia Permana Adi Saputra is based in Taxand Indonesia where he serves as a Transfer Pricing Partner with PB Taxand. Permana’s experience includes assisting clients with the preparation of transfer pricing documentation, representing clients in tax audit, tax objection and appeals related to transfer pricing cases, and assisting clients in applying for Advance Pricing Agreements. His expertise also includes supply chain management and price / profit structuring. Permana actively participates in discussions with Tax Officers regarding transfer pricing issues. Permana is also very active in conducting inhouse Transfer Pricing seminars and workshops in for businesses as well as taking part in the local and international Transfer Pricing Summit. Permana started his career in 1992 as a government auditor and worked for more than 6 years with the Ministry of Finance - Republic of Indonesia. Permana then worked for Deloitte before joining PB Taxand to establish the Transfer Pricing Division. Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore Presenter Profile E. chinapat.vs@hnpcounsel.com T. +66 (0) 2 632 1800 Chinapat Visuttipat Taxand Thailand Chinapat Visuttipat is based in Taxand Thailand where he is a Partner / Director and the head of Tax Services at HNP Counsellors Ltd – Taxand Thailand. Chinapat has more than 20 years of experience in tax and legal advising multinationals on corporate and commercial contracts, cross-border transactions, hotel and property, M&A and transactional tax, private equity fund, tax audit supports as well as tax litigation including tax planning for inbound and outbound investment. He is now a visiting lecturer for the master degrees tax program at both state and private universities in Thailand and has presenting at several public tax seminars and conferences. Chinapat has contributed to many international and local publications on tax, including International Tax Review and Bloomberg BusinessWeek Thailand. At present, Chinapat is a member of Tax Committee under the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand including Tax Mediator under the Central Tax Court. Asia Tax Forum May 9-10, 2012 – Raffles, Singapore ABOUT TAXAND Taxand provides high quality, integrated tax advice worldwide. Our tax professionals, nearly 400 tax partners and over 2,000 tax advisors in nearly 50 countries - grasp both the fine points of tax and the broader strategic implications, helping you mitigate risk, manage your tax burden and drive the performance of your business. We're passionate about tax. We collaborate and share knowledge, capitalising on our collective expertise to provide you with high quality, tailored advice that helps relieve the pressures associated with making complex tax decisions. We're also independent—ensuring that you adhere both to best practice and to tax law and that we remain free from timeconsuming audit-based conflict checks. This enables us to deliver practical advice, responsively. Taxand is a global organisation of tax advisory firms. Each firm in each country is a separate and independent legal entity responsible for delivering client services. © Copyright Taxand Economic Interest Grouping 2011 Registered office: 1B Heienhaff, L-1736 Senningerberg – RCS Luxembourg C68