Singapore vows to change tax laws to remove havens

Singapore vows to change tax laws to remove havens

1 hour 12 mins ago
AFP

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Singapore has vowed to amend its tax laws within the year after being named in a list of countries that have not yet fully implemented global standards aimed at eliminating tax havens.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) last week said Singapore was one of the countries that had not yet carried out their commitments to respecting global standards on exchanging tax information.

Singapore "intends to implement the standard by effecting legislative amendments later this year," a finance ministry spokesperson said in reply to a query from AFP at the weekend.

The OECD, which groups the world's leading developed nations, listed 38 countries and territories that "have committed to the internationally agreed tax standard, but have not yet substantially implemented" the measures.

As well as Singapore the list also includes Belgium, Brunei, Chile, the Dutch Antilles, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Switzerland and Caribbean island nations including the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.

The OECD released the list after the Group of 20 summit in London agreed to crack down on tax havens.

"As expected, Singapore has not been classified by the OECD as a tax haven but as a financial centre that has committed to the internationally recognised tax standard," the Singapore finance ministry said.

"This recognises that Singapore has endorsed the OECD standard for the exchange of information through Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreements (DTAs), and intends to implement the standard by effecting legislative amendments later this year and negotiating and concluding relevant DTAs."

It added that "Singapore's position in this regard is no different from that of other major financial centres such as Hong Kong, Switzerland and Luxembourg, which the OECD has similarly recognised as jurisdictions that have committed to implementing the OECD standard."

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Swiss bank UBS stops staff seeing clients abroad

Yesterday, 02:18 pm
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Switzerland's embattled bank UBS has banned wealth management advisors from making business trips abroad to see foreign clients, a spokeswoman for the bank said Sunday. Skip related content
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Swiss media reported that about 1,000 UBS staff were ordered in the past week to rely on e-mail or telephone contacts with clients abroad, amid fears that they might fall foul of a tax crackdown by foreign regulators.

"I can confirm there is a travel ban for client-facing wealth management staff," UBS spokeswoman Eveline Mueller told AFP.

"We are currently conducting a comprehensive review of the policy and compliance framework in international wealth management," she added.

Mueller said the suspension would remain in place at least while the review of the "complex international regulatory environment" was underway. She declined to give further details.

The review was understood to be international in scope and not confined to a particular region.

UBS is the first Swiss bank to publicly confirm a provisional ban on business travel to advise clients abroad, following reports of such action at some of the smaller, elite private banks in recent weeks.

Switzerland's biggest bank is at the centre of a broadening investigation in the United States into alleged tax fraud or evasion by hundreds of American citizens, and is still facing potentially costly litigation by US justice authorities.

It has also suffered severe losses in the financial crisis, and in recent weeks both its chairman and chief executive have been replaced.

UBS admitted guilt in assisting tax fraud and paid 780 million dollars to US authorities in February under a provisional deal to settle some of the charges it faces in the United States.

The bank was also ordered to hand over details of 250 to 300 US clients.

In court evidence, US tax investigators argued that travelling UBS staff had helped to hide funds offshore using Swiss banking secrecy. UBS shut down its offshore banking services in the United States last year.

New chief executive Oswald Gruebel has signalled since he took over on February 28 that he would take a close look at the risks the bank was taking.

In another lawsuit filed last month, US officials requested details on 52,000 UBS clients allegedly suspected of tax offences, but UBS has contested the case.

The Swiss government decided on March 14 to ease banking secrecy and agree to OECD standards on exchanging tax information, following intense pressure on secretive offshore havens led by the Group of 20 economies.

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China, Ecuador move toward energy deal

Saturday, April 4 09:49 pm
AFP

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China is close to inking a one-billion-dollar deal to receive Ecuadorian oil, President Rafael Correa said on Saturday. Skip related content
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"China has offered us initial capital worth one billion dollars for infrastructure projects, we are going to pay little by little with our oil," Correa said during a weekly television address.

The deal will be discussed this week and is expected to include "a fund worth one billion dollars from the Chinese development bank for the construction of roads, refineries, hydroelectric plants, ports and airports."

Ecuador -- the smallest member of oil cartel OPEC -- will pay in the medium and long term with crude supplies.

"China has a surplus of financial resources, but a deficit in natural resources, particularly hydrocarbons," Correa said.

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露軍幹部「衛星は宇宙空間に存在せず」
2009.4.6 18:05

　【モスクワ＝佐藤貴生】北朝鮮が打ち上げに成功したと述べた人工衛星について、インタファクス通信は６日、ロシア軍参謀本部幹部が「われわれの宇宙空間を監視するシステムには、北朝鮮の人工衛星が軌道上に打ち上げられたことは記録されていない。そのようなものは宇宙空間には存在しない」と語ったと伝えた。

　ロシア外務省は５日、ネステレンコ情報局長名のコメントを発表し、北朝鮮が発射したのは「人工衛星」であるとの認識を示した上で、「客観的な情報に基づき、抑制した判断や行動を取るよう関係各国に求める」と、日米韓などに冷静な対応を呼びかけていた。

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Darling set to admit forecast error

By Alex Barker and Vanessa Houlder

Published: April 5 2009 22:00 | Last updated: April 5 2009 23:19

Alistair Darling on Sunday prepared to acknowledge the biggest forecasting error made by a British chancellor, warning there was unlikely to be a resurgence in the economy this year.

Mr Darling is expected to use his April 22 Budget to admit the recession is much worse than he forecast, predicting the economy will shrink by at least 3 per cent in 2009 and that the deficit will top 10 per cent of national income.

This amounts to the most drastic revision of a chancellor’s Budget debt forecasts in modern history, laying bare a rapid deterioration in public finances that will usher in an era of fiscal austerity.

Mr Darling admitted on Sunday that the severity of the recession was “far greater” than people were expecting last year. A 3 per cent slide in growth is three times worse than that predicted in the pre-Budget report in November, which envisaged the economy picking up in the summer.

“Economies saw a severe downturn in the first three months of this year,” he told the BBC. “I have seen nothing that doesn’t tell me that this position is going to be equally bad.”

The admission comes as Gordon Brown seeks to capitalise on a well-received G20 conference, amid signs that the Labour party has enjoyed a post-summit lift in polls that closes the gap with the Conservatives.

On Tuesday Mr Brown will meet the chancellor, the governor of the Bank of England and chairman of the Financial Services Authority to drive the implementation of the G20 conclusions.

The Conservatives seized on the expected revision, claiming it exposed “a record of incompetence that speaks for itself”. George Osborne, shadow chancellor, asked if anyone would “believe Gordon Brown’s claims about his economic policies ever again”.

Meanwhile, Ken Clarke, shadow business secretary, warned that sterling and government debt sales would be in “terrible trouble” unless Mr Darling delivered a more credible economic assessment.

Many economists regard even a 3 per cent contraction for the UK as optimistic. The International Monetary Fund said Britain would be among the hardest-hit countries this year with its economy shrinking by 3.8 per cent, while the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said it expected a 3.7 per cent slide.

The collapse in growth will cast an even darker shadow over the public finances.

In November, the government’s deficit would increase to £118bn in 2009-10, or 8 per cent of gross domestic product, a forecast that seemed shocking to many economists at the time. But City forecasts and those from the IMF now suggest borrowing of £140bn-£170bn in the two following years.

In his autobiography, Denis Healey, Labour’s former chancellor, claims the title of making the worst debt forecasting error in his 1974 Budget, after underestimating the levels of public debt by about 5.4 per cent of GDP.

Mr Darling’s maiden Budget in 2008 estimated public borrowing at 2.5 per cent of national income in 2009 – a figure likely to be four or five times short of what will be needed.

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第一生命、野村の筆頭株主に　劣後ＣＢ1000億円引き受け

　第一生命保険が野村ホールディングスの筆頭株主になっていたことが6日、明らかになった。現在の第一の持ち株比率は8％超。野村が資本増強に向けて昨年12月に発行した劣後特約付転換社債型新株予約権付社債（劣後ＣＢ）を1000億円引き受けたからだ。

　第一が関東財務局に提出した大量保有報告書によると、持ち株比率は8.37％。報告書では劣後ＣＢを転換した場合に生じる株式も「潜在株」として計算対象に含まれる。潜在株の分について株主議決権などは行使できない。(08:53)

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Swiss launch criminal probe of Russian billionaire

Yesterday, 07:30 pm
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Swiss authorities on Monday opened criminal proceedings against Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg and two other businessmen on suspicion of breaking share trading rules. Skip related content
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The case stems from a hostile bid for Swiss engineering firm Sulzer two years ago and comes in the midst of boardroom battle at the company.

The Finance Ministry said in a statement there were "sufficient indications to suspect that Ronny Pecik, Georg Stumpf and Viktor Vekselberg had acted in concert when building a stake in Sulzer AG from November 2006 to April 2007 and in doing so had violated their disclosure obligations."

In April 2007, an Austrian partner of Vekselberg's Renova conglomerate run by Pecik and Stumpf suddenly revealed that it had built up a 31.4 percent stake in Sulzer.

Monday's decision to open "criminal administrative proceedings" followed a two-year probe by Swiss financial regulators that had initially focused on the role played by the banks involved in the share trading.

Renova on Monday rejected any wrongdoing and said it would cooperate with the proceedings.

"Mr Vekselberg takes a firm stand against all accusations that he, either personally or another representative of Renova Group, may have broken Swiss or foreign law," the Russian industrial and aluminium giant said in a statement.

Vekselberg pledged in October 2007 not to try to merge Sulzer and another Swiss technology firm, Oerlikon, which he controls, in a peace deal with Sulzer's management that was meant to last until next month.

However, Renova has since opposed the re-election of the Sulzer's chairman, Ulf Berg, at an annual general meeting on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Oerlikon is in financial trouble after plunging to a 422-million-Swiss-franc loss in 2008.

Vekselberg said in an interview with the newspaper NZZ am Sonntag on Sunday that he could not rule out a merger of the two Swiss companies "forever," although it was not an immediate priority.

Renova currently holds a 31.2 percent stake in Sulzer and controls 44.7 percent of Oerlikon, according to the Swiss news agency ATS.

The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) ruled in January that Pecik and Stumpf had infringed their disclosure obligations and filed a criminal complaint with the Finance Ministry.

But FINMA did not mention Vekselberg when it made the ruling.

Renova said the regulator had not been able to establish any violations by Vekselberg and claimed there were no new facts in the case on Monday.

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日テレ、メジャーリーガー切り捨て…映像配信受けず

元Ｇ戦士は見られない…
松井秀の開幕戦本塁打もＮＨＫで生中継されなかった（ＡＰ、クリックで拡大）
松井秀の開幕戦本塁打もＮＨＫで生中継されなかった（ＡＰ、クリックで拡大）

　日テレが、メジャーリーガーを切り捨てた－。民放キー局で唯一、日本テレビが今季からＭＬＢ（メジャーリーグベースボール機構）から試合映像の配信を受けない決断をしたことが分かった。イチローが復帰しても、松井秀が本塁打を量産しても、上原が快投を演じても、日テレのスポーツニュースにはメジャーの試合の映像は流れない。不況の中、莫大な経費を削減するためというが…。

　日テレが放送した巨人Ｖｓ広島の開幕３連戦の視聴率は、３日の第１戦が１３．３％、４日が１２．６％、５日が１４．４％（いずれも関東地区、ビデオリサーチ調べ、以下同）だった。昨年のヤクルトｖｓ巨人（フジ）が１１．０％の不振。昨年の巨人戦中継の年間平均視聴率も３年連続２ケタ割れの９．７％。それに比べれば、低落傾向がようやく底を打った感がある。

　ただし、第２ラウンド１位決定戦（対韓国）で４０．１％をたたき出したＷＢＣの余波を期待していた向きには、物足りない数字だ。プロ野球人気の先は読めないが、そんな状況の中で日テレは大きな決断をしていた。同局関係者がこう明かす。

　「ウチには今年、メジャーリーグの試合の映像が流れることはありません。この不況下で経費節減のため、費用対効果を検討した結果です」

　この関係者の説明では、昨季までＮＨＫは別として、民放の日テレ、フジ、ＴＢＳ、テレビ朝日、テレビ東京の５社が共同で、ＭＬＢから試合の映像を購入し、１試合あたり１日３分間以内という制限のもと、スポーツニュースなどで使用していた。その契約料たるや、５年で１社あたり総額３５億円（１年平均７億円）。日テレは、この高額な契約料に「ＮＯ」の決断を下し、３月３日限りで、“イチ抜け”したというのだ。

　日テレでは昨年９月の中間連結決算で３７年ぶりに赤字へ転落してから、費用対効果の見直しが急。結果的に他局が驚異的な視聴率を稼いだＷＢＣの放映権獲得にも手を出さなかった。また、斎藤佑樹投手が早大に入学した２００７年から５年契約を結んで開始した東京六大学リーグ戦中継も、今年は見送る。

　１年で７億円も節約できるとなれば確かに大きいが、今季の日テレのメジャー関連ニュースで使用される映像は、独自カメラによる試合前の練習風景やインタビューものなどに限られ、試合のシーンは消える。
上原らかつてのＧ戦士のメジャーでの活躍は、日テレでは見られない…。（春名中撮影、クリックで拡大）
上原らかつてのＧ戦士のメジャーでの活躍は、日テレでは見られない…。（春名中撮影、クリックで拡大）

　日本時間６日に開幕した今季のメジャーは、開幕早々からイチローの復帰戦が注目されるはずで、日テレと縁の深い巨人出身のヤンキース・松井、オリオールズ・上原が活躍する可能性も。このタイミングでのイチ抜けは大きな賭けだ。

　別の民放関係者は「日テレさんの決断は、ウチにとっても他人事ではありません。広告収入が激減している不況下ですから、年間７億円もの料金は削れるものなら削りたいのが本音。あとは会社の経営判断次第としか言いようがない」という。

　もっとも、今季の日テレは巨人戦の地上波中継を昨年比１９試合減の２６試合にとどめるが、それでも読売グループである以上、他局と違って巨人戦の露出を削るのには限度がある。

　メジャーから国内プロ野球、とりわけ巨人へ大きく舵を切った形の日テレ。ＷＢＣ中継を敬遠した件では、巨人・渡辺恒雄球団会長が「腹が立つ。全国的に人気を博したものを日本テレビがやらんというのは我慢ならんね」と怒りをあらわにするなど、裏目続きの感もある。

　開幕から秋のワールドシリーズまで松坂、松井秀、上原、イチローら日本人メジャーリーガーが大活躍し、野球の話題はメジャー一色なんてこと、ならなければいいが…。
過去１０年の巨人開幕戦視聴率（クリックで拡大）

ZAKZAK 2009/04/07

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後藤元組長が出家…「山口組」から昨年除籍

「武闘派」「経済ヤクザ」として知られ
後藤元組長関係者が出した案内状（クリックで拡大）
後藤元組長関係者が出した案内状（クリックで拡大）

　全国最大の指定暴力団「山口組」（総本部・神戸市）から昨年１０月に除籍された後藤忠政（本名・忠正）元後藤組組長（６６）が、神奈川県内の寺院で出家することが兵庫県警などの調べで７日までに分かった。得度式は釈迦の誕生日とされる灌仏会（かんぶつえ＝花祭り）にちなんであす８日に行われる見通しだが、寺院では「厳粛な儀式の場であり、公開はしない。今後を見守ってほしい」と話している。

　警察当局が入手した関係者あての「得度式案内」によると、〈弟子後藤忠正儀　染衣剃髪の志を生じ皆様方の多大な御力添いを頂戴致しまして得度させて頂くことに相成りました〉と説明。

　そのうえで〈得度式はみ仏様のお弟子にして頂き新たな人生に進む為の厳粛にして意義ある儀式です〉〈当日は平日でありますが御釈迦様ご降誕の良き日でありますので何卒御臨席賜り度く謹んでご案内申し上げます　合掌〉と結んでいる。

　「武闘派」「経済ヤクザ」として知られた後藤組（静岡県富士宮市）は山口組傘下の有力組織だったが、昨年１０月８日、神戸市の山口組総本部で開かれた会合で、後藤元組長が昨年９月、自身の誕生パーティーを有名歌手を招くなどして大々的に開いたことを執行部が問題視。これに対し後藤元組長が強く反発、口論となったとされ、同１４日に除籍とされた。

　当初、処分に強く反発した後藤元組長に対し、山口組執行部は一時、最も重い「絶縁」を科す方針も示した。「絶縁」はその処分を受けた組織はもちろん、その組織とかかわった組織も敵と見なされる重い処分。

　その後、後藤元組長側が除籍の受け入れを表明したが、後藤元組長に同調した複数の主要団体のトップがその後、相次いで除籍や絶縁とされ、警察当局が内部抗争を警戒するなど、一時緊迫した。

　警察当局は今回の後藤元組長の出家に関し、「情報は把握しているが、本人はすでに引退しており、（出家の）意図などは把握していない」としている。

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コバルト６０：４０年以上前から放置　阪大研究所

　大阪大産業科学研究所（茨木市）は６日、研究所のコバルト照射室で使用の承認を受けていない放射性同位元素コバルト６０が見つかった、と発表した。放射線管理区域内にあり、人体への影響などはないという。阪大からの報告を受け、文部科学省は再発防止策の報告などを指示した。

　阪大によると、見つかったコバルト６０は直径３センチと１．５センチの円筒を重ね合わせた形状で、放射能量は７．４メガベクレル。３月３１日のコバルト照射室の汚染検査時、放射線漏れを防ぐ鉛容器に入れられた状態で見つかった。

　放射線障害防止法では０．１メガベクレル以上のコバルト６０を使う際は国の承認が必要だが、承認の記録はなかった。阪大は「４０年以上前から存在に気づかずに置かれていたようだ。今後廃棄処理する」と話している。

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苦境深まる米新聞社　ＡＰ通信が加盟社支援、配信料引き下げ

　【ニューヨーク＝杉本晶子】米国で地方紙を中心に、新聞社の経営難が深まってきた。景気悪化に伴う広告収入の急減が主因で、コストの割安なインターネット版への移行に追い込まれたり、老舗紙が歴史に幕を下ろしたりするケースが目立つ。加盟する新聞社に記事などを配信する米通信社大手ＡＰは6日、米加盟社の経営支援へ配信料を2010年に2割近く引き下げると発表した。

　ＡＰの配信料引き下げは今年に続き2年連続。今年の引き下げ幅は1割強だが、来年はさらに拡大する。約1500にのぼる加盟社からの配信料収入はＡＰ売上高の25％を占める柱で、今回の値下げで年間約3500万ドル（約35億円）の減収になるという。ディーン・シングルトン会長は「厳しい経済環境下で大幅な値下げをすることは加盟社の助けになる」としている。

　ＡＰは米新聞社やテレビ局を中心に構成する非営利組織だが、一部の加盟社から「料金設定が高すぎる」などの批判も出ていた。値下げしないなら脱会したいと申し入れる新聞社も相次いでいたもよう。(16:09)