In a letter published on April 29, 2019, the United States National Foreign Trade Council urged the Senate to approve several pending double tax avoidance treaties.

The European Commission is taking Spain to the Court of Justice over the imposition of "disproportionate" sanctions for failure to report assets held abroad.

On June 25, 2019, the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved amendments to four double tax avoidance agreements which have been pending in the Senate for several years.

The United States Senate could soon approve ratification of four long-pending double tax avoidance treaty protocols.

The United States Senate has approved protocols to four existing bilateral double tax avoidance treaties that have been pending in the chamber for as much as a decade.

On November 15, 2019, the European Commission announced the launch of an in-depth state aid investigation into tax exemptions provided to Italian ports, but welcomed commitments from Spain to abolish similar exemptions for Spanish ports from next year.

The Spanish Government has published the draft bill to introduce a digital services tax in Spain, beginning the formal parliamentary process needed to introduce the measure.

The Canadian Government has announced the establishment of an independent advisory committee on offshore tax evasion and aggressive tax planning.

The Canada Revenue Authority is auditing over 750 taxpayers with suspected links to offshore "tax havens" and investigating 20 cases of tax evasion, the Government has said.

The Canadian Government has said that it will review its tax ruling process and voluntary disclosures program as part of its response to recommendations made last year by a parliamentary committee.

The Isle of Man Treasury has announced that a new 30 percent penalty for participation in VAT fraud will be introduced from March 1, 2018.

Value-added tax avoidance will be considered by a new EU anti-tax avoidance committee, the creation of which is expected to be endorsed at an EU parliamentary plenary on March 1, 2018.

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 to simplify taxpayers' compliance with rules designed to prevent shareholders from using private company profits without paying tax at their marginal rates.

Estonia has topped the Tax Foundation's International Tax Competitiveness Index for the fifth successive year, being deemed to have the "best tax code in the OECD."

Australia is to require businesses seeking to tender for significant federal government procurement contracts to demonstrate their record of tax compliance.

The Australian Taxation Office has explained how its Early Intervention Strategy helps it to identify tax agents at risk of non-compliance.

The Australian Taxation Office has released a new ruling on how to calculate the effective life of depreciating assets for income tax purposes, in Taxation Ruling (TR) 2019/5, which is applicable from July 1, 2019.

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.

Australia has enacted new integrity measures included in the Treasury Laws Amendment (2018 Superannuation Measures No. 1) Bill 2019 affecting self-managed super funds.

In a new report for G20 ministers, the OECD has provided an update on its work to tackle tax base erosion and profit shifting relating to multinational businesses.

On February 19, 2020, the United States Internal Revenue Service announced that the leaders of the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement recently gathered in Sydney, Australia, to review their work and to set priorities for the years ahead.

The Irish Finance Department has launched a consultation on potential changes to the capital gains tax revised entrepreneur relief.

The Irish Revenue has published guidance on the tax compliance obligations that arise from mergers and divisions.

Ireland's Comptroller and Auditor General has released a new report on the Irish Revenue's compliance activities during 2018, and its efforts to improve how it interacts with taxpayers since a review in 2012.

Costa Rica's Ministry of Finance has released a statement clarifying its decision to exclude a number of territories with low effective income tax rates from its list of non-cooperative territories.

Ireland's governing party Fine Gael has published its election manifesto, which includes proposals to reduce the income tax burden and reform the taxation of SMEs.

Namibia's Minister of Finance, Calle Schlettwein, has tabled a legislative amendment in parliament that will repeal certain tax incentives attached to Export Processing Zones as well as those aimed at the manufacturing sector.

Officials from the Abu Dhabi Global Market, a free zone in the United Arab Emirates, and the Abu Dhabi Exchange recently visited Shanghai, China, to meet with representatives of key Chinese financial authorities and institutions.

The United Kingdom has legislated to stop property developers from using offshore structures in the Crown Dependencies to avoid UK tax on profits.

Recently released statistics by Jersey's Government show a steady or improving picture for the financial services sector in 2015.

Jersey is consulting on the introduction of a land development charge, to be called the Jersey Infrastructure Levy.

Researchers at the University of Amsterdam have looked at how corporations make use of particular countries and jurisdictions to minimize their tax liabilities.

HM Revenue and Customs, the UK tax authority, has welcomed a ruling in its favor against a contrived tax avoidance scheme involving an entity in Jersey and the Cayman Islands.

Apple, the world's largest taxpayer, has released a statement seeking to debunk claims in media about its tax payments around the world, following coverage in recent days about it seeking tax mitigation arrangements in Jersey due to international tax changes in Ireland affecting its existing tax arrangements.

Malta has become the latest country to ratify the OECD's multilateral convention to counter base erosion and profit shifting.

The Dutch Government has launched a consultation exercise on plans to review the country's tax treaty policy and to draw up a list of low-tax jurisdictions for the purposes of enforcing incoming controlled foreign company rules.

The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore has announced that the BEPS multilateral instrument entered into force for several of its double tax treaties on April 1, 2019.

Revenue Jersey has sought to reassure taxpayers over fears that they will be charged the default effective rate of tax from next January.

On November 18, 2019, the Government of the Czech Republic announced that it has agreed on a draft law to introduce a tax on digital services, which will now be submitted to parliament.

The UK tax agency HM Revenue and Customs has released guidance for taxpayers affected by the Loan Charge.

The European Commission has requested that both Austria and Ireland take action to transpose EU-wide interest limitation rules into their respective national laws.

On December 17, 2019, the Dutch Senate approved numerous tax measures as part of the 2020 Tax Plan, including changes to corporate, individual, and value-added taxes.

On December 19, 2019, Luxembourg's Chamber of Deputies approved the Government's Budget for 2020, which among other measures includes important changes to the validity of advanced tax rulings.

On December 24, 2019, a law was published in Turkey's official gazette extending a value-added tax exemption for the purchase of machinery and equipment.

The United States Internal Revenue Service has recently updated its list of frequently asked questions and answers on the tax treatment of transactions involving virtual currencies.

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.

The European Commission has again asked Malta to amend its method for calculating VAT on yacht leasing.

The OECD's public consultation on a review into the new transfer pricing documentation rules proposed as part of BEPS Action 13 has closed. It has published the 79 responses received.

The OECD has released guidance for national policymakers on the impact of COVID-19 on the treatment of cross-border workers and the interpretation of international tax treaty rules.