Israel scales back customs duty and purchase tax Israel’s finance minister, Yuval Steinitz, has signed orders to reduce or remove customs duties and purchase tax on hundreds of commodities. By Salman Shaheen July 17 2012
How self-storage companies could force another UK VAT U-turn The UK government has been forced to make a number of VAT U-turns following its controversial budget and it may have to make another if two of the country’s largest... By Salman Shaheen July 16 2012
Indirect tax should not be an afterthought for companies, says Ernst & Young Lengthening supply chains and rising rates are proving a cost to business and should encourage them to consider indirect taxes from the early stages of structuring, a report from Ernst... By Salman Shaheen July 12 2012
UN proposes global carbon tax and FTT In its strongest statement yet on progressive tax reform, the UN has called on countries to introduce a carbon tax and a financial transaction tax (FTT). By Salman Shaheen July 12 2012
Hungary approves FTT, but turns its back on the Commission The Hungarian parliament has voted to introduce a financial transactions tax (FTT) by an overwhelming majority, but it will not be following the Commission’s lead. By Salman Shaheen July 11 2012
Spain’s Rajoy raises VAT even higher than expected Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has confirmed expectations of a VAT rise, but it goes further than many thought. By Salman Shaheen July 10 2012
Study finds world’s largest companies lacking in transparency A new study has found that while the 105 biggest public companies have improved on their commitments to tackling corruption, they are severely lacking in country-by-country reporting for tax. By Salman Shaheen July 09 2012
Unsealing of whistleblower CDs spells trouble for Julius Bär When Rudolf Elmer gave WikiLeaks the names of 2,000 tax evading clients of his former employer Julius Bär, he was arrested for breaching Swiss banking secrecy laws. By Salman Shaheen June 30 2012
Shift to destination principle may be only way to end LVCR abuse Micole Wiemer, head of the indirect tax unit at the European Commission, has admitted that low-value consignment relief (LVCR) abuse can only be tackled through wider EU VAT reform. By Salman Shaheen June 28 2012
Japan’s set to double VAT, 10% rate in 2015 Japan’s lower house has voted to double VAT, but rates are likely to continue to rise. By Salman Shaheen June 28 2012
