It's was a welcome break, therefore, to compile the pages of this month's International Tax Review cover story. They are bursting with happy faces, as partners and in-house directors from across the Asia-Pacific region celebrate the achievements of the year gone by. It's kind of like the opposite of the England team's post-World Cup debrief.
Of course, as is now customary, the Asia Tax Awards were held in tandem with our two-day Asia Tax Forum, and skilfully presented by ITR and TP Week managing editors Anjana Haines and Sonja Caymaz.
The Asia Tax Forum, as is the case with many of our events, is a great barometer for us as a team. It gives us the chance to reach out to subscribers and non-subscribers and see that the issues on their minds are the same as the issues we're covering. Seeing as some of the most discussed developments were the multilateral instrument, principal purpose test and digital taxation – three topics ITR has endeavoured to cover extensively on its website and in print – we came away happy, as well.
Also in this month's magazine, we have an exclusive interview with Tim Dyce of the ATO ahead of Australia's imposition of GST on low-value goods on July 1. Australia is the first country to take this step, and the eyes of the tax world will be upon them. While it's perhaps uncouth to comment on another nation's World Cup chances, given that the Socceroos' final group stage game is on June 26, at least it's unlikely that anyone there will have football matters to distract them from the task at hand.
We also have special features on transfer pricing from the Netherlands and Chile – perhaps people there have extra time on their hands this summer – and from Sweden. In addition, we have an update from our Mexican correspondents on the budding use of special purpose acquisition vehicles.
So, a final congratulations from me to the winners of our Asia Tax Awards, and I hope all readers enjoy this month's magazine, which is mercifully free from any more football talk.
Joe Stanley-Smith
Editor, International Tax Review
