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 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 European Commission has formally requested Cyprus to amend its legislation on depreciation scales for the calculation of excise duties on second-hand motorcycles because the current rules discriminate against imported motorcycles. Under current Cypriot legislation, owners of second-hand motorcycles have to pay an excise duty depending on the depreciation of these vehicles, i.e. their loss…
On the 18.02.2011, the Republic of Cyprus and the Federal Republic of Germany executed an updated agreement for the avoidance of double taxation on income and capital. The new agreement replaces the existing tax agreement of 1974. The agreement was signed in Nicosia, by Cyprus Minister of Finance Charilaos Stavrakis and German AmbassadorGottfried Zeitz. The…
On the 14.01.2011 Cyprus and Armenia signed a protocol of cooperation which provides for the enhancement of their bilateral relations in many fields. The protocol signed in Yerevan after the conclusion of the deliberations of the First Meeting of the Cyprus – Armenia Intergovernmental Committee, which was established on the basis of an economic agreement…
As of the 10th of January 2011, in order to comply with EU obligations, the zero V.A.T. rate currently applied to a broad range of food, medicines and vaccines sold in Cyrpus will be abolished. Instead, a 5% V.A.T. rate will be applied to all food and beverage sales. Likewise a 5% rate will also…
On the 20/12/2010, the European Commission published a Communication which outlined the most serious tax problems encountered by EU citizens during cross-border transactions and announced plans for their resolution. The Communication announced plans covering areas such as cross-border income, inheritance taxes, dividend taxes, car registration taxes and e-Commerce. It proposes to make member states’ tax…
Following the recent visit of Russian President Medvedev to Cyprus and the signing of the Protocol to the double taxation agreement on behalf of the governments of both countries, it is expected that the amended treaty will be ratified by the Parliaments of the two countries and will become effective from 1 January 2011. The…