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The council of EU finance ministers (ECOFIN) delayed a final decision on the timing of the Savings Tax Directive at a June 2 2004 meeting in Luxembourg

Walbrook, Deloitte’s former offshore advisory business, appointed an old colleague as chairman and launched its own tax advice division within a few days of each other at the beginning of June 2004

The European Commission (EC) has begun a consultation on the possibility of a so-called one-stop-shop VAT system for the EU

On April 23 2004 the Italian Ministry of Finance issued an ad hoc Decree implementing the necessary detailed rules to make the so-called transparency regime fully effective

The debate on tax amnesty has been going on for more than ten years

The Canadian Supreme Court decision last year in Markevich v. The Queen affirmed that federal limitation periods may limit collection of long-outstanding tax debts

The French tax authorities use the abuse-of-law theory as an obstacle to oppose tax avoidance schemes when the latter are deemed excessive. In order to apply this theory, the French tax authorities must have evidence of either the fictitious nature of the transaction (interposition of persons, fictive or disguised deed) or an exclusive tax-driven purpose. The French Administrative Supreme Court (Conseil d'Etat, January 17 1994, Chollet) or the French Civil Supreme Court (Cass. Com., December 10 1996, Sté RMC France) interpret this notion in a restrictive way. In particular, restructurings, the effects of which generally go beyond the strict field of tax, are unlikely to fall within the scope of the abuse-of-law theory.

Peter Costello described his ninth - and perhaps final - Budget as designed to keep Australia's economy strong. He may well have added that it also strengthens the re-election chances of the coalition government. In a clear pitch to middle Australia, the treasurer announced increased payments to families, increased superannuation government co-contributions, and personal tax cuts that will ensure that the majority of Australian workers pay a top tax rate of 30%. He also announced spending initiatives in the key sensitive areas of health, education and aged care.

Iraq does have corporate tax rules in spite of the year-long turmoil. But they could be changed after the transfer of sovereignty in June 2004, warn Mahyra Roy and Michel Picard of KPMG

The UK is one of the few countries in the world to have separate agencies for collecting direct and indirect tax. Now the plan is to unite them. Simon Briault assesses the reaction to the merger of the Inland Revenue and Customs & Excise