Expert Analysis

Since the beginning of the 20th century, banking secrecy has been one of the major marketing points of the famous Swiss banking system, write Jean-Blaise Eckert and Frédéric Neukomm of Lenz & Staehelin. Traditionally, therefore, Switzerland limited any exchange of banking information with foreign states to the minimum.

Switzerland is known for its high standard of living, political and financial stability, climate for innovation and excellent academic reputation, but is poor in terms of natural resources and has only a small domestic market and a high cost level, note Peter Brülisauer and Manuel Angehrn of Deloitte. Switzerland has to compensate for these market-based disadvantages with a competitive tax system.

All good things are worth waiting for. As such, the long-awaited partial revision of the Swiss VAT Act was finally put into force as of January 1 2018. Laurent Lattmann and Désirée Högger from Tax Partner – Taxand Switzerland expect this will mean closer alignment of the way Swiss and foreign suppliers are treated, and explore how foreign companies must apply the new rules when supplying goods and services to Switzerland.

Join ITR for a free webinar on February 4 as senior tax practitioners from BDO India analyse a highly significant ruling by the Indian Supreme Court

Interview with Candy Ye Tang, tax and business advisory leader, Deloitte China

Interview with Adham Hafoudh, partner, Tax & Legal, Deloitte Czech Republic

Antonio Ruiz and Alejandra Arguedas of EY Central America, Panama and Dominican Republic explain how tax, geopolitical factors, and trade agreements shape foreign investment in Central America, offering guidance for companies navigating the region

David Hamzah Damian of DDTC Consulting examines recent procedural changes in Indonesia’s tax disputes process and the Supreme Court’s stance on tax evidence, highlighting key implications for taxpayers facing audits, objections, and appeals

Eddie Morris, Josep Serrano Torres, and Jen Breeze of Deloitte compare transfer pricing controversies in the pharmaceutical and automotive sectors, highlighting how DEMPE functions, regulation, and intangibles drive both common themes and sector-specific challenges

The ruling clarifies that Spain cannot restrict VAT exemptions for general services directly necessary to independent groups’ exempt activities, says Fernando Matesanz of Spanish VAT Services

Gabriel Caldiron Rezende of Machado Associados comments on the latest developments related to the beginning of the Brazilian consumption tax reform test phase and considers the next steps

Nils Schmid and Isabelle Berking of KPMG Sweden analyse the possibilities for sovereign wealth funds to claim refunds of Swedish withholding tax following a recent proposal referred to the Council on Legislation