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2020-12-15
MONEY-CHANGING LICENCE IN Singapore Money-changing licensees are licensed and regulated under the Payment Services Act (“PS Act”) to conduct only money-changing services ie. the service of buying or selling foreign currency notes. Entities that provide other payment services must hold a Standard Payment Institution Licence or Major Payment Institution Licence. Application requirements for Money-Changing Licence The individual applicant, partners or directors of a company applying should have a minimum of 1 year’s relevant working or business experience on a full-time basis. Individual – Sole proprietors, the applicant must be a Singapore citizen. Partnership or Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) – the majority of its partners should be Singapore citizens. If there are only two partners, only one need to be a Singapore Citizen. Singapore-owned Company – More than 50% of the equity shareholdings should be beneficially owned and effectively controlled by Singapore citizens. A majority of the board […]
2020-12-15
Measures to Facilitate HK and Macao Residents in Shenzhen Recently, Shenzhen Municipality has announced a series of measures to further facilitate the development of Hong Kong and Macao residents in Shenzhen (hereinafter referred to as the Measures). The Measures consists of 18 policies that aim to facilitate the study, employment, entrepreneurship and life of Hong Kong and Macao residents in Shenzhen. Hong Kong and Macao residents are given the equal treatment of Shenzhen registered residents by 4 policies, which include: Further support Hong Kong and Macao students to have internship and employment in Shenzhen (Article 7); Further support Hong Kong and Macao youth to participate in innovation and entrepreneurship activities in Shenzhen (Article 11); Provide public transport concessions for Hong Kong and Macao residents coming to Shenzhen (Article 16); Further promote social security cooperation between Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao (Article 17). Besides, Hong Kong and Macao […]
2020-12-15
Employment and Entrepreneurship Subsidies in Hengqin The Management Authority of Heqing New Area of Zhuhai, China issued the Subsidy Measures for Employment and Entrepreneurship of Hong Kong and Macao Residents in Hengqin New Area (hereinafter referred to as the Subsidy Measures) on 22 November 2020, which shall be implemented from the date of issuance to 31 December 2022. The main contents of the Subsidy Measures are as follows: Social Insurance Subsidies for Employers to Recruit Hong Kong and Macao Residents For enterprises (except government institutions and labour dispatch units) registered in Hengqin New Area and Hongwan Area with real offices in the region, recruit Hong Kong and Macao residents, sign labour contracts with a term of more than one year, and pay social insurance premiums in accordance with laws and regulations, full subsidy will be given according to the contributions of basic pension, medical (maternity), unemployment and […]
2020-12-01
Singapore Goods and Services Tax Guide Goods and Services Tax (GST) is similar to Valued Added Tax (VAT) in other countries and is a relatively new form of tax in Singapore. GST was implemented on 1st April 1994 in Singapore. The Singapore GST Act is modelled on the UK VAT legislation and New Zealand GST legislation. The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) acts as the agent of the Singapore government and administers, assesses, collects and enforces payment of GST. The purpose of introducing GST to Singapore is to maintain a stable tax base while reducing personal and corporate income tax. GST is an indirect tax, expressed as a percentage (currently 7%) applied to the selling price of goods and services provided by GST registered business entities in Singapore. This guideline provides an overview of the key concepts of Singapore’s GST system: definition of GST, registration requirements, […]
2020-12-01
Remote Seller in U.S.: Economic Nexus Physical presence (employee, warehouse) was previously the only consideration where sales tax nexus is concerned. Over the past several years, many states have enacted economic nexus laws that require remote sellers to collect and remit sales tax if they exceed certain thresholds even if they do not have the physical presence in the state. The below chart provides you a summary of the economic nexus thresholds for some states as of November 10, 2020. For more states data and details, please consult with our consultants. State Nexus Effective Date Remote Seller Threshold Alabama 10/1/2018 Sales of TPP of more than $250,000 in prior calendar year; No transaction threshold Arizona 10/1/2019 Annual gross retail sales or income from online sales into Arizona is more than $200,000 in 2019, $150,000 in 2020 and $100,000 in 2021 and thereafter. California 4/1/2019 The total combined […]
2020-12-01
Introduction to Macau Corporate Income Tax Carrying out commercial or industrial activities in Macau comes with certain tax obligations. The major obligations affecting all businesses in Macau are the industrial tax and profits tax. However, in recent years, industrial taxes have been exempted by the Macau Government and the profits tax threshold has also been increased in 2018. As such, Macau is one the region with the lowest corporate tax liability in Asia. Complementary tax is imposed on the worldwide income earned by Macau-registered entities, irrespective of where their residence or headquarters are situated and irrespective of the nature of the income (except rental income). In the case where a foreign entity is engaged in commercial/industrial activities and/or rendering services in Macau, the resultant gain from such commercial/industrial activities and/or services rendered will be subject to complementary tax. Other than income from ordinary course of business, capital […]
2020-12-01
Guide to Relocating/Settling Down in Singapore Singapore is considered by many investor/business owner as the gateway to ASEAN by having one of the lowest corporate tax rates and the government business-friendly policies make its easy for foreign companies to relocate or set up their office in Singapore. A number of famous entrepreneurs (UK billionaire James Dyson and the owner of Haidilao Hot Pot Zhang Yong) had relocate their headquarter/office to Singapore in order to take advantage of the great number of business opportunities and benefits is offers. This article will give you an overview on the reason to relocation to Singapore, the procedure as well as how to settle down in Singapore. The Advantages of Singapore (1) Extensive Double Tax Treaties Singapore has an extensive network of double tax agreements (DTA), with more than 80 counties across the global. The key benefits of a […]
2020-11-30
Introduction to Air Travel Bubble Singapore-Hong Kong Singapore and Hong Kong have reached an in-principle agreement to establish a two-way Air Travel Bubble (“ATB”). This will allow travel between both cities without quarantine. The ATB is a milestone arrangement between two aviation hubs and seeks to revive air travel in a safe and progressive way. Eligibility Criteria for ATB (1) Flying from Singapore You are eligible to fly from Singapore to Hong Kong under the ATB arrangement if you: (a) have stayed in Singapore and/or Hong Kong at least 14 consecutive days before departure. (b) fly direct on a designated ATB flight. (c) are not a Work Permit or S Pass holder working in construction, marine shipyard or process sectors. (d) test negative for Covid-19 within 72 hours before your flights and upon your arrival at Hong Kong International Airport. You will […]
2020-11-26
U.S. Individual Tax-Itemized Deduction or Standard Deduction? There are two ways you can take deductions on your federal income tax return: you can itemize deductions or use the standard deduction. Deductions reduce the amount of your taxable income. You should choose the deduction method, which is the most tax advantageous to you. The standard deduction amount varies depending on your income, age, whether or not you are blind, and filing status and changes each year. For 2020, the standard deduction for married filing jointly is $24,800. For single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately, the standard deduction is $12,400, and for heads of households, the standard deduction will be $18,650 for tax year 2020. Please note that certain taxpayers cannot use the standard deduction: A married individual filing as married filing separately whose spouse itemizes deductions. An individual who files a tax return for a period […]
2020-11-26
Tips When You Hire Employees in U.S. As a business owner, you must obtain the following information when you hire employees: Eligibility to Work in the United States You must use Form I-9 to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States. Both employees and employers (or authorized representatives of the employer) must complete the form. Employee’s Social Security Number You are required to get each employee’s name and Social Security Number (SSN) and to enter them on Form W-2. You should ask your employee to show you his or her social security card and record the information. Please note that an individual with an ITIN who later becomes eligible to work in the United States must obtain an SSN. Employee’s Withholding You should have a Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate, on file for each […]