January 19, 2022 Ecuador modifies cross-border transaction rules Nonresidents may now claim 100% of benefits available under double tax treaties with Ecuador, rather than paying Ecuadorian withholding tax on income over $560,600 and applying for refunds based on the applicable treaty. The President also issued a decree that progressively reduces the remittance outflow tax rate to 4%. Ecuador has modified two cross-border transaction rules by allowing nonresidents to claim 100% of benefits available under double tax treaties with Ecuador and reducing the remittance outflow tax. Claiming 100% of benefits under double tax treaties Before the tax reform in 2021, nonresidents were automatically exempt from withholding tax under double tax treaties in Ecuador, up to US $560,600. Once that threshold was exceeded, Ecuadorian withholding tax applied, requiring nonresidents to request a refund from the Ecuadorian tax authority for the difference between the tax collected and the tax owed under the applicable treaty. Effective November 29, 2021, the limit on automatic application of treat benefits is eliminated. Therefore, nonresidents may claim 100% of available benefits under all double tax treaties into which Ecuador entered, eliminating the need to request a refund. Progressive reduction of remittance outflow tax rate The President issued a decree that progressively reduces the remittance outflow tax from 5% (tax year 2021) to 4%. The tax rate will decrease by 0.25 percentage points in each quarter of tax year 2022 as follows:
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