Fact: Russia’s Finance Ministry has submitted legislation to reintroduce progressive taxes on personal income, with the progressive scale starting with annual incomes exceeding 2.4 million rubles (,100).
Aircraft shortages have allowed airlines like Frontier Airlines and Wizz Air to sell new planes to leasing companies at higher prices than they paid, resulting in gains of hundreds of millions of dollars. The tight airliner market has made sale-and-leaseback transactions more attractive, with US airlines accounting for a larger share of these deals. New aircraft prices are 20% higher than pre-pandemic levels, leading to soaring lease rates. Airlines are spending 30% more on aircraft leases than before the pandemic.
The government balance in Cyprus for January-April 2024 had a surplus of €665.2 million, almost double compared to the same period in 2023. This surplus was due to an increase in revenues outpacing expenditures, giving the Government more flexibility in its social policy.
The effective federal income tax rate for S Corporation shareholders and partners in a partnership could increase by 30% by December 31, 2025, due to the expiration of certain tax laws.
The International Monetary Fund praised Cyprus for its strong economic performance, commending the country for its substantial primary surpluses, efforts to reduce public debt, quick recovery from the pandemic, and resilience in dealing with external shocks. The IMF recommended measures to further strengthen the economy, including phasing out electricity subsidies and VAT exemptions, and advised against further cost-of-living adjustments to wages. Other recommendations included reforms to the justice system, labor markets, and vigilance regarding systemic risks in the real estate market.
Russia has announced changes to its tax system, moving from a flat to a progressive system by 2025. The upper rate of income tax will rise from 15% to 22% and for corporate taxes from 20% to 25%. These changes are expected to reduce the budget deficit caused by increased military spending but may not be enough to prevent economic overheating. The tax hikes are modest compared to military and defense spending, which is 6% of GDP and rising. The overall fiscal stance remains expansionary, challenging the central bank’s efforts to combat inflation. Russia’s budget deficit is expected to halve this year and remain flat in 2025, while growth forecasts vary with some predicting modest growth and others more upbeat figures.
Russia has announced changes to its tax system, including a shift to a progressive income tax system in 2025, with the upper rate increasing from 15% to 22% and corporate taxes from 20% to 25%. These changes are expected to reduce the budget deficit caused by increased military spending.
The euro is experiencing a third successive decline against the pound sterling, with the EURGBP pair rising sharply at 0.8531, notching a 0.26% gain. Eurozone inflation data, both headline and core HICP, exceeded forecasts, potentially impacting the timing of the ECB’s easing cycle. Spain’s HICP data came in higher than expected at 3.8% YoY, while Germany’s HICP harmonised inflation rate increased to 2.8% YoY. The EU’s block figures also rose, indicating unexpected inflation pressures that may lead the ECB to reconsider its dovish stance.
The fact described in the text is that the percentage of children at or below the poverty line in Cyprus reached 18.1 per cent in 2022, equivalent to approximately 31,000 children, according to Eurostat data.
Key data releases include the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) from Eurostat, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, and first-quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data from Canada.