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The 52nd IFA Congress, held in October this year, sported a new style. But was the substance and quality of debate enhanced? Phillippa Cannon sifts through the discussions to identify key questions and, in some places, even conclusions

The second of two articles on the US check-the-box regulations examines the opportunities for investing from the US and the impact of recent changes. By Shawn Carson (BDO Seidman, New York), Allan Cinnamon and Zigurds Kronbergs (BDO Stoy Hayward, London)

An OECD conference has laid the foundations for the taxation of electronic commerce. The conference, entitled: ?A Borderless World; Realizing the Potential of Global Electronic Commerce? was held in Ottawa, Canada. It was attended by nearly one thousand representatives from government, business and consumer groups. The meeting aimed to promote greater international policy compatibility on electronic commerce. The conference reaffirmed five major principles for the taxation of electronic commerce: neutrality, efficiency, certainty, fairness and flexibility.

A non-resident income tax law is expected to come into force in Spain effective January 1 1999.

Bain Capital, the US investment company, has bought Domino Pizza from the company's founder Thomas Monaghan. The deal is worth approximately $1 billion. Bain will acquire a 90% stake in Domino. Monaghan will retain an equity interest in Domino and will serve as its non-executive chairman. Domino is the world's largest pizza company with annual sales of $3.1 billion. Advice to Bain Capital came from Ropes & Gray in Boston. The tax partners involved were Eric Elfman and Carolyn Osteer. The tax associate was Susan Morse.

Kingfisher, the UK retail group, is to merge its UK business B&Q with Castorama of France. The deal will create Europe's largest home improvement chain with annual sales of around $6.79 billion. Kingfisher will exchange 100% of B&Q shares for a 54.6% stake in the fully-diluted equity of an enlarged Castorama. Advice to Kingfisher came from law firm Freshfields in London and Paris. The tax team included partner Roger Berner and manager Kate Habershon in London, and partner James Naudoyer in Paris. Castorama was advised by Gouldens. The tax partner involved was Blaise Marin.

Profits from exports of computer software from India have enjoyed tax exemption under section 80HHE of India's Income Tax Act. Computer software was defined to mean any computer program recorded on disk, tape, perforated media or any other information storage device, and including any program which is transmitted from India to any place outside India by any means.

Tax directors are drowning in a sea of information. But as books give way to disks and CD-Roms, Oliver Ralph asks software users and suppliers how electronic information can help tax professionals and how much value these products really represent

In part one of International Tax Review’s GAAR survey, Bill Orow of KPMG in Melbourne examines the Australian rules. Recent changes have done little to reassure worried tax directors and the introduction of a smell test has left a bitter aftertaste

Tax planners ignore inflationary adjustments at their peril. Mario Andrade and Mario A de Castro, Deloitte & Touche Consultants, Bogota consider the accounting requirements for companies created by Colombia’s high rate of inflation