Tax News Daily
The latest tax news from around the world, summarised and tagged for tax professionals. Updated twice daily.
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EU: European Parliament approves resolution on cross-border tax simplification
The European Parliament has approved a resolution focused on simplifying cross-border taxation within the EU. The resolution aims to reduce administrative burdens and compliance complexities faced by businesses and individuals operating across EU member state borders. This initiative reflects ongoing efforts to harmonize and streamline tax rules across the bloc, potentially affecting VAT obligations, corporate tax frameworks, and other cross-border tax matters. The resolution signals the Parliament's political direction on tax simplification, though formal legislative proposals would still need to follow through the standard EU legislative process involving the European Commission and Council.
Uganda President Blocks Casino Tax Break and Plastics Excise Increase
Uganda's president has declined to approve legislative measures that would have introduced a tax break for the casino industry and increased excise duties on plastics. The veto signals executive pushback on fiscal policy adjustments passed by parliament, affecting both the gambling sector—which had sought preferential tax treatment—and environmental levies targeting plastic goods. The decision has implications for Uganda's broader tax policy direction, revenue collection strategy, and the ongoing debate around incentivising certain industries while pursuing environmental taxation goals.
Dominican Republic Launches Public Consultation on the Tax Treatment of Software
The Dominican Republic has launched a public consultation regarding the tax treatment of software, inviting stakeholders to provide input on how software products and services should be classified and taxed. This initiative reflects growing regulatory attention to digital goods and services taxation in Latin America. The consultation likely addresses questions around whether software is treated as a good or service for VAT/sales tax purposes, licensing versus sale distinctions, and potential digital services tax implications. The outcome could significantly impact both domestic and foreign software companies operating in or selling into the Dominican Republic.
Can New York City Tax Itself Out of Traffic?
New York City's congestion pricing scheme raises the question of whether taxation can effectively reduce urban traffic. The article examines the economics of congestion pricing as a traffic management tool, analyzing how tolls and fees imposed on vehicles entering central Manhattan function as a de facto tax. It explores the policy tradeoffs between revenue generation for public transit and behavioral change among drivers, assessing whether financial disincentives are sufficient to meaningfully shift commuter habits and reduce congestion in one of the world's most traffic-dense cities.
Africa Tax in Brief: Latest Regional Tax Developments
This briefing covers the latest tax developments across African jurisdictions, summarizing recent legislative, regulatory, and administrative changes affecting businesses operating in the region. Topics likely span corporate income tax updates, VAT reforms, transfer pricing rules, and other fiscal measures introduced by various African governments. The publication serves as a regional digest for tax professionals and multinationals monitoring compliance obligations and policy shifts across multiple African countries. Staying current with these developments is critical given the rapidly evolving tax landscape on the continent and increasing enforcement activity by revenue authorities.
OECD Consultation on Intra-Group Services Guidelines
The OECD has launched a public consultation on updated guidelines governing intra-group services, a key area of transfer pricing that determines how charges between related entities for shared services are priced and documented. The consultation seeks stakeholder input on proposed revisions that could affect the application of the arm's length principle to low-value-adding services, benefit tests, and markup standards. Multinationals and tax advisers are encouraged to submit comments as the outcome will influence international transfer pricing standards and compliance requirements globally, potentially reshaping how intercompany service arrangements are structured and defended before tax authorities.
DT-05-2026: El Desafío de la Regla de Beneficios Infra-gravados (UTPR) en el marco de los convenios para evitar la doble imposición
This CIAT working paper examines the challenges posed by the Undertaxed Profits Rule (UTPR) under Pillar Two in relation to existing double tax treaties. The UTPR, as a backstop mechanism within the global minimum tax framework, raises complex questions about its compatibility with bilateral tax conventions, particularly regarding non-discrimination clauses and treaty overrides. The paper analyzes how the UTPR interacts with treaty obligations, potential conflicts that may arise when countries implement the rule domestically, and possible approaches to resolving tensions between the global minimum tax rules and existing double taxation agreements.
Taxing the Matchmakers: How Digital Services Taxes Cascade Through Online Commerce
This article examines how digital services taxes (DSTs) imposed on online platforms function as matchmakers between buyers and sellers, and how their costs cascade through the e-commerce ecosystem. Rather than being absorbed by large tech companies, DSTs are typically passed down to merchants and consumers through higher fees and prices. The analysis explores the economic incidence of DSTs, demonstrating their regressive and distortionary effects on online commerce. The piece highlights how these taxes affect small businesses relying on digital marketplaces and raises broader questions about whether DSTs achieve their intended policy goals of targeting large multinational digital companies.
VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA): The Complete Guide to the EU’s VAT Reform
The EU's VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) reform represents a comprehensive overhaul of the EU VAT framework, targeting three key pillars: digital reporting requirements and e-invoicing, updated rules for the platform economy, and a single VAT registration system. ViDA mandates structured digital transaction reporting and real-time e-invoicing across member states, aiming to close the EU's significant VAT gap. Platforms in sectors like short-term accommodation and passenger transport face new deemed-supplier rules. The single VAT registration expansion reduces the need for multi-country registrations. Implementation is phased, with key deadlines running from 2025 through 2035.
Imported Carbon Border Adjustment (CBAM) goods that may not contribute towards the registration threshold
UK government guidance detailing which imported CBAM goods may not count toward the CBAM registration threshold. The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism imposes a carbon price on imports of certain carbon-intensive goods into the UK, and this guidance clarifies exemptions or exclusions from threshold calculations. Businesses importing steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers, hydrogen, ceramics, and glass need to understand which goods are excluded to determine their registration obligations accurately. This is directly relevant to tax and compliance teams managing UK CBAM liability.
Check if you’re classed as the importer for Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
UK government guidance helping businesses determine whether they qualify as the 'importer' under the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. CBAM places a carbon levy on certain imported goods, and correctly identifying the importer is critical for compliance and liability purposes. The guidance covers scenarios involving customs agents, indirect representatives, and supply chain arrangements to clarify who bears the CBAM reporting and payment obligations. This is essential reading for UK importers, customs brokers, and tax compliance teams dealing with carbon-intensive goods.
Guidance: Check which goods are in scope of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
UK government guidance outlining which goods fall within the scope of the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. CBAM applies a carbon price to imports of specific carbon-intensive products including iron, steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers, hydrogen, ceramics, and glass. The guidance helps businesses identify affected commodity codes and assess their CBAM compliance obligations. Understanding in-scope goods is the foundational step for importers to determine registration requirements, reporting duties, and carbon cost liabilities under the UK regime.
Keeping records for Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
UK government guidance on record-keeping obligations for businesses subject to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. Importers of in-scope carbon-intensive goods must maintain accurate records to support CBAM declarations, including data on embedded carbon emissions, supplier information, and carbon prices paid in country of origin. Proper documentation is essential for calculating CBAM liability and claiming any applicable carbon price relief. This guidance is directly relevant to tax and compliance functions managing CBAM regulatory requirements.
Work out your Carbon Price Relief
UK government guidance explaining how businesses can calculate Carbon Price Relief under the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. CBAM importers may be entitled to reduce their UK carbon levy liability where a carbon price has already been paid in the country of origin of the imported goods. The guidance sets out the methodology for working out the relief, including acceptable carbon pricing evidence and calculation steps. This is directly relevant to tax teams seeking to minimise CBAM costs through foreign carbon pricing credits.
What you need to work out Carbon Price Relief
UK government guidance explaining the requirements and calculations needed to claim Carbon Price Relief, which provides relief on the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) or Carbon Price Support (CPS) costs embedded in imported goods. This is directly relevant to the UK's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) framework, helping businesses determine eligible relief amounts based on carbon pricing already paid in the country of origin, thereby avoiding double taxation on carbon costs for qualifying imports.
Check if your goods have been subject to a qualifying carbon pricing scheme
UK government guidance helping importers determine whether their goods have been subject to a qualifying carbon pricing scheme overseas, a key eligibility requirement for claiming Carbon Price Relief under the UK's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. Businesses must verify that carbon costs were paid in the exporting country under a recognised scheme before relief can be claimed against UK ETS or Carbon Price Support charges, preventing double taxation while maintaining the integrity of carbon pricing policy.
Large business compliance 2026: key insights from HMRC and Public Accounts Committee reports
Analysis of HMRC's large business compliance landscape for 2026, drawing on insights from HMRC reports and the Public Accounts Committee. The article examines how HMRC is intensifying scrutiny of large businesses, including its compliance yield targets, risk assessment approaches, and evolving relationship with large taxpayers. It highlights key themes such as tax gap reduction efforts, HMRC resource constraints, and expectations placed on large businesses to demonstrate tax transparency and cooperative compliance. The findings have significant implications for how large corporates manage their tax risk, governance frameworks, and engagement strategies with HMRC.
Batchelder: When Money’s Time Isn’t Always Valued
This article by Batchelder examines the time value of money in tax contexts, exploring situations where tax law does not consistently account for the economic principle that money received sooner is worth more than money received later. The analysis likely covers areas such as deferral benefits, tax timing mismatches, and structural inconsistencies in how the tax code treats the temporal aspects of income and deductions, with implications for tax policy design and equity across different taxpayer situations.
Tokenized Stocks Are Coming – What Public Accountants Need to Know
Tokenized stocks represent traditional equities recorded on blockchain, creating new accounting and tax complexities for public accountants. Key tax considerations include how tokenized stocks are classified—as securities or digital assets—which affects capital gains treatment, holding period determination, and reporting obligations. Wash sale rules, dividend treatment, and cost basis tracking present additional challenges when securities migrate to blockchain rails. Accountants must also consider whether token transfers trigger taxable events and how to handle fractional ownership. As regulatory frameworks from the SEC and IRS evolve, practitioners need to stay current on guidance governing these hybrid instruments to properly advise clients and ensure compliance.
Here’s How Much Americans Pay in Taxes Over Their Lifetime
An analysis of lifetime tax burdens for Americans, examining how much the average person pays across all tax types over their lifetime. The study likely covers federal and state income taxes, payroll taxes, sales taxes, and other levies, providing context on the cumulative tax load relative to lifetime earnings. This type of research helps individuals and policymakers understand the overall fiscal pressure on households and can inform debates around tax reform, retirement planning, and wealth accumulation over a working life in the United States.
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