04 January 2019

Peru issues regulations on tax havens and preferential tax regimes

On 30 December 2018, Peru’s Minister of Economics issued Supreme Decree 340-2018-EF, which contains regulations that include Peru’s black list of countries and jurisdictions that are considered tax havens or non-cooperative jurisdictions, as well as conditions for being added or removed from the list. The regulations also include the requirements for a country or jurisdiction to be considered a preferential tax regime for Peruvian tax purposes. The Supreme Decree went into effect on 1 January 2019.

 

Tax havens or non-cooperative jurisdictions

The following countries or jurisdictions are included on Peru’s black list: Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cook Islands, Curaçao, Cyprus, Dominica, Grenada, Gibraltar, Guam, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Jersey, Labuan, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Monaco, Montserrat, Nauru, Niue, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Samoan Americans, Seychelles, Saint Maarten, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Vanuatu and the Virgin Islands of the United States.

A country or jurisdiction may be included on the black list if one of the following requirements is met:

  • There is no information exchange agreement or double tax treaty containing a clause for the exchange of information in force with Peru.
  • There is no transparency at a legal, regulatory or administrative level.
  • The corporate income tax (CIT) rate is zero or lower than 17.7% (60% of the current CIT rate in Peru, which is 29.5%).

A country or jurisdiction may be excluded from the list if one of the following requirements is met:

  • The country is a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
  • There is a double tax treaty in force with Peru that includes a clause for the exchange of information.
  • The country effectively exchanges information with Peru without limitation based on domestic legislation or administrative practice.

Inclusions or exclusions apply as of 1 January of the year following the inclusion/exclusion.

 

Preferential tax regimes

A jurisdiction is a preferential tax regime if at least two of the following requirements are met:

  • An information exchange agreement or double tax treaty containing a clause for the exchange of information is not in force with Peru.
  • There is no transparency at a legal, regulatory or administrative level.
  • The CIT rate is zero or lower than 17.7% (60% of the current CIT rate in Peru, which is 29.5%).
  • Tax benefits are available for nonresidents, but not residents.
  • The OECD considers the jurisdiction to be a harmful jurisdiction due to the lack of a requirement that there be a substantive local presence, real activities or economic substance.

Under the Supreme Decree, the transfer pricing rules apply to transactions entered with entities subject to preferential tax regimes. Previously, the transfer pricing rules only applied to transactions with related parties or residents of tax havens.

For additional information with respect to this Alert, please contact the following:

Ernst & Young Asesores S.C.R.L, Lima
  • Roberto Cores | roberto.cores@pe.ey.com
  • Ramón Bueno-Tizón | ramon.bueno-tizon@pe.ey.com
Ernst & Young, LLP, Latin American Business Center, New York
  • Ana Mingramm | ana.mingramm@ey.com
  • Enrique Perez Grovas | enrique.perezgrovas@ey.com
  • Pablo Wejcman | pablo.wejcman@ey.com
Ernst & Young LLP (United Kingdom), Latin American Business Center, London
  • Jose Padilla | jpadilla@uk.ey.com
Ernst & Young Tax Co., Latin American Business Center, Japan & Asia Pacific
  • Raul Moreno, Tokyo | raul.moreno@jp.ey.com
  • Luis Coronado, Singapore | luis.coronado@sg.ey.com

ATTACHMENT

Document ID: 2019-5024