The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) is updating six of its competition guidelines, to educate and inform businesses and competition practitioners by refining and clarifying the analytical and procedural frameworks employed by the CCCS in administering and enforcing the Competition Act (Cap. 50B) (the “Act”) in Singapore. The CCCS is conducting a public consultation for feedback on its proposed amendments to the competition guidelines in respect of the treatment of intellectual property rights, market definition, section 47 prohibition (abuse of a dominant position), enforcement, substantive assessment of mergers and merger procedures (“Public Consultation”). The closing date for submissions is 8 October 2020.

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On 25 August 2020, HMRC confirmed that there are now 10 ongoing investigations concerning the corporate criminal offence of “failure to prevent the facilitation of tax evasion (CCO). This follows HMRC’s previous update on the matter in February 2020. While this indicates that HMRC have only opened one new investigation since December 2019, a further 22 “live opportunities” are currently under review, which marks a significant increase in activity during the course of this year.

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Businesses have to be adaptable when navigating the business and legal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Resilience, Recovery & Renewal model supports organizations as they go through one of the key stages – shifting focus from crisis management to reopening mode. To aid you in this process, we have developed a series of Reopening for Business checklists, which provide easy access to the key strategic issues that you need to consider as you look towards reopening.

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“Energy system integration” is one of the key issues when looking at Europe’s future, whereby digitalization is one of the key elements. Digitalizing the energy sector aims to bridge the gap between different sources of energy production as well as between production, storage, transport and consumption. “Smart Grids” shall pave the way of the energy transition.

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In this series of podcasts, our Baker McKenzie speakers explore the challenges and risks encountered by businesses amidst the constantly changing legal and regulatory landscape. We share insights around the various legal and compliance issues which will be illustrated with a factual scenario. The series will include topics relating to fraud, insurance, data privacy and adapting appropriate processes.

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As of 17 September 2020, the government has cancelled all pre-scheduled inspections of legal entities for consumers rights violations. However, unscheduled inspections will continue to be conducted and their number is expected to increase, with special rules applying for 2020.

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On 20 August 2020, the Trade Remedy Authority (TRA) of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) – the Investigator – received a petition for an anti-dumping and countervailing investigation (AD) with regard to cane sugar under HS code 1701.13.00, 1701.14.00, and 1701.99.10, originating from Thailand. The petitioners are Son La Cane Sugar JSC, Son Duong Cane Sugar JSC, KCP Vietnam Industrial LLC., Can Tho Cane Sugar JSC, 333 Cane Sugar JSC, and Soc Trang Cane Sugar JSC. Together they represent more than 25% of the total domestic production. On 21 September 2020, the MOIT issued Decision No. 2466/QD-BCT to officially conduct the investigation (AD13-AS01).

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Businesses have to be adaptable when navigating the business and legal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Resilience, Recovery & Renewal model supports organizations as they go through one of the key stages – shifting focus from crisis management to reopening mode. To aid you in this process, we have developed a series of Reopening for Business checklists, which provide easy access to the key strategic issues that you need to consider as you look towards reopening.

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Our latest report, Supply Chains Reimagined: Recovery and Renewal in Asia Pacific and Beyond, features analysis of global export market share data from Silk Road Associates collated across 350 product categories and 150 countries.

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On 15 July 2020, the European Commission (“EC”) adopted a new Tax Package aimed to “contribute to the economic recovery and long-term growth of Europe”. The Tax Package consists of three elements: (i) a revision of the Directive on Administrative Cooperation “DAC7), (ii) a Communication on Tax Good Governance, and (iii) a Tax Action Plan for a fair and simple taxation supporting the recovery. The Tax Action Plan is a set of legislative and non-legislative initiatives on taxation that the EC plans to deliver between 2020 and 2023. As such, the Tax Action Plan itself is not a legislative proposal.

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