UN: Committee of Tax Experts to Hold 21st Meeting
The 21st Session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on International Cooperation on Tax Matters will take place from 20 October 2020 to 6 November 2020. The session will be held in scaled-down format using a virtual platform, with virtual
See MoreIMF: Economic Policy Mix to Combat Climate Change
A blog post published by IMF Staff on 7 October 2020 noted that economic policy tools can facilitate the achievement of net zero carbon emissions by the year 2050 despite the effects of the COVID-19 crisis. The arguments put forward in the blog
See MoreIMF: Securing China’s Post-Pandemic Recovery
On 24 September 2020 a blog post by the IMF’s First Deputy Managing Director Forum on National Affairs looked at reforms needed to ensure China’s recovery from the economic problems caused by the pandemic. Global Economic Outlook The blog
See MoreEU: Climate Mitigation Policy
On 16 September 2020 the European Union (EU) published on its website a departmental paper on EU Climate Mitigation Policy. The EU’s Emission Trading System (ETS) limits the total amount of emissions and allows participants to trade emission
See MoreOECD: Tax Policy for Economic Recovery
An OECD blog post on 3 September 2020 noted that countries have generally acted quickly to limit the economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis, introducing fiscal packages of various sizes focusing on income support for households and
See MoreUK: Consultation on Carbon Emissions Tax
On 21 July 2020 the UK issued a consultation document in relation to the detailed operation of a carbon emissions tax. Comments are invited from interested parties by 29 September 2020. Emissions Trading System Under the withdrawal agreement
See MoreUN: Virtual Meetings of the Committee of Tax Experts
The UN Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters held their twentieth session in the form of a series of virtual meetings from 22 to 26 June 2020. In the meetings the Committee emphasised the need to provide guidance and
See MoreOECD: Working Paper on Effectiveness of Carbon Pricing Design
An OECD working paper entitled Carbon Pricing Design: Effectiveness, Efficiency and Feasibility was posted on the OECD website on 22 June 2020. The paper notes that carbon pricing helps countries to achieve carbon neutrality and looks at ways to
See MoreIMF comments on Austria’s tax system
On 3 March 2020 the IMF issued a report following consultations with Austria under Article IV of the IMF’s articles of agreement. The report notes that Austria’s economy has been performing well recently but the growth rate decreased in
See MoreUN: Meeting of Committee of Experts on Taxation
The nineteenth session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters was held from 15 to 18 October 2018. Issues discussed included transfer pricing, updates to the UN Model Tax Convention, dispute
See MoreSouth Africa introduces Budget 2019 in parliament
On 20 February 2019, Tito Mboweni (South Africa’s Minister of Finance) presented the Budget 2019 in the parliament. The budget proposal would not increase taxes in any category but proposed to increase tax collection by not adjusting for inflation
See MoreSouth Africa: Finance Minister presents the Budget for 2018
On 21 February 2018, South Africa’s Minister of Finance, Malusi Gigaba, delivered the Budget for the year of 2018. The budget includes the following tax proposals: VAT rate to increase from 14% to 15%. This change is effective from 1 April
See MoreOECD: Taxing Energy Use 2018
On 14 February 2018 the OECD issued Taxing Energy Use 2018, a publication that summarises the patterns of energy taxation in 42 countries of the OECD and G20. The countries included in the publication account for around 80% of global energy use. The
See MoreSouth Africa: National Treasury issues 2nd draft of the carbon tax bill for public comment
On 14 December 2017, the National Treasury was published the 2nd draft of the Carbon Tax Bill for public comment and presented in Parliament. The version of the second draft law is generally follows the first version (published in 2015) but reflects
See MoreRussia: Government proposes to introduce an environmental tax on cigarettes
The Ministry of health of Russia proposed to introduce an environmental tax on cigarettes for manufacturers, according to a draft of the “concept of state policy on combating tobacco consumption for years 2017-2022 and beyond”. This is
See MoreIMF issues report on economic position of Vietnam
On 5 June 2017 the IMF issued a report following the completion of discussions with Vietnam under Article IV of the IMF’s articles of agreement. The report notes that Vietnam’s economy has been performing well with growth of 6.2% in 2016 and
See MoreSaudi Arabia: Tax rates changed for oil producers, hydrocarbons
The Government of Saudi Arabia has set a range of income tax rates for producers of oil and hydrocarbons, through a royal decree on 27 March 2017. According to the decree, the tax rate for investments exceeding 375 billion riyals ($99.96 billion)
See MoreCanada: Carbon levy has been implemented in Alberta
The Alberta has executed the Climate Leadership Act along with associated regulations that forces to pay a carbon levy on fuels consumed in Alberta. It is part of Alberta’s broader climate change initiatives intended to reduce greenhouse gas
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