World news
Delivery of goods from EU to consignment stock in Germany not necessarily subject to…
Until now, German tax authorities used to consider the delivery of goods from member states to a consignment stock in Germany as a transfer of goods, requiring the supplier’s registration for VAT in Germany. On the date of taking the goods from the…
When to expect definitive VAT system for EU?
A long-awaited draft amendment to the VAT Directive, intended to specify the outlines of the definitive VAT system for intra-EU supplies of goods, was published by the European Commission on 4 October 2017.
ECOFIN meeting: Taxation of digital economy and definitive VAT system
The main tax issues discussed at the Economic and Financial Affairs Council’s October meeting were the taxation of the digital economy and the implementation of a definitive VAT system. The ECOFIN approved a draft directive implementing a new system…
EU finance ministers discuss new digital economy rules
An informal meeting of the EU’s finance ministers and central bank governors took place in Tallinn in September and addressed, among other things, taxation issues in the context of the digital economy. The ministers looked into new approaches to the…
2017 OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines
On 10 July 2017, the long awaited 2017 OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and Tax Administrations (2017 Transfer Pricing Guidelines) were released. The new edition counting 612 pages replaces the previous Transfer Pricing…
OECD releases draft update of Model Tax Convention
The OECD Committee on Fiscal Affairs has just released a draft update of the OECD Model Tax Convention. Neither the Committee on Fiscal Affairs nor the OECD Council have yet approved the update, but some significant parts have already been…
New EU rules on reporting aggressive tax planning
In late June, the European Commission released a draft of new rules imposing the duty to inform tax administrators of tax planning schemes. It is yet another EU initiative to tackle tax avoidance and evasion.
Independent groups of persons under CJEU scrutiny
Four cases dealing with VAT exemptions for independent groups of persons are currently before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) waiting for a ruling. The CJEU’s conclusions in these individual cases may strongly affect the conditions…
CJEU opens way to recovering twice paid VAT from state
The incorrect application of a VAT regime may have far-reaching consequences for taxpayers even if the state budget does not actually lose out. If the tax administration finds that the reverse charge regime has not been applied even though…
EC presents additional tools to fight aggressive tax planning
The launch of an application to report illegal business practices and the establishment of a special unit of the European Commission – these measures are intended to help the EU tackle aggressive tax planning. Information gained through these tools…
CJEU on hijabs in the work place
In March, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) dealt with the controversial topic of wearing Muslim headscarves – hijabs – in the work place. It held that employers may ban employees from wearing visible religious symbols at work. The verdict,…
CJEU: in mergers, the burden of proof lies with tax administrators
In early March, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) dealt with an interesting question in the Société Euro Park Service (C-14/16) case. The case involved a dispute whether a tax administrator’s prior approval was necessary to defer the taxation of…