EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council reaches deal on DAC9
The Council of the European Union (the Council), at a meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN), on 11 March 2025, reached a political agreement on a further amendment of Directive 2011/16/EU on administrative cooperation in the
See MoreOECD: Report on Simplified Peer Review of Iceland under BEPS Action 14
On 4 March 2025 the OECD issued a stage one simplified peer review report on Iceland under BEPS action 14. The report sets out the results of Stage 1 of the simplified peer review of the implementation of the minimum standard on making dispute
See MoreOECD: Report on Simplified Peer Review of Peru under BEPS Action 14
On 4 March 2025 the OECD issued a stage one simplified peer review report on Peru under BEPS action 14. The report sets out the results of Stage 1 of the simplified peer review of the implementation of the minimum standard on making dispute
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G20 Chair’s Summary released after finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Cape Town on 26-27 February
The first G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting (FMCBG) took place on 26-27 February 2025 in Cape Town under South Africa’s Presidency. There was not consensus for a communique, and this represents the Chair’s summary of
See MoreEU: ECOFIN releases provisional agenda for March 2025 meeting
The EU’s Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) has released the provisional agenda for its upcoming meeting, scheduled for 11 March 2025. As outlined in the provisional agenda, the initial portion of the meeting will focus on
See MoreEU: Parliament Tax Subcommittee meets with European Commissioner for tax, Hoekstra regrets US stance on the global Pillar Two agreement
The European Parliament's Subcommittee on Tax Matters (FISC) has convened a public meeting with Wopke Hoekstra, the European Commissioner for Taxation, on 6 February 2025. The highlights of the meeting are as follows: Pillar
See MoreWTO Working Paper: Evolution of Preferential Trade Under Regional Trade Agreements
A WTO working paper of 7 February 2025, written by Rohini Acharya and Thakur Parajuli has the title The Evolution of Preferential Trade Under Regional Trade Agreements: Has Anything Changed? The paper looks at the question of whether the share of
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Sri Lanka: 2025 Budget expected to lower income taxes, secure IMF bailout
Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is also the nation’s finance minister, is expected to present the state budget for 2025 on Monday, 17 February 2025. A key focus of the budget is to ease the vehicle import duties, which is
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World Bank: Survey of Corporate Tax Incentives for Green Growth
A World Bank blog published on 13 February 2025, written by Hania Kronfol, Eduardo Antonio and Jimenez Sandoval, assesses the use of corporate tax incentives to encourage environmentally friendly investment. The blog refers to a World Bank
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European Commission unveils 2025 Work ProgrammeÂ
The European Commission unveiled its 2025 work programme on 12 February 2025, where it outlined key priorities aimed at strengthening the EU's competitiveness, security, and economic resilience. The work programme focuses on the flagship
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IMF: Revenue and Spending Measures for Developing Countries to Reduce Debt Levels
An IMF Public Finance Management (PFM) Blog, written by Talal Rafi (a Director at EY Sri Lanka) and published on 27 January 2025, looked at the measures developing countries can take to reduce public debt levels. The author notes that more than 3
See MoreIMF Report Makes Tax Policy Recommendations for Japan
On 7 February 2025 the IMF published a report following discussions with Japan under Article IV of the IMF’s articles of agreement. The report notes that Japan’s economy contracted in the first half of 2024 as a result of temporary supply
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OECD updates ICAP documentation for global compliance
The OECD has updated the required documentation for the International Compliance Assurance Programme (ICAP). The Main Documentation Package has been revised and no longer requires MNE Groups to prepare a country-by-country reporting self-assessment
See MoreWTO Working Paper: Continuing Significance of MFN Trading Terms
A WTO working paper of 15 January 2025, written by Tomasz Gonciarz and Thomas Verbeet, has the title Significance of most-favoured-nation terms in global trade: A comprehensive analysis. Under the WTO's MFN trading principle, member countries of
See MoreIMF Working Paper: Is Tax Policy Supporting a Costly Industrial Policy in Mozambique
An IMF working paper written by Santos Bila, Utkarsh Kumar and Alexis Meyer-Cirkel with the title Is Tax Policy Costly Industrial Policy in Mozambique? Finds that tax advantages do not compensate for shortcomings in economic conditions. The
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IMF Working Paper: Strengthening Tax Governance Through Legal Design
An IMF working paper of 17 January 2025 written by L. Sofrona, C. Waerzeggers and B. Crowley with the title Strengthening Tax Governance Through Legal Design looks at tax governance in tax administration and how this can be strengthened. The
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ATAF revises guidance on drafting transfer pricing legislation
The African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) published an updated version of its Suggested Approach to Drafting Transfer Pricing Legislation on 11 January 2025. This publication, which has been prepared by the ATAF Cross Border Taxation Technical
See MoreWorld Bank: Global Economic Prospects
The World Bank report Global Economic Prospects was issued in January 2025. The report notes that global growth is projected to remain steady at 2.7% in 2025/26, but this relatively low growth rate will not be sufficient to promote sustained
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