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ARCHIVE
ICI Global Welcomes Improvements in Final FATCA Regulations
By Ianthe Zabel
January 18, 2013
ICI Global Senior Counsel for Tax Law, Keith Lawson, made the following statement today regarding the final regulations issued by the U.S. government to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA):
ICI Global is pleased that many of the global fund industry’s concerns have been addressed in the final FATCA regulations, as a result of the U.S. Treasury Department’s decision to follow a risk-based regulatory approach.
ICI Global called for and strongly supports the improvements made by the final regulations, including:
- phasing in FATCA’s requirements over the next several years;
- simplifying the account opening process and documentation procedures;
- allowing a fund sponsor to act on behalf of all funds it manages; and
- relaxing restrictive rules that would have prevented some funds and retirement accounts from being deemed compliant.
The regulations also incorporate the substantial improvements being made in the intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) that the United States is negotiating with more than 50 countries.
Despite all of these welcome improvements, the global fund industry still must make a massive effort to meet all of FATCA’s compliance requirements. We look forward to continuing to work with the governments of the United States and its IGA partner countries to ensure that tax compliance initiatives can be administered in the most cost-effective way for fund investors.
You can learn more about ICI and ICI Global’s research on FATCA at ICI’s FATCA Resource Center.
Ianthe Zabel is ICI’s senior director for media relations.
TOPICS: TaxesInternational
UCITS V—Significant Changes for European Funds and Fund Managers
By Giles Swan
July 3, 2012
Today the European Commission adopted a proposal for revisions to the Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (UCITS) framework, which governs cross-border retail investment funds in Europe.
TOPICS: ICI GlobalFund RegulationInternational
Proposal to Implement Volcker Rule Raises Significant Issues for Regulated Funds Globally
By Dan Waters
February 14, 2012
Congress enacted the provision of the Dodd-Frank Reform Act known as the Volcker Rule to restrict banks from sponsoring and investing in hedge funds (so-called covered funds) and using their own resources to trade for purposes unrelated to serving clients—something known as “proprietary trading.”
A New Voice for Global Investment Funds
By Paul Schott Stevens
October 10, 2011
Over the past two decades, the world has witnessed the rise of asset managers as global financial intermediaries. The fund industry has been at the forefront of this movement, vigorously expanding its international reach and offering investors opportunities to diversify and to access new markets.
TOPICS: ICI GlobalInternational
Cracking Down on Tax Evaders Without Cracking Up U.S. Capital Markets
By Keith Lawson
June 15, 2011
The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) is a law designed to ensure that U.S. persons holding assets through accounts in foreign financial institutions comply with their U.S. tax obligations. In other words, the law aims to crack down on tax evasion through offshore investments. It is set to apply to payments made beginning January 1, 2013.
TOPICS: TaxesInternational
Switching to International Accounting Standards Wouldn’t Likely Benefit U.S. Fund Investors, ICI Tells SEC
By Gregory M. Smith
June 14, 2011
A key issue for ICI’s Operations team is regulator interest in harmonizing worldwide accounting standards. As Donald Boteler, ICI’s Vice President for Operations and Continuing Education, said in ICI’s latest annual report, “It’s a noble purpose, but it’s a big, big challenge.”
Pursuing Sound Financial Regulation for International Markets
By Ari Burstein
February 25, 2011
Whether at home or overseas, ICI works to ensure that regulators pursue the creation of consistent and sensible rules for the financial markets. Internationally, we recently provided input to the European Commission, which is taking a comprehensive look at ways to reform regulation of European financial markets.
TOPICS: Financial MarketsInternational
U.S. Retirement Success Can Aid in EU Pension Modernization
By ICI Viewpoints
November 15, 2010
Understanding the successes of the U.S. retirement savings framework can aid European regulators as they consider reform of pension systems in the European Union, ICI said in a comment letter.
TOPICS: Fund RegulationInternational
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