The slogan of the Dutch tax authorities is “We can’t make it more fun, but we can certainly make it easier”. A fair, easy, predictable and efficient tax system is an important factor in attracting foreign investment. Highlights Speed up the signing of double taxation agreements Prioritize implementing advance tax rulings for investors so that […]

In an earlier client alert your attention was drawn to the likely impact of Prakas 986 (the transfer pricing regulations) on the continued applicability of the General Department of Taxation’s (the “GDT’s”) Instruction 151 which, since 2014, has permitted loans from related parties to be interest-free, if the related loan agreement is registered with the […]

VDB Loi have recently had the opportunity to meet senior members of the GDT’s Transfer Pricing team to discuss and clarify certain issues that are not clearly addressed in the new Transfer Pricing (“TP”) regulations. These issues, and the GDT’s current thinking on them, are as follows: Will it be possible to obtain the GDT’s […]

The Ministry of Planning and Finance has enacted a new Withholding Tax (“WHT”) Notification 47/2018 (“Notification 47”) on 18 June 2018 which is effective from 1 July 2018. The Notification 47 abolishes 2% WHT for payments to resident citizens and resident foreigners for services rendered, goods purchases and lease payments within Myanmar. Government organization, ministry […]

The National Committee for The Minimum Wage (the “Committee”) publicized a Notification on 2 January 2018 in which a new minimum wage of MM4,800 per day, calculated at a rate of MMK600 per hour, was proposed. In relation to the previous effective Minimum Wage (MMK3,600 per day / MMK450 per hour), this represents an increase […]

Further to its Notice No. 012/18 dated 29 March 2018, the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”) issued Notice No. 016/18 dated 25 April 2018 (“Notice 016”) to further extend the deadline to apply for renewal of foreign employees’ work permits. According to Notice 016, the previous deadline of 30 April 2018 is extended […]

On 7 March 2018, the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) issued Prakas No. 088 MOC (“Prakas 088”) regarding the filing of business association statutes. According to Prakas 088, as part of ongoing obligations after registration with the government authorities, all business associations must file their statutes with the MOC. The filing must include their statutes as […]

The Union Parliament (the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw) enacted the Union Tax Law 2018 (“UTL 2018”) on 30 March 2018, which went into effect on 1 April 2018. Below we provide a synopsis of the points most pertinent for taxpayers this year. The biggest change from the draft UTL 2018 is that the tax amnesty on undisclosed […]

Good news for corporate entities that have not yet renewed the 2018 work permits for their foreign employees with the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”).On 29 March 2018, the MLVT issued Notice No. 012/18, extending the previous deadline of 30 March 2018 to 30 April 2018 to give employers more time to renew […]

Commercial Law – Filing Statute of Business Associations On 07 March 2018, the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) issued Prakas No. 088 MOC (“Prakas 088”) regarding filing statutes of business associations. According to Prakas 088, as part of ongoing obligations after registration with government authorities, all business associations, including foreign chambers of commerce, must file their […]

The financial year-end is approaching and the Union Parliament (the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw) finally announced the draft Union Tax Law (“Draft UTL”) 2018 on 13 February 2018, which will go into effect on 1 April 2018. The Draft UTL finally clears up the confusion regarding changes in the financial year. The income year will remain the […]

In December 2017, the Internal Revenue Department (“IRD”) abolished the 2% Advance Income Tax (“AIT”) on goods exported via the Border Trade System for companies under self-assessment due to an increase in the tax compliance level of self-assessed taxpayers. Currently, only the Large Taxpayers’ Office (“LTO”) and Medium Taxpayers’ Office (1) (“MTO”) are under self-assessment; […]

As part of ongoing efforts to strictly enforce work permit requirements, following a notice from the Office of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Interior (“MOI”) and the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”) issued a joint Prakas (No. 719 Br.K) dated 19 February 2018 (“Joint Prakas 719”) on the enforcement of foreign […]

Last week the General Department of Taxation (“GDT”) issued a press release to confirm that the Double Taxation Agreements (“DTAs”) signed in 2016 and 2017 between Cambodia and Singapore, and Cambodia and Thailand, respectively, became effective 1 January 2018, following the issuance of a Royal Decree on 9 December 2017 announcing that the parties to […]

The National Assembly has passed Myanmar Companies Law (the “MCL”) after extensive debate on various aspects of Myanmar’s long awaited corporate reform. The Law is finally here, passed on 23 November, pending signing into law by the President. Key areas which were hotly debated in recent weeks included the highly contentious question of whether small […]

In our previous client briefing note, we outlined five key things to look forward to under the Myanmar Companies Law (“MCL”). Following on from this, and as part of our continued coverage of the MCL, we will outline five potential drawbacks with regard to the MCL and how they may affect companies in practice. 1. […]

Introduction: The end of the comprehensive overhaul of Myanmar’s corporate legal framework is finally in sight with an updated Companies Law (the “MCL”) approved by Myanmar’s Parliament. Once the MCL is signed into law by the President, the outdated Myanmar Companies Act of 1914 (the “1914 Act”) will be abolished, bringing Myanmar Companies Law in […]

Along with recent economic and political reforms, Union Government of Myanmar has made changes to Myanmar’s financial year (1 April to 31 March). The first new financial year will start from 1 October 2018 to 30 September 2019; i.e. 2018–2019 financial year. The decision was made on 7 September 2017 at Union Government Meeting No. […]

Despite the increased focus across the globe on tax issues in recent years, many companies still fail to consider the full impact of tax regulations and procedures when entering into a new investment or transaction. Tax planning does not need to mean devising intricate structures with fancy names. It can be as simple as ensuring […]

Myanmar is a country rich in resources and potential which currently has 16 onshore blocks and 19 offshore blocks in production. The offshore Yadana (TOTAL, Chevron and PTTEP) and Yetagun (Petronas, PTTEP) natural gas projects started production in 1998 and 2000 respectively under gas sales contracts to the Thai state oil company PTT. Highlights Government […]