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Julio Oliveira On July 21 2015, the Brazilian Government issued the controversial Provisional Measure (PM) 685/2015 which, among other provisions, provides for new rules concerning the disclosure of certain transactions to the Brazilian Internal Federal Revenue Service (RFB). Broadly, PM 685/2015 provides that the following types of transactions occurring in the previous year should be disclosed to the RFB by September 30:

Maria Sarantopoulou It is no accident that Cyprus is a well-known and respected ship management centre. The reasons for Cyprus's success are the numerous competitive advantages and opportunities of the Cypriot merchant shipping legislation and, in particular, the even more advantageous tax regime. These, coupled with a strategic geographic location, have been instrumental in the remarkable growth of the Cyprus Shipping Registry.

Elena Kostovska In 2009, as an anti-crisis measure, the FYR Macedonian Government started to apply the preferential VAT rate to the first sale of residential buildings. Initially planned to be in force until the end of 2011, the application was extended until the end of 2015. In July 2015, the government extended it once again, this time for a period of three more years. The Macedonian VAT regime recognises a standard rate of 18% and a preferential rate of 5%. The preferential rate is applicable to the supply of a wide range of goods and services including, among others, food products, medicine, publications, food for livestock, drinking water and agricultural machines.

Shaun Connolly New Zealand's Government has released a discussion document inviting submissions on proposed changes to the GST treatment of cross-border supplies of services and intangibles. The proposed new rules, which are broadly aligned with OECD draft guidelines on the same topic, would require offshore suppliers to register and account for GST when they supply services and intangibles to New Zealand-resident consumers. The document considers both 'on-the-spot' services, which are typically consumed at the same time and location as they are physically performed, and 'remote' services, which are typically consumed in a different location to where they are physically performed. In the case of on-the-spot services, the existing GST rules are generally considered to achieve the right result, because services performed in New Zealand are subject to GST, whereas services performed outside New Zealand generally are not.

Jinyoung Hwang

René Schreiber

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.

Vasco Gruber Franco, head of tax for the Telefônica group in Brazil, talks to Matthew Gilleard about tax transparency, troublesome laws, and technological trials and tribulations.

Key figures at the European Commission have outlined the importance of the digital single market (DSM) as they prepare to extend the destination principle and mini one-stop shop (MOSS). Joe Stanley-Smith investigates.

The curtain is drawing to a close on the final OECD BEPS recommendations, while the OECD actors and supporting staff anxiously await reaction from the audience. This month’s Brockman brief runs the rule over the OECD’s BEPS work to date and looks ahead to see how developments are likely to impact the organisation’s reputation as the ‘go-to’ body for international tax matters.