Insights

Finance Minister, Mr Heng Swee Keat delivered the 2017 Singapore Budget yesterday afternoon. We’ve attached a Budget Summary to help you understand the initiatives that have been announced and how we believe it will impact businesses and individuals.

Emerging markets are at the forefront of the global shift from direct to indirect taxation. Reduced corporate tax rates in many countries and new or enhanced value-added-tax (VAT) or goods-and-services-tax (GST) are causing the shift.

Business leaders across the Asia Pacific region report a split in optimism heading into 2017. The findings, from Grant Thornton’s most recent quarterly global survey of 2,600 businesses in 37 economies, reveal that emerging and developed Asia Pacific economies are travelling in different directions when it comes to their outlook for the New Year. Globally, the research finds that the majority of business leaders start 2017 in a positive frame of mind.

Across a number of countries, the way internationally mobile employees are taxed is being shaken-up. This follows the G20/OECD-led Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan recommendations set out over a year ago.

A lack of awareness is fuelling the surge in cyber crime but there are pragmatic steps that organisations can take.

Graham Stirling, audit manager at Grant Thornton in Singapore, talks about how attracting and developing the right people has been key to the rapid growth of the firm

Competition for students in increasing, as traditional countries targeted for students grow their domestic capability and US HEIs ramp up their recruitment drive. Understanding the underlying factors driving students’ choices will help HEIs align their recruitment activities and attract the top students.

The developed economies of the Asia Pacific region are driving the region’s export plans, while emerging economies have reported a dip in expectations over the same period, according to Grant Thornton’s International Business Report, a quarterly global business survey of 37 economies.

Asia Pacific is the engine room of the global economy. GDP growth across the region outstrips the West; while the vast majority of European and North American economies are forecast to grow by less than 2% in 2016, many of those in Asia Pacific are looking for at least 3% growth and in some cases more. And while the Chinese economy cools, increasing economic co-operation between its neighbours has the potential to offset this.

A flurry of sign-ups in the first half of 2016 took the number of countries agreeing to introduce the minimum BEPS standards1, including country-by-country (CbC) reporting, beyond 80.

The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) trade bloc is a growing force in the world economy and its increasing influence brings with it prime investment opportunities for businesses both inside and outside the region, not least through a stand-out e-health sector.

International student fees can significantly boost Higher Education Institutions’ (HEI) financial results. But competition is increasing for a piece of this lucrative market. Are you using the right techniques to capitalise on it?

Our latest global survey found that businesses biggest concerns stemming from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan are additional administrative burdens and cyber security. With the demand of information that will be required and the sharing expected across local and foreign governments, is this a big surprise? Probably not, but our survey surprising found that nearly one year after release 78% of businesses have not changed their planning approach to taxes.

Your board has a crucial role to play in steering your company to long-term success. To be the best it needs to focus on three Ds: diversity, digital and development

With more than 80 countries now having agreed to adopt at least the minimum elements of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan, there’s no getting around BEPS.

Grant Thornton has prepared a high-level analysis, from a VAT, GST and Customs Duties perspective, of the potential impact of Brexit on supply chains involving the UK and other EU countries. The analysis assumes that the UK will not form part of the Customs or VAT territories of the EU and the analysis could differ depending on precise incoterms and transport arrangements.