Our Expert Blogs

Asia WHT recovery opportunities are real, but they are not uniform Cross-border investors still leave money on the table in Asia. They often treat withholding tax (WHT) as a background friction cost. That is the wrong lens. In practice, the real issue is whether a market creates a recoverable tax leakage, and whether the claimant […]

Treaty reform is moving faster than treaty delivery Across emerging Africa, treaty policy has moved forward. Several jurisdictions have updated treaty networks, adopted Base Erosion and Profit Shifting standards, or absorbed anti-abuse changes through the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting, commonly called the Multilateral Instrument. […]

Why the South Korea WHT treaty question is now a substance question A South Korea withholding tax (WHT) treaty claim can look simple at first glance. The treaty rate may seem clear. The residence certificate may also be available. Even so, the real pressure point sits elsewhere. South Korea now tests treaty access through substance, […]

Why UAE Saudi WHT recovery is not a single Gulf process UAE Saudi withholding tax (WHT) recovery sounds like one regional story. It is not. Investors often group the Gulf Cooperation Council together and assume that tax administration works in a similar way across the bloc. That assumption breaks down quickly once WHT enters the […]

Africa’s 2026 withholding tax (WHT) landscape is becoming a year of tighter administration, sharper classification rules, and more demanding documentation standards. Across Morocco, Egypt, Kenya, and Nigeria, WHT risk is moving deeper into treaty access, source rules, digital enforcement, and payment characterisation. For cross-border investors, that changes the control framework. The real issue is no […]

Why emerging markets require a different approach Emerging markets withholding tax recovery rarely works as a routine tax exercise. It affects cash flow, operational control, treaty access, and investor governance at the same time. Portfolio teams may group emerging markets together for allocation purposes, but tax authorities do not. Each jurisdiction applies its own domestic […]

The European Union (EU) has moved the Faster and Safer Relief of Excess Withholding Taxes initiative, known as the FASTER Directive, out of policy debate and into the implementation phase. For investors, custodians, fund administrators and intermediaries, that shift matters now. The legal framework is set. The national build is not. That gap is exactly […]

Why an EU WHT comparison by country matters now A credible European Union (EU) withholding tax (WHT) comparison by country starts with a basic point. The EU still does not give cross-border investors one practical reclaim system. Each Member State still runs its own process, sets its own evidence standards, and applies its own administrative […]

Why the EU eTRC system matters The European Union eTRC system marks a serious shift in cross-border Withholding Tax (WHT) administration. For years, investors have dealt with paper certificates, local forms, and repeated proof-of-residence requests. Each market has built its own process. Each tax authority has used its own format. That fragmentation has slowed claims, […]

Why ECJ dividend tax rulings matter Cross-border dividend taxation in Europe is not driven only by treaty rates. In many disputes, the central question is whether a source state has taxed a non-resident investor more heavily than a comparable resident investor. That issue sits at the heart of the most important ECJ dividend tax rulings. […]