Roydon Snelgar

6,000 BC – Labour Obligation Tax

12 December 2017

Under the Bala Tax, Mesopotamia taxed almost everything – livestock, grains, handicrafts, funerals, etc. The most burdensome tax though was the Labor Obligation. This was also called the ‘going’ or ‘burden’ in Babylonian languages. Under the Labor Obligation Tax, a free man, the head of his household, owed the government several months’ of labour service…

Domicile Hedge Funds

8 December 2017

Eighty percent of the world’s hedge funds worth US$800 billion are domiciled in the Cayman Islands.  Hedge funds have been attracted to the Cayman Islands due to their balanced regulatory framework (which recognises the purchasers of hedge funds are sophisticated investors), absence of unnecessary licencing provisions, and significant flexibility with regard to investment objectives, risks,…

Ur III Dynasty of Mesopotamia | Bala Tax 6000 BC

5 December 2017

Mesopotamia is a historical region covering the Tigris–Euphrates river system. The region corresponds to most of Iraq, Kuwait, the eastern parts of Syria, and regions along the Turkish-Syrian and Iran–Iraq borders. Mesopotamia is the birthplace of some of the most important developments in human history, including the invention of the wheel, irrigation systems, the planting…

Tax Planning Strategy 153 | Junior Mineral Exploration Tax Credit

22 November 2017

The Junior Mineral Exploration Tax Credit (JMETC) encourages non-mining investors to invest in exploration companies and help fund their exploration activity. The JMETC allows mining companies undertaking exploration to renounce their deductions for exploration, and pass the benefits of those deductions onto shareholders. The shareholders can then use the credits to reduce their tax payable…

"You’d be stupid not to try to cut your tax bill and those that don’t are stupid in business"

- Bono: U2