In an article published in Tax Notes International, we discuss changes to the foreign-source income exemption regimes of Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore including as regards the treatment of certain foreign-source gains.

A new Companies (Amendment) Bill 2023 (“2023 CA Bill”) was tabled for its first reading at the Malaysian Parliament. The 2023 CA Bill purports to further augment corporate transparency and accountability, and as such, introduces, among other things, new legal requirements in the CA 2016 for Malaysian companies to collate and report beneficial ownership information to the Companies Commission of Malaysia. In this article, we explore the mandatory reporting requirements proposed under the 2023 CA Bill and their potential implications on the wealth management industry.

Asia Pacific tax authorities are actively seeking to reduce tax leakages, non-compliance, and what they perceive to be tax avoidance activities. To help you position your business for success in an era of ever-changing tax rules and intense scrutiny, our subject matter experts from across the region and globally will come together to examine key developments. We will discuss the impact of emerging trends and current issues on your business models and strategies, sharing practical tips on how you can maximize opportunities to achieve the best risk mitigation outcomes.

With a population of just over 100,000, Labuan is a small Malaysian island located off the coast of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Little known to most is that Labuan, a federal territory of Malaysia, has a special status as an International Business and Financial Centre (IBFC). Prior to its rebranding as an IBFC in 2008, in the 1990s, Labuan was initially declared as an international offshore financial center.

Following the developments to the Labuan tax regime through the introduction of economic substance requirements in 2019, the Labuan Companies (Amendment) Act 2022 recently came into effect on 10 June 2022 to amend the Labuan Companies Act 1990. These further developments to the Labuan corporate and regulatory regime clearly highlight Malaysia’s commitment towards adhering to international legal standards of corporate governance and transparency.

Earlier this year, there were reports of the inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (IRB) initiating probes and audits against a number of SVDP participants in relation to the periods for which the voluntary disclosures were made. The previous government administration had introduced the SVDP1 to encourage taxpayers to come forward to disclose their previously misreported income and deductions.