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OECD, minimum corporation tax.

 Businesses have urged ministers to delay the introduction of an internationally agreed corporate tax or risk burdening them with «impossible» reporting deadlines. However, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt confirmed in the Autumn Statement that a 15 per cent effective minimum tax rate for all subsidiaries of UK multinationals will be included in the spring finance bill and enacted from the end of 2023. The proposed minimum business levy is part of an agreement signed by 136 countries last October, which was coordinated by the OECD club of mostly rich nations and hailed as the most significant tax reform in over a century. The policy is designed to stamp out profit shifting and corporate tax havens, but implementation has been delayed, and no country has yet enshrined the policy in law.

Businesses say they need more time to prepare for the change while finer details still need to be clarified by the OECD. The OECD is due to respond to concerns about the minimum tax rules, with updated guidance to be published in December and again next year. Britain «should not run ahead of everyone else» but wait until the OECD publishes more guidance. A new minimum corporate tax in the US does not comply with OECD rules, and Hungary's directive in the EU is blocked.

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US FED rate rise.

  The US Federal Reserve officials have indicated that they plan to resume increasing interest rates to control inflation in the world's biggest economy. During the June meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee reached a consensus to keep interest rates stable for the time being to evaluate whether further tightening of policy would be necessary. However, the majority of the committee anticipates that additional rate increases will be required in the future. The minutes of the meeting have recently been made public. According to the minutes, most participants believed maintaining the federal funds rate at 5 to 5.25 per cent was appropriate or acceptable, despite some individuals wanting to raise the acceleration due to slow progress in cooling inflation. Although Fed forecasts predicted a mild recession starting later in the year, policymakers faced challenges in interpreting data that showed a tight job market and only slight improvements in inflation. Additionally, officials gr...

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EU business slide.

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