1. Meeting of G20 Finance Ministers takes place in Baden Baden Germany The G20 Ministers for Finance and Heads of the Central Banks met in Baden Baden in Germany on 18 March 2017. A communique outlining their position on the ongoing work priorities, including taxation matters was subsequently published. The OECD Secretary-General presented a Report […]

ECOFIN Council Meeting to discuss generalised reverse charge in VAT The Council of the European Union sitting as ECOFIN shall discuss tomorrow the proposals to establish a generalised reverse charge mechanism in VAT alongside proposals that would reduce the VAT rates for electronic publications.  The generalised reverse charge mechanism in VAT follows up on a […]

European Commission confirms upgrade of its Task Force Tax Planning Practice The European Commission has upgraded the Task Force Tax Planning Practices into a new Unit within the Directorate General Competition, the deputy Director General for State aid Gert-Jan Koopman confirmed for Bloomberg. European Commission’s Task Force led by Max Lienemeyer is responsible for the […]

1. European Economic and Social Committee supports Double Taxation Dispute Resolution proposal The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) unanimously supported the European Commission proposal for Council Directive to improve double taxation dispute resolution mechanisms in the EU. The Committee agreed with the European Commission that double taxation is one of the biggest tax obstacles […]

1. European Parliament votes to amend the EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD) The European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) and Civil Liberties Committees have voted to amend the EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive (“AMLD”) to allow access of EU citizens to the beneficial ownership registers. The vote today was passed by 89 to 1, with […]

1. Council of the EU reaches deal on ATAD2, European Commission welcomes agreement that fights BEPS (hybrid mismatches) involving non-EU countries On 21 February 2017, the Council of the EU reached agreement on the finalised text of the Directive extending the scope of the original Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (“ATAD”). The “ATAD 2” Directive will extend […]

20 February 2017 1. C-592/15: BFI vs. UK – VAT Exemption for Cultural Services The case concerned the correct interpretation of art. 13A para. 1(n) of the 6th Directive 77/388/EEC, i.e. whether this provision is sufficiently precise for the respective VAT exemption of cultural services to apply directly to Member States or allows discretion as […]

13 February 2017 1. GDF Suez – Luxembourg: Fiscal State Aid Until 3 March, the European Commission will be receiving comments on the fiscal state aid alleged to have been provided by Luxembourg to GDF Suez (Case No. SA 44888/2016). In this case, the Commission is challenging 2 tax rulings issued by the Luxembourgish tax […]