Cempaka Belanda: HK Signs Tax Treaty With Netherlands; More Agreements Expected

"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) - (Text version)

"The Timing of the Great Shift" – Mar 21, 2009 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“ … Here is another one. A change in what Human nature will allow for government. "Careful, Kryon, don't talk about politics. You'll get in trouble." I won't get in trouble. I'm going to tell you to watch for leadership that cares about you. "You mean politics is going to change?" It already has. It's beginning. Watch for it. You're going to see a total phase-out of old energy dictatorships eventually. The potential is that you're going to see that before 2013.
They're going to fall over, you know, because the energy of the population will not sustain an old energy leader ..."

"Update on Current Events" – Jul 23, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: The Humanization of God, Gaia, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Benevolent Design, Financial Institutes (Recession, System to Change ...), Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Nuclear Power Revealed, Geothermal Power, Hydro Power, Drinking Water from Seawater, No need for Oil as Much, Middle East in Peace, Persia/Iran Uprising, Muhammad, Israel, DNA, Two Dictators to fall soon, Africa, China, (Old) Souls, Species to go, Whales to Humans, Global Unity,..... etc.)

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

HK Signs Tax Treaty With Netherlands; More Agreements Expected

The Wall Street Journal, by Martin Vaughan (Of Dow Jones newswires)

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--Hong Kong signed a tax treaty with the Netherlands on Monday, heralding what is likely to be a string of such agreements, as the city comes under pressure from Western nations to prove it isn't a tax haven where the world's rich can shelter their fortunes.

The tax agreement, announced Sunday, is the second to incorporate new transparency standards pushed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The first, a deal with Brunei, was signed on Saturday.

A third agreement, with Indonesia, is to be signed Tuesday. Still under negotiation are possible deals with France, Austria and Switzerland, among others. Private-sector tax experts here say they expect the government to conclude several more such agreements this year, with the goal of amassing a total of 12--a standard set informally by the OECD.

But the chances of an agreement with the U.S., though sought after by businesses in the region, are likely remote, tax advisers say.

The chief economic reason for entering into such agreements is to prevent double taxation. To that end, Hong Kong and the Netherlands agreed to lower tax withholding rates on certain payments between jurisdictions.

But the real driver for the enhanced agreements has to do with burnishing Hong Kong's reputation as an above-board dealer in the international financial community.

"I think the fact that we have passed legislation adopting [OECD standards on information exchange] proves that Hong Kong has always been tax compliant. Hong Kong is not a tax haven," said K.C. Chan, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of Hong Kong. He spoke at a news conference following the signing with Netherlands Finance Minister J.C. de Jager.

The Group of 20 nations last year threatened sanctions for nations on a "gray list" of uncooperative tax jurisdictions. Hong Kong wasn't on the list, but was warned it could be added if it didn't institute transparency measures aimed at thwarting tax evasion by residents of other countries.

"In the past we have had the carrot" of tax treaty benefits, said Ayesha Macpherson, partner in charge of tax at accounting firm KPMG in Hong Kong. "But sometimes the carrot is not enough. The carrot and the stick together pushed the Hong Kong government into action."

The private banking industry has grown steadily in Hong Kong as private wealth has expanded in Asia. Instead of discouraging the adoption of transparency measures, the territory's wealth-management sector has accepted them as a step to cement Hong Kong's place in a new framework of global rules.

Hong Kong lags Singapore, its regional competitor in the private banking business, in formalizing transparency standards. Singapore signed its 12th treaty enshrining the more liberal OECD information-sharing rules in November.

Those rules provide for the exchange of tax information between treaty partners, upon a specific request from one government to the other. They don't provide for automatic sharing of information.

That might seem like a helpful tool for the U.S. government, which is ramping up its hunt for U.S. tax dodgers across the globe. But don't expect a U.S.-Hong Kong tax treaty any time soon, said Evan Blanco, chair of the taxation committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.

The U.S. seeks to enter into treaties only where double taxation poses a problem, and there is little risk of a U.S. firm being taxed twice on its income in Hong Kong, which doesn't tax any income earned outside its borders and where the tax rate on corporate Hong Kong-based income is a low 16.5%.

In addition, an agreement with Hong Kong presents delicate political considerations since the city, while a separate tax jurisdiction, is a part of China.

"From the Treasury standpoint, Hong Kong isn't high on their list," said Blanco.

-By Martin Vaughan, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9244; martin.vaughan@dowjones.com

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