Our Expert Blogs
Dividend WHT on African equities is moving into enforcement mode Dividend withholding tax, or dividend WHT, on African equities is no longer a routine back-office deduction. Governments want higher, more stable revenues and closer alignment with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development standards. They now see dividend tax as a direct way to test treaty […]
In 2021 it implemented the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Treaty Relief and Compliance Enhancement (TRACE) model for dividends on listed shares held through nominee accounts. Its rules created a public register of authorised intermediaries, set clear duties, and required annual, structured reporting. The design put liability on the intermediary that grants treaty […]
South Korea is a high-scrutiny market for dividend withholding tax. The statutory rate is 20 percent, plus a local surtax of 10 percent on the withholding. That produces an effective 22 percent where no treaty relief applies. Treaty use without triggering substance challenges is possible and often attractive. It is not automatic, and the evidentiary […]
Investors love a crisp story. Here it is: The United Arab Emirates applies a domestic withholding tax rate of zero per cent on cross-border dividends. That makes dividend WHT a non-issue for outbound payments from the UAE. Saudi Arabia applies a domestic dividend WHT of five per cent to non-residents, with treaty adjustments that mostly […]
Everyone is selling a silver bullet. There isn’t one. The European Union’s Faster and Safer Relief of Excess Withholding Taxes Directive is a real step forward for dividend withholding tax, but relief at source will not magically appear in every market on day one. The operating reality will be a mixed economy: some markets will […]
Italian dividend WHT is simple on paper and unforgiving in execution. The statutory rate is 26 percent. Treaty relief usually narrows that to between five and fifteen percent for portfolio dividends, while the European Union Parent–Subsidiary Directive can eliminate WHT in qualifying intra-EU corporate chains. That is the baseline risk and the baseline opportunity. The […]
Switzerland’s dividend withholding tax (WHT) sits at 35%. That headline number looks punitive, and it is if you do nothing. The good news is that treaty-entitled investors can usually recover a large part of it. The bad news is that speed is earned, not assumed. If you want a faster Swiss dividend tax refund, you […]
The European Union’s Faster and Safer Relief of Excess Withholding Taxes directive has crossed the finish line and now moves into execution. The Council adopted the measure on 10 December 2024, with publication in the Official Journal on 10 January 2025. This is no longer theory. It is policy, and it will reshape how dividend […]
The new China-Italy Double Tax Agreement resets expectations. Many investors ask whether dividend withholding tax (WHT) drops in 2025. It does not. The treaty is live, but the reduced rates bite for income derived on or after 1 January 2026. Treat 2025 as build time. Align policy, paperwork, and process now. That is how you […]
Switzerland’s move to online refunding of withholding tax (WHT) on dividends has been framed as a speed play. The reality is more nuanced. The Swiss Federal Tax Administration (SFTA) has expanded its ePortal so claimants can initiate a refund request online, track status, and manage permissions. The statutory framework is unchanged: Switzerland levies a 35 […]