International updates - May 2014

April 30 2014

The latest international updates from our correspondents around the world.

Albania: VAT Reimbursement Procedure Directive

Australia: Australian offshore voluntary disclosure initiative 2014

Brazil: Attorney general of the National Treasury issues opinion so as to apply treaty provisions regarding the payment of service fees

Bulgaria: Bulgarian National Revenue Agency’s official position on reinvoicing of expenses

Canada: Canada’s 2014 budget eliminates tax benefits of immigration trusts

China: New foreign exchange policies on supporting the development of China (Shanghai) pilot free trade zone

Cyprus: Timeframes for registration of Cyprus international trusts

EU: Political agreement on new EU rules on PPLs/hybrid loans

Germany: Restrictive application of the German trust model

Hong Kong: TIEA signed with US

India: Indian government proposes revised version of Indian Tax Laws

Italy: New exchange of information rules implemented in Italy

FYR Macedonia: FYR Macedonia ratifies double tax treaty with Bosnia & Herzegovina

Malta: Malta’s recent efforts towards effective exchange of information

Mexico: Limitation on income tax deductions affecting international transactions

Montenegro: Witholding tax on dividends and its methodology

New Zealand: New Zealand’s Inland Revenue finalises interpretation statement on tax residence

Serbia: Determining the income tax for non-profit organisations in Serbia

South Africa: Tax dispute resolution

Spain: Government prepares sweeping tax reform

Switzerland: Revised guidance on the taxation of Swiss principal companies

Ukraine: Ukraine enacts a package of anti-crisis tax changes

Topics

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Direct Tax

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As the firm embarks on a major shakeup of its EMEA partnerships, some staff will be watching nervously

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Direct Tax

Close up shake hands, Considering buying a home, investing in real estate. Broker signs a sales agreement. agent, lease agreement, successful deal.

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The buyout of Hucke and Associates continues Ryan’s streak of firm acquisitions; in other news, a UK appeal against VAT on private school fees was dismissed

Sam Sholli, March 06 2026

Direct Tax

Dubai

Iran conflict: UAE tax teams operating as usual despite disruption

Tax teams are responding to usual client demand in the region, albeit with increased working from home flexibility, local sources indicate

Tom Baker, March 05 2026

Indirect Tax

US tariffs

This month in indirect tax: Tariff refund delays may cost US taxpayers $700m per month

A 120-plus-day delay to refunds would cost taxpayers almost $3bn in additional interest, the Cato Institute warned; plus indirect tax updates from February

Sam Sholli, March 04 2026

Direct Tax

UK pound,money of United kingdom close up on white, Pound UK not

US pillar two side-by-side deal will cost UK £700m per year

The Office for Budget Responsibility’s pessimistic pillar two forecast accompanied the UK chancellor’s muted Spring Statement, dubbed ‘as dull as possible’ by one adviser

Tom Baker, March 03 2026

Direct Tax

Nobel prize

Creative destruction and digital tax: reflecting on the 2025 Nobel Prize

Digital tax reform is dissolving the old ‘temporal buffer’, forcing systems, institutions, and professionals to adapt as real-time reporting reshapes governance, capability, and compliance

Nitin Agarwal, March 03 2026

Podcasts

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Taxing Times: introducing ITR’s new monthly podcast

Our first instalment features analysis of Deloitte’s landmark EMEA merger, Donald Trump’s Supreme Court tariff showdown and Venezuela’s tax evolution

Tom Baker, March 02 2026

Direct Tax

‘Potential to raise standards’: mixed adviser reaction to HMRC registration system

While some believe it could have a positive effect on the wider advisory landscape, others argue that HMRC’s ‘red tape’ exercise won’t deter bad actors

Sam Sholli, March 02 2026

Direct Tax

Pillar two is revising global tax competition with a 15% minimum tax rate

A taxing week: Pillar two will prosper despite US side-by-side arrangement

The political optics of the US’s carve-out deal are poor, but as the Fair Tax Foundation’s Paul Monaghan writes, it preserves pillar two’s guiding ethos

Paul Monaghan, February 27 2026

Direct Tax

This week in tax: PwC commences legal battle with boutique consultancy founded by ex-COO

The big four firm reportedly sent ‘threatening’ correspondence to Unity Advisory over its hiring of ex-PwC partners; plus tax recruitment news from the week

Sam Sholli, February 27 2026