香港实施共同报告准则及自动信息交换

经济合作与发展组织(经合组织)就政府间自动信息交换(自动信息交换)引入的共同报告准则(共同报告准则)是一项重大举措,可能引起金融行业的范式转变。 继《2016年税务(修订)(第3号)条例》刊登宪报并于2016年6月30日生效后,共同报告准则将很快在香港实施。自2017年起,香港的金融机构及金融中介机构将承担法律义务向香港税务局(税务局)报告须申报人士的财务账户,并且须于下一年度5月31日(即2018年5月31日)之前向税务局作出首次报告。香港税务局将于2018年年底前基于互惠原则与相关司法辖区进行首次自动信息交换。 据税务局认为:“在自动信息交换准则下,金融机构须根据尽职审查程序识别须申报税务司法辖区的税务居民所持有的财务账户。金融机构须收集此等账户的须申报信息,并向本局提交相关信息。本局将每年与自动信息交换伙伴司法辖区的税务机关交换信息。” 自动信息交换规定将涵盖属“须申报司法辖区”(即香港已与其签订自动信息交换安排的司法辖区)的税务居民的个人。如账户持有人并非属于与香港签订自动信息交换协议的司法辖区的税务居民,则金融机构毋须申报有关账户的信息。 一般而言,一名个人是否属一个司法辖区的税务居民,要根据该司法辖区的税法确定,并且典型地要考虑该人士实际身处或逗留于某地(例如在一个课税年度内是否超过183天或其他相关的最低限期),或如属公司,则根据该公司注册成立地或其中央管理及控制所在地而定[1]。金融机构可要求账户持有人就其税务居民身份提供自我证明,以确定有关账户是否属自动信息交换下须申报的账户。 于2016年9月9日,税务局公布《金融机构指南》(税务局指南),载列相关申报规定及尽职审查程序的进一步详细指引,并载有有关集体投资计划的说明及信托的处理。有关税务局指南的概要载于此文章:crs-legal-update-chinese。 [1] 经合组织已建立一个门户网站,提供有关已承诺实施自动信息交换之司法辖区税务居住地规则的信息: http://www.oecd.org/tax/automatic-exchange/crs-implementation-and-assistance/tax-residency/#d.en.347760  

Vivien Teu is Founder & Principal of Vivien Teu Law Practice / VTLP Impact.  With more than 25 years in-depth experiences in capital markets, financial institutions and asset management industry, financial services, financial and securities regulatory matters, funds formation, investment and finance transactions, Vivien is market leading in her focus on ESG legal and regulatory issues, increasingly integrated into her advisory and transactional practice. She has been active in impact ecosystem building, contributing to standard setting and industry engagements on sustainability, ESG and impact issues and sustainable finance, specifically in the investment and capital markets, holistically covering regulatory, legal and policy perspectives, and advises across the spectrum of capital, ESG issues and asset classes, public and private markets, for-profit, non-profit organisations or hybrid structures, and range of fund structures and financing instruments.

Prior to establishing Vivien Teu Law Practice / VTLP Impact, Vivien has solid industry experience from strategic roles throughout her career, including senior in-house legal experience with global asset management firm, Invesco, and practised with leading international funds and regulatory practice including magic circle law firm Clifford Chance, and most recently with global law firm Dentons, where Vivien assumed key roles as sustainable finance lead on the Global ESG Steering Committee, Global Funds Leaders Group and Global Financial Institutions Practice Group, driving impact focus within mainstream finance and capital markets.  Vivien’s leadership in sustainable finance, global funds and industry engagement is matched with her commitment to community and ecosystem building. 

With the vision of the role of law in purposeful partnerships and projects, to align capital with sustainability and increasing focus on measurable positive environmental and social outcomes, Vivien’s experiences include advising asset owners, asset managers and also charitable foundations in establishing purpose-led initiatives, related stewardship and governance considerations and structure design, B Lab’s legal requirements and certification standards for B Corps, green and sustainable finance frameworks and instruments, legal issues of carbon markets and climate transition, climate mitigation and adaptation strategies and funds, nature-based solutions and finance, impact term-sheets and other innovative finance instruments for impact, advocacy efforts as well as engaging in market proposals for policy, legal and regulatory levers for advancing sustainability and impact.   

 

Learn more about Vivien at LinkedIn