Hong Kong has relaxed the rules for those buying residential property, with the publication in the Official Gazette of The Stamp Duty (Amendment) Ordinance 2018 on January 19, 2018.

Hong Kong on February 2, 2018, ratified an Ordinance to enable the territory to soon join the OECD's Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters and thereby more simply and more broadly agree to exchange tax information with other countries' tax authorities.

Releasing a progress update, the OECD said international efforts to curb harmful tax practices and prevent the misuse of preferential tax regimes are having a tangible impact worldwide.

Hong Kong has updated its guidance on advance rulings, to reflect changes to Hong Kong's practices as a result of its efforts to comply with the OECD's minimum standards proposed as part of the base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) Action Plan.

Switzerland is due to introduce its new corporate tax regime from the beginning of 2020.

The UAE's Federal Tax Authority has issued guidance on whether a supplier or consumer is liable for VAT on goods or services for contracts negotiated before VAT was introduced.

The UAE has recently passed legislation to introduce new country-by-country reporting requirements and new economic substance requirements.

Japan's proposed sales tax hike is expected to go ahead as planned in 2019 after a landslide win by incumbent Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

South Korea's Government has announced that it will provide tax relief to small and medium size businesses that have been affected by Japan's decision to remove 159 South Korea products from its export "white list."

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The UK tax agency has announced that it has scheduled two new webinars to support the construction industry to come to terms with the new VAT reverse charge being introduced on building and construction services from October 1.

Airbnb has disclosed that it has been contacted by HM Revenue and Customs regarding the application of tax laws or regulations impacting the company's business, adding that some matters "may result in litigation".

The UK's National Audit Office has called for a more comprehensive review of the 1,190 tax relief measures available for taxpayers, which are estimated to have cost the UK revenues worth GBP155bn (USD201.7bn) in 2018-19.

On March 13, 2020, the German Ministry of Finance announced the relaxation of certain tax payment requirements as part of a package of measures designed to ease the economic impact of the COVID-19 virus.

On November 22, 2019, the United States Internal Revenue Service issued final regulations confirming that individuals taking advantage of the increased gift and estate tax exclusion amounts in effect from 2018 to 2025 will not be adversely impacted after 2025 when the exclusion amount is scheduled to drop to pre-2018 levels.

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

French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation has issued a statement on its tax arrangements in response to media coverage of the so-called "Paradise Papers."

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.

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

Releasing a progress update, the OECD said international efforts to curb harmful tax practices and prevent the misuse of preferential tax regimes are having a tangible impact worldwide.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has highlighted the significant impact that recent accounting standard changes will have for financial reports that must be prepared for the year to December 31, 2018, and second quarter reports.

The Australian Government is to implement a new government procurement process that will require the tenderer's tax record to be taken into account.

The Australian Taxation Office has opened a consultation on a draft Law Companion Ruling on the targeted integrity rule that will apply under the new hybrid mismatch regime.

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

The Irish Government is holding a public consultation on the Special Assignee Relief Programme and the Foreign Earnings Deduction, as part of a broader independent review of the reliefs.

The Irish Government has released additional guidance on its proposals for new anti-hybrid rules, responding to feedback to a consultation launched in November 2018.

The Irish Government is arguing that favorable tax treatment was not granted to Apple under two rulings deemed by the EU to have constituted illegal state aid to the company.

The Irish Revenue has updated its Tax and Duty Manual on the taxation of non-resident landlords to clarify a number of obligations.

Companies with a tax ruling dating from 2014 from the Irish Revenue have been encouraged to renew these before they expire.

A general election will take place in Ireland on February 8, with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar saying that this date provides a window to ensure a new government is in place ahead of the next European Council meeting in March.

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.

The Swiss Federal Council has launched a consultation on a proposed new Ordinance on the International Automatic Exchange of Information in Tax Matters.

The Swiss Federal Department of Finance has launched a consultation on the introduction of the automatic exchange of information in tax matters with a series of other countries.

Jersey has become one of only three jurisdictions to ratify the BEPS multilateral instrument to revise tax treaties to counter base erosion and profit shifting.

A further six countries have signed the BEPS multilateral instrument, enabling them to swiftly amend their double tax treaties to incorporate the recommendations put forward by the OECD as part of its base erosion and profit shifting Action Plan.

The OECD has announced that its multilateral convention to implement tax treaty-related measures to counter base erosion and profit shifting will enter into force on July 1, 2018.

Each of the Crown Dependencies – Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man – have tabled legislation that will introduce new substance requirements for tax-resident firms engaged in certain industries from January 1, 2019.

On October 7, 2019, the Dutch Government announced the launch of a consultation on the 2020 edition of the list of low-tax jurisdictions for the purposes of enforcing existing and forthcoming anti-avoidance legislation intended to tackle base erosion and profit shifting.

On December 2, 2019, the United States Internal Revenue Service issued final regulations on the foreign tax credit following major changes to the US tax code.

On January 8, 2020, the UK Government released a policy paper setting out how the UK will temporarily adopt the "DAC 6" EU disclosure requirements on intermediaries that design or sell potentially harmful tax schemes.

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

Members of the European Parliament want the EU and UK to reach an ambitious new free trade agreement, but have stressed that there must be a "level playing field."

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.

Hong Kong has updated its guidance on advance rulings, to reflect changes to Hong Kong's practices as a result of its efforts to comply with the OECD's minimum standards proposed as part of the base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) Action Plan.

The Irish Revenue has announced that it will allow access to the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme for certain employers who missed the March 15 payroll deadline.

The OECD has scheduled a new Tax Talks webcast to update stakeholders on its work on the reform of international tax rules for the digitalized economy.