The fact described in the text is that nearly 130 countries have recommitted to the first pillar of a global tax deal, which aims to reform international tax rules, particularly for multinationals with revenues exceeding 2 million.
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.
Cyprus’ general government recorded an increased surplus of €665.2 million during the first four months of 2024, attributed to a significant increase in government revenues by 17.3 per cent, outpacing expenditure growth.
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.
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.
Saudi Arabia’s government filed papers to sell a new stake in state oil giant Aramco that could raise as much as .1 billion.
Silver found temporary support near .20 after correcting from a weekly high of .30. The Dollar declined further after the U.S. Department of Labor reported higher jobless benefits claims for the week ending May 24. The slower US growth rate in the first quarter also weighed on the Dollar. The DXY Dollar Index corrected further to 104.76. A downside move in the US Dollar is favorable for dollar-denominated assets such as silver. The uncertainty over the near-term outlook of silver remains ahead of the U.S. core Personal Consumption Expenditure Price Index data for April. The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge will influence speculation for Fed rate cuts in September. Financial markets expect the Fed to start reducing interest rates from the last quarter of the year.
Russia’s Finance Ministry has proposed amendments to the tax code, including raising corporate income taxes and introducing a progressive personal income tax scale. The changes are expected to be passed by the State Duma before autumn 2024 and come into force in 2025. The proposed changes include raising corporate income tax to 25%, reintroducing a 5% income tax rate for IT companies, and setting thresholds for the progressive personal income tax scale. The reforms are estimated to increase consolidated budget revenues by RUB2.6 trillion in 2025. Despite the changes, Russia’s progressive personal income tax remains modest compared to other BRICS countries. The implementation of a progressive income tax could have negative impacts on economic growth and macroeconomic indicators.
The GBPUSD pair weakened to 1.2695 in early Asian trading on Thursday due to a stronger US Dollar supported by higher US yields and lower bets of a Federal Reserve rate cut in September.