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Dorina Asllani Ndreka With Law No. 33/2017 approved on April 21 2017 and entering into force on May 7 2017, the Albanian Parliament has relieved businesses from old unpaid tax and custom duties.

Brendan Brown Claude Smith New Zealand was one of many countries to sign the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (MLI) at a signing ceremony in Paris on June 7 2017. New Zealand has 40 double tax agreements (DTAs), 31 of which are with jurisdictions that have signed the MLI. In 27 cases, New Zealand and the DTA partner have elected that the DTA will be covered by the MLI; these DTAs are referred to as covered tax agreements (CTAs).

It would be difficult to imagine a man more ill-suited to high office than Donald Trump, nor a presidency so spectacularly disastrous a mere eight months in. Gung-ho gaffer George W Bush seemed almost statesmanlike in comparison. Even when Trump is calling for peace, love and unity, he gets it wrong.

Joe Duffy Tomás Bailey, The Irish Department of Finance published a briefing document in June 2017 that was prepared for the newly appointed Minister for Finance (the Brief). In addition to providing an overview of Ireland's business plan and economic priorities, the Brief provides an updated insight into Ireland's international tax policy.

Burçin Gözlüklü Ramazan Biçer Guidance that details how the Turkish tax authorities will determine whether to call a taxpayer to justify his declaration before initiating a tax audit have finally been released, almost year after this new mechanism was put in place.

Mark Martin Mark Horowitz On July 26 2017, the US Tax Court issued a memorandum opinion in Eaton Corp. v. Commissioner, TC Memo 2017-147 that concluded, in part, that cancellation by the IRS of advance pricing agreements (APAs) was an abuse of discretion.

Because tax doesn’t have to be taxing. A less-than-serious look back at some of the quirkier tax stories from the past month.

Jim Fuller David Forst The US Tax Court, in Grecian Magnesite Mining, Industrial & Shipping Co, SA v. Commissioner, 149 TC No. 3 (July 13 2017), held that a constructive sale by a foreign person of its interest in a partnership engaged in a US trade or business was not subject to US tax. In so doing, the court dismissed the conclusion of Revenue Rule 91-32 (Rev. Rul. 91-32) that a gain on the sale by a non-US partner of its interest in a partnership should be analysed asset-by-asset and treated as income effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business (ECI) to the extent the partnership's underlying assets are used in a US trade or business. This ruling has been subject to heavy criticism since it was issued as not being in accordance with the Code and Regulations. The court's holding validates that criticism and positions taken by foreign taxpayers in accordance with the Code and Regulations rather than Rev. Rul. 91-32.

Benno Suter Tomáš Rodák Based on a partial revision of the current Swiss VAT Law (VAT-L), foreign domiciled companies selling into Switzerland will be treated the same as companies domiciled in Switzerland.

Abigail Blanco The Spanish Central Economic and Administrative Tribunal (TEAC) and State Tax Agency (AEAT) recently concluded that an invitation to a medical practitioner to attend a medical seminar means that they obtain income in kind.