IMF: Fair Taxation in the Middle East and North Africa
The IMF published Staff Discussion Note 15/16 on 2 September 2015 dealing with the subject of fair taxation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The notes look at how tax systems can contribute to meeting demands for greater fairness in the
See MoreOECD: Taxation of Small and Medium Enterprises
The OECD has issued a publication on the taxation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in OECD and G20 countries. The report examines tax policy and administration in relation to SMEs, noting that these firms generally represent more than 95% of
See MoreOECD: Tax trends in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines
The latest OECD publication on revenue statistics in Asian countries looks at trends in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines from 1990 to 2013 and compares them to two OECD countries (Korea and Japan). The study finds that the tax revenue as a
See MoreSpain: IMF recommends increasing indirect tax to boost the economy
The IMF has recommended that Spain should expand the indirect tax burden to accelerate the economy and reduce debt. The areas of recommendation set out in the report include increasing excise duties and environmental levies as well as gradually
See MoreSpain: IMF conference call considers tax policy issues
On 14 August 2015 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published the transcript of a conference call held to clarify issues arising from the discussions with Spain under Article IV of the IMF’s articles of agreement. As Spain’s public debt is
See MoreSaudi Arabia: IMF comments on economic and fiscal policy
On 17 August 2015 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued a report following the conclusion of consultations with Saudi Arabia under Article IV of the IMF articles of agreement. Real GDP growth is estimated to slow to 2.8% in 2015 and to 2.4%
See MoreSpain: IMF comments on fiscal and tax policy
A selected issues paper published by the IMF on 14 August 2015 covers among other matters the challenge of coordination between national and regional levels of government in relation to fiscal consolidation. As significant taxing powers have been
See MoreIMF comments on fiscal and tax policy in Kazakhstan
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has concluded discussions with Kazakhstan under Article IV of its articles of association and on 5 August 2015 a report was issued commenting on Kazakhstan’s economic situation and fiscal policy. Real GDP
See MoreIMF report contains tax recommendations for the UAE
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has concluded discussions with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under Article IV of its articles of association and on 4 August 2015 published a report and a selected issues paper. The IMF notes that government
See MoreWTO announces extension of the Information Technology Agreement
The World Trade Organization (WTO) announced on 24 July 2015 that an extension of the scope of the Information Technology Agreement has been agreed by 54 major exporters of these products. The scope of the agreement will be extended to cover new
See MoreWorld Bank and IMF announce further support for developing country tax administrations
The World Bank and the IMF announced on 10 July 2015 that they are launching an initiative to support developing countries in strengthening their tax administrations. Research has suggested that there is potential for lower income countries to
See MoreWTO conducts trade policy review of New Zealand
On 29 June and 1 July 2015 the World Trade Organization (WTO) is conducting the fifth trade policy review of New Zealand. The review is based on a report submitted by the government of New Zealand and the report prepared by the WTO Secretariat. The
See MoreOECD publishes analysis of taxes on energy use
On 25 June 2015 the OECD published “Taxing Energy 2015 – OECD and Selected Partner Economies”. This analyses energy use in the 34 OECD countries and in Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa. For the purpose of the
See MoreWTO conducts trade review of Canada
The World Trade Organization (WTO) conducted its tenth review of trade policies and practices of Canada on 15 and 17 June 2015. The review was based on a report issued by the Canadian government and a report by the WTO Secretariat. The WTO
See MoreIMF comments on Australian fiscal policy
On 24 June 2015 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued a concluding statement at the end of discussions with Australia under Article IV of the IMF’s articles of agreement. The strong income growth of the past two decades has slackened off
See MoreIMF issues concluding statement on consultations with the Netherlands
On 15 June 2015 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published a concluding statement following consultations with the Netherlands government under Article IV of the IMF’s articles of agreement. The statement notes that the Netherlands economy
See MoreIMF discussion note on causes of income inequality
A staff discussion note was published on the IMF website on 15 June 2015 with the title “Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality: A Global Perspective”. The analysis finds that the gap between rich and poor in advanced economies is the
See MoreHong Kong: Government launches consultation on automatic exchange of financial account information in tax matters (AEOI)
The Government launched a consultation exercise on 24 April 2015, to gauge views on proposals to apply, with adaptations for Hong Kong, the prevailing international standards on the automatic exchange of financial account information in tax matters
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