Saturday, August 08, 2026
Azerbaijan’s tax authority has published a new administrative guidance clarifying the tax treatment of employees’ meal expenses, including their deductibility, income tax withholding obligations, and the calculation of social insurance contributions. The AZN 5 threshold Employers can deduct meal expenses up to AZN 5 per employee per day, regardless of how the expense is structured—direct...
The Czech Republic Senate has approved the new income tax treaty with Malta on 29 July 2026. The new agreement will replace the existing 1996 Czech Republic – Malta income and capital tax treaty that has been in force since 1997. The treaty aims to prevent double taxation and income tax evasion between the two...
The Belarusian Council of Ministers has issued Resolution No. 369 on 23 July 2026, expanding VAT relief for businesses importing goods. Legal entities can now defer Value Added Tax payments for up to three months following the release of imported merchandise for domestic use, with no interest accruing on the deferred amount. Legal entities importing...
The OECD’s Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (Global Forum) has published three new peer review reports on transparency and exchange of information on request (EOIR) for tax purposes for the Cook Islands, Namibia and Tanzania on 29 July 2026. The reports were approved by the Global Forum’s Peer Review...
Malaysia has gazetted the Income Tax (Unit Trust in relation to Income Received in Malaysia from Outside Malaysia) (Exemption) 2024 (Amendment) Order 2026 on 27 July 2026. This legislation extends the tax exemption period for foreign-sourced income received in Malaysia by qualifying unit trusts. Effective 1 January 2027, the amendment extends the exemption’s expiry date...
Europe’s consumer federation and a senior EU lawmaker are urging the European Commission to ensure that consumers are not required to bear the cost of a new customs handling fee on online purchases. This follows the EU introducing a EUR 3 fee on low-value e-commerce imports that had previously entered the bloc duty-free on 1...
The Brazilian Federal Revenue Service (RFB) has published the Executive Declaratory Act Sutri No. 4/2026, dated 21 July 2026, formally binding both the tax authority and Petrobras to Consensual Agreement No. 3/2026 on 24 July 2026. The agreement confirms that, under the Repetro-Sped regime, the same legal entity may simultaneously act as both a consortium...
Lithuania has invited Thailand to resume negotiations on a Lithuania, Thailand double taxation avoidance agreement, with plans to update a draft prepared in 2008 in line with current international tax standards. The proposal was made by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys during a 27 July meeting with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. The minister said...
The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) has reduced the key interest rate from 14.5% to 14.0% on 24 July 2026. The CBR’s key interest rate is applied in calculating interest deductions and the interest on late payment of overdue taxes. This announcement was made on 24 July 2026.
The National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) has reduced its base rate to 16.75%, with a corridor of 15.75%–17.75%, following its monetary policy decision on 27 July 2026. The move marks the central bank’s second interest rate cut this year after lowering the rate to 17.00% in June. The latest reduction follows three consecutive decisions to...