FIlipino lawmakers are expected to soon sign off on a long-awaited tax reform bill to bring about personal income tax regime reform and broaden the value-added tax base.

The Philippines' Senate on November 28 approved its version of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) bill, which is expected to exempt 6.8 million workers from paying income taxes.

The Philippines is to take forward its tax reform agenda in January, with a second package of proposals to be tabled before Congress, after the first package was endorsed with some vetoes by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Legislation to bring down the Philippines' corporate income tax rate and overhaul the country's fiscal incentives has been tabled in the House of Representatives.

Corporate tax reform in the Philippines has moved a step closer with the introduction of House Bill No. 7458 into the country's parliament.

Business leaders in the Philippines say they fully support the Duterte Administration's proposed corporate tax reforms and investment incentives package.

Benjamin Diokno, the Philippines' Budget and Management Secretary, says the Government should secure the passage of all the remaining comprehensive tax reform bills within the next two months.

The Philippines' House Committee On Ways and Means has approved a Bill that would overhaul the rates in place on financial services and passive income.

India has launched a consultation on efforts to reform the country's 1961 income tax law, to be led by a newly constituted task force.

On September 13, the OECD launched a substantial report on the tax policy reforms implemented last year by advanced nations.

"While countries do not necessarily need to tax savings more, there is a lot of room to improve the way countries tax savings," according to Pascal Saint-Amans, Director of the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration.

Singapore has gazetted a law to repeal the income tax concession for intellectual property income derived by companies benefiting from the Pioneer Service Companies Incentive or the Development and Expansion Incentive schemes.

Singapore is to add provisions to draft legislation to enhance the new GST regime for imported services and clarify new rules for virtual currencies.

Belgium should look to broaden its tax base to fund labor tax reductions, the International Monetary Fund has said in its annual report for the country.

The OECD has committed to providing proposals to fix the taxation of the digital economy by 2020, in an update to G20 leaders on international efforts to mitigate base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS).

The UK's 2018 Budget includes changes to tax rules for companies, and notably for multinational groups to conform with the EU's Anti Tax Avoidance Directive. Most significantly, the UK has decided to move ahead of the EU in announcing that it will apply a tax on the turnover of certain digital businesses.

Malaysia's 2019 Budget contains plans for an overhaul of sales and service tax rules and a corporate tax cut for small- and medium-sized enterprises.

During a webcast on June 11, the OECD provided a technical update on its work to develop new, modernized international tax rules for the digitalized economy.

The Canadian Government is consulting on draft legislative proposals to implement a number of tax measures announced in the 2019 Budget.

The European Commission has released the 2017 edition of its survey of Tax Policies in the European Union, looking at the reforms undertaken by EU member states during the year.

Tax officials in Armenia are to receive support from the Italian Revenue Agency to implement initiatives to tackle tax base erosion and profit shifting.

The Philippines' House of Representatives on September 9, 2019, approved two bills to overhaul the rates in place on financial services and passive income.

The OECD has announced that the next Tax Talks webcast will be held on October 9. It will update stakeholders on its work to develop new international tax rules.

New Zealand has released a new consultation on proposals to further clarify the deductibility of holding costs (rates, interest, insurance, etc.) where land that is subject to tax on sale is used privately while it is held.

Indonesia has reportedly tabled draft legislation in the House of Representatives to make wide-ranging changes to the tax system, including lowering the corporate tax rate and modernizing rules for digital economy players.

The International Chamber of Commerce has warned that micro-, small-, and medium-sized businesses' growth prospects are being stymied by complex indirect tax regimes. It has released an issues brief that is intended to contribute towards international reform talks being led by the World Trade Organization.

The IMF has said that Malta should look for ways to diversify its tax base and strengthen tax revenues.

Belgium should look to broaden its tax base to fund labor tax reductions, the International Monetary Fund has said in its annual report for the country.

The International Monetary Fund has urged Hong Kong to consider tax reform options to boost revenues while maintaining the economy's competitiveness and flexibility.

The advisory board tasked with reporting on the state of Switzerland's financial center has recommended that the country overhaul its withholding tax system to improve its capital market offering.

Japan's Cabinet recently approved tax reform bills, which have now been introduced into the country's parliament for debate.

Following its passage through Japan's parliament, the Diet, measures in Japan's 2018 tax reform package became law on April 1, 2018.

The UK Government has announced that the expansion of the off-payroll working rules, known as IR35, will be delayed until April 2021, in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The UK's Chancellor, Philip Hammond, delivering the Spring Statement earlier this month, announced a number of upcoming VAT reform projects.

The Australian Government is consulting on the tax implications of a new accounting standard for insurance contracts.

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has announced that the Government will bring forward the start date for its package of income tax cuts.

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) has given a guarded welcome to the New Zealand Government's response to the recommendations of the Tax Working Group.

The pace of tax reform has slowed across most leading economies, a new report from the OECD says, calling for bolder tax reforms to address future challenges.

The International Chamber of Commerce has warned that micro-, small-, and medium-sized businesses' growth prospects are being stymied by complex indirect tax regimes. It has released an issues brief that is intended to contribute towards international reform talks being led by the World Trade Organization.

The new Austrian coalition government, consisting of the conservative People's Party and the Green Party, has agreed on a program for government, which includes several significant tax measures.

On April 15, 2020, a government-commissioned report on the taxation of multinationals was submitted to the State Secretary of Finance recommending various changes to make the Dutch tax system fairer while maintaining the jurisdiction's tax competitiveness.

This note is taken from Chapter 2 of Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth 2011.

This note is taken from Chapter 2 of Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth 2012.

Switzerland should reduce trade barriers and limit the level of direct payments to farmers, as part of wider efforts to improve competitiveness of the agriculture sector, according to a new OECD report.

This paper analyses the reform of Switzerland’s agricultural policy framework, which reoriented subsidies to better target policy objectives, including for biodiversity; and outlines the process involved in designing and implementing the reform as well as its environmental and socio-economic impacts. The country study draws on the 2017 OECD report The Political Economy of Biodiversity Policy Reform.

This note is taken from Chapter 2 of Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth 2012.

South Africa must step up efforts to foster strong, inclusive economic growth that creates jobs, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Survey of South Africa. Priorities include a growth-enhancing macroeconomic policy-mix, and better implementation of structural reforms, notably to improve education.