Kazakhstan: MoJ approves plans to consolidate tax code and customs code
The Ministry of Justice has approved plans on 5th April 2016 that are aimed at consolidating the Tax Code and the Customs Code into one single code. Note that, Kazakhstan became a member of the WTO on 30 November 2015. These plans will be effective
See MoreECJ: preliminary ruling on interest on VAT refund
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) gave a preliminary ruling on 21 October 2015 in the Kovozber case. Reference had been made to the ECJ by the Regional Court of Kosice (Slovak Republic) for a ruling on the following issues: 1. Should the first
See MoreECJ: Ruling on VAT exemption for serviced residence
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) issued a decision in the case of Les Jardins de Jouvence SCRL v. Belgian State on 21 January 2016. An application was made in July 2014 by the Court of Appeal in Mons for a preliminary ruling from the ECJ. This
See MoreECJ: Advocate General issues opinion in BRE Ubezpieczenia case
The Advocate General of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) issued an opinion on 23 December 2015 in the case of Minister Finansow v BRE Ubezpieczenia Sp z.o.o. This case concerned a Polish insurance company (Aspiro) that provided insurance services
See MoreECJ Rules in Fiscale Eenheid case
On 9 December 2015 the European Court of Justice (ECJ) issued a decision in the case of Staatssecretaris van Financiën v. Fiscale Eenheid X N.V. Fiscale Eenheid X NV was the name of a fiscal unity in the Netherlands, one of the companies of which
See MoreECJ: Advocate General’s opinion in the Gemeente Borsele case
The Advocate General of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has issued an opinion in the Gemeente Borsele case. This concerns the question of whether a local authority should be treated as a taxable person for value added tax (VAT) purposes where it
See MoreUK: VAT changes following Le Credit Lyonnais case in the ECJ
A change to the VAT regulations in the UK will affect partly exempt businesses that have establishments both inside and outside the UK. The changes have been made in response to the ruling of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in the Le Credit
See MoreFinland: IMF comments on economic and fiscal policy
On 11 November 2015 the IMF completed its consultations with Finland under Article IV of its articles of agreement. The economy has been in recession for three years but a slight recovery is projected for 2015 and expected to strengthen in 2016.
See MoreHungary: Draft bill for tax law changes in 2016
The government of Hungary recently presented to the Parliament a draft bill with proposals for tax law changes which would take effect as from 2016. The proposed draft bill creates a classification system for taxpayers based on the level of risk
See MoreSpain: Partial amendments of general tax law
Spain has published the official Gazette regarding partial amendments of general tax law which was amended on 22 September, 2015 as a Law no.34/2015. The Law will enter into force on 12 October 2015 except for the obligation to keep specific
See MoreAustria: Reduced VAT rate increase in 2016
Austrian government announced in the 2016 Budget that the reduced VAT rate will increase to 13% from 10% on the following services: Cultural events, including entrance to public museums and galleries Domestic air travel Sales of certain
See MoreUAE: MoF declares a statement regarding VAT and Corporate tax
The Finance Ministry (MoF) of United Arab Emirates has published an official statement on 18th August 2015 regarding Value Added Tax (VAT) proposal and the possible Corporate Tax (CT) outline. The UAE has completed a treaty to implement VAT with the
See MoreECJ: Preliminary ruling in case on VAT exemption for welfare and social work
On 12 March 2015 the European Court of Justice (ECJ) gave its preliminary ruling in the case of “go fair” Zeitarbeit OHG (C-594/13). The ECJ had been requested by the German Bundesfinanzhof to respond to questions in respect of the VAT exemption
See MoreECJ rules on applicability of national procedures in abusive practices
On 12 February 2015 the European Court of Justice (ECJ) gave a preliminary ruling on a value added tax (VAT) case that had been referred to it by the Portuguese Supreme Administrative Tribunal. The question raised In the case of Surgicare - Unidades
See MoreUK issues VAT instructions following the Skandia judgment
On 10 February 2015 the UK tax authority HMRC issued Revenue and Customs Brief 2 (2015) on VAT grouping rules and the Skandia judgment. Skandia was a US corporation with a branch in Sweden. The branch in Sweden became part of a Swedish VAT group
See MoreEgypt: IMF recommends introduction of a full VAT system
Following consultations in Egypt under Article IV of its articles of agreement the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reported that measures implemented have begun to produce a turnaround in the economic situation in Egypt after the years of
See MoreIMF reports on Costa Rican economy
The IMF has concluded its discussions with Costa Rica under Article IV and issued a report on 4 February 2015. Costa Rica currently has problems of weak growth and rising unemployment. The IMF is recommending budget consolidation to improve the
See MoreIreland: VAT Rates on Stock Exchange Fees
The tax authority of Ireland, the Revenue Commissioners, has updated Part 5.69 of its value-added tax (VAT) manual to explain the VAT treatment related to stock exchange fees. The guidance contains fees for firms trading securities on the Irish
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