The Advocate General’s opinion in the Littlewoods case, heard by the ECJ in November, means that taxpayers are unlikely to be able to claim back substantial amounts interest on overpaid VAT.
The Chinese government wants to introduce a carbon tax from 2015, however even if it is enacted, which remains doubtful, it is unlikely to help the country meet its climate commitments.
Speaking to International Tax Review today, Pascal Saint-Amans, who will replace Jeffrey Owens as the OECD’s head of tax policy and administration next month, said that formulating a set of VAT guidelines and creating a new Global Forum on VAT will be high up on his agenda.
Since airlines were brought into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) last month, long-haul countries have been stepping up the noise of protests which will only hurt the environment and taxpayers.
