How prepared are taxpayers and tax authorities in GCC countries for VAT? Oman’s finance minister, Darwish bin Ismail Al-Balushi, appears to have confirmed that VAT in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region will be introduced in 2018, at a likely rate of... By Joe Stanley-Smith February 29 2016
Indian Budget - what tax changes can multinational companies expect? Taxpayers, tax advisers and politicos alike are eagerly awaiting India’s 2016 Budget, which will be released on Monday [February 29]. Will BEPS be covered, and which Action Points will feature? By Joe Stanley-Smith February 25 2016
France ‘demands €1.6bn in back taxes’ from Google The French government has demanded that Google pays €1.6 billion ($1.76 billion) in back taxes, according to media reports. By Joe Stanley-Smith February 25 2016
LONG READ: Latin America’s 2015-2016 tax treaty network Latin America’s tax treaty network is undergoing serious reform as countries implement the BEPS project deliverables and incorporate these new strategies and frameworks into double taxation agreements (DTAs) to further... By Joe Stanley-Smith February 16 2016
Google defends UK tax practices in boisterous PAC hearing Representatives of Google and revenue authority HMRC were questioned by members of parliament (MPs) in a typically aggressive meeting of the UK’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today. By Joe Stanley-Smith February 11 2016
European Parliament approves extension of minimum VAT rate – for now The European Parliament has approved the European Commission (EC) proposal to retroactively extend the 15% minimum standard rate of VAT for the EU. By Joe Stanley-Smith February 10 2016
Kenya becomes 94th jurisdiction to sign OECD Convention Kenya has become the 94th jurisdiction, and the 12th in Africa, to sign the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters. By Joe Stanley-Smith February 09 2016
EC moving away from OECD model on arm's-length principle In its recent state aid rulings, the European Commission (EC) appears to have moved away from the OECD’s model treaty and transfer pricing guidelines. By Joe Stanley-Smith February 08 2016
UK adds EU VAT simplification UK revenue authority HMRC has moved to simplify VAT compliance rules for microbusinesses selling business-to-consumer (B2C) e-services cross-border. By Joe Stanley-Smith February 03 2016
