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…
The Cyprus Limitation of Actions Law, Cap 15, sets out the time limits within which claims must be brought before a court. The Law was suspended following inter-communal disturbances in 1964 and has remained suspended ever since. Law 159(I)/2011, which was enacted on the 09.12.2011, now provides that the suspension of limitation will cease on…
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 14.12.2010, following a consultation process, the European Commission published a draft revised (recast) Brussels Regulation. The key areas addressed in the Commission’s legislative proposal are as follows: New rules concerning third state (non-EU) matters and defendants The Brussels Regulation provides jurisdiction rules mainly with respect to defendants domiciled in the EU Member States. The Commission proposes to extend…
In the case of Jivraj v Hashwani [1], the U.K. Court of Appeal held that an arbitration agreement which provided that only persons of a certain religious belief could act as arbitrator was void because arbitrators fall within the scope of English anti-discrimination employment legislation in relation to religion and belief (the Employment Equality (Religion…
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 China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) and the Central Bank of Cyprus, expressing their mutual interest and willingness in promoting further the bilateral ties in the domain of supervision of credit institutions, concluded on 15 July 2011 a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU has been signed on behalf of the CBRC by its Chairman…