The summer months have been full of treats and surprises when it comes to tax.
The UK launched a consultation on its proposed soft drinks levy, while Kerala, a state on India's tropical Malabar Coast, proposed the country's first 'fat tax' on fast food.
Also in India, the upper house of parliament finally passed The Constitution (122nd Amendment) (GST) Bill that amends the Constitution to introduce a uniform goods and services tax across the country (see page 54).
Elsewhere, the battle between the US presidential candidates is heating up. Both Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton pledged tax changes at events in August, claiming that they can stop businesses from moving taxable assets offshore. We look at the tax promises made by the two candidates ahead of the November 8 elections on page 35.
While Trump and Clinton play the election game, we look at this summer's biggest gaming sensation Pokémon GO, the mobile app that has swept across the globe and captured the imagination of gaming enthusiasts and novices. International Tax Review highlights the best tax insights into the wildly popular app and the tax rules surrounding the growing mobile app market on page 22.
Meanwhile, this month's cover story (page 24) probes the inner workings of the digital world and how governments are moving tax compliance online, while businesses get to grips with the ever-chasing digital requirements of tax authorities and how all the information can be kept secure. We look at the digital tools and systems of today and what the future may hold.
To continue our digital trend in this month's edition, we report on how blockchain, the technology best known for its use in bitcoin, could help tax authorities tackle tax evasion by making all transactions transparent (page 15), and whether digital technology could mark the end of the VAT return in the EU (page 33).
In other news, we look at the European Commission's state aid decision on Belgium's excess profit tax rulings with multinationals, which will be argued in court in the coming months by the Commission, Belgium and eight multinationals (page 7), and the LuxLeaks case, which will also be argued in court once again after both parties appealed the June ruling (page 11). We also report on whether Brexit has pushed EU member states to consider slashing their corporate tax rates as part of a renewed effort to attract foreign business (page 12), while Google defends its position against a number of European countries (page 10). Apple CEO Tim Cook also defends his company's tax affairs (page 9).
Meanwhile, tax practitioners worldwide highlight the developments happening in their jurisdictions in the International Updates section of the magazine, spanning from Albania changing its VAT exemption rules to the final country-by-country reporting regulations issued by the US. Check these out from page 48.
Anjana Haines
Editor, International Tax Review
anjana.haines@euromoneyplc.com
