News

BRUSSELS | 12 May 2025 EU Launches Public Consultation on Potential Countermeasures to Respond to US Tariffs The European Commission has launched a public consultation concerning potential countermeasures to be taken against the United States in response to the US reciprocal tariffs announced by President Trump in April of a 20% import tax on EU goods, as well [...]

BRUSSELS | 5 May 2025 ECOFIN: EU Finance Ministers to Discuss Tax Challenges of Capital Market Integration & VAT Rules for Distance and Imported Goods At the ECOFIN meeting of EU Finance Ministers scheduled for 13 May 2025 in Brussels, the European Commission will present actions being taken to accelerate financial integration and increase EU competitiveness, in particular concerning the [...]

BRUSSELS | 28 APRIL 2025 Spring IMG & World Bank Meetings Highlight Trade Challenges & Uncertainty The Spring 2025 Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank were held from 21 to 26 April 2025 in Washington, D.C. Growing concerns over global trade tensions, rising sovereign debt, fiscal policy challenges, and the future of international tax cooperation [...]

BRUSSELS | 22 APRIL 2025 OECD Signals Continued US Involvement in Global Tax Deal  The United States remains engaged in negotiations on the global tax agreement, despite President Trump’s earlier denunciation in his January memorandum dismissing the deal’s relevance to US policy, according to OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann. Speaking at the Delphi Economic Forum, Mr Cormann confirmed ongoing discussions [...]

BRUSSELS | 14 APRIL 2025 17th Plenary Meeting of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework  The 17th Plenary Meeting of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) was convened last week in Cape Town, South Africa, from 7 to 10 April 2025. The event marked a significant milestone—the tenth anniversary of the BEPS Package—and welcomed [...]

BRUSSELS | 7 APRIL 2025 US Imposes Broad Global Tariffs Under New Regime On 2 April 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order titled “Regulating Imports with a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices that Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits.” The order introduces a sweeping new tariff regime, including [...]

BRUSSELS | 31 MARCH 2025 30th Session of the United Nations Tax Committee The 30th Session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters took place last week from 24 to 27 March 2025 at the UN Headquarters in New York. The Committee, composed of 25 members nominated by governments and appointed [...]

BRUSSELS | 24 MARCH 2025 EU Tax Symposium: Global Tax Cooperation, Strategic Autonomy & Competitiveness The 2025 EU Tax Symposium, jointly organised by the European Commission and the European Parliament, took place last week on 18 March in Brussels. Central themes included wealth taxation, tax simplification, green transition, EU competitiveness, and the growing role of artificial intelligence in [...]

BRUSSELS | 17 MARCH 2025 ECOFIN: DAC9 & ViDA Legislative Proposals Approved Ministers of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council met on 11 March, reaching political agreement on two significant legislative proposalsL the Directive on Administrative Cooperation in the Field of Taxation (DAC9); and, the VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) package. The Council also published Conclusions on tax decluttering and [...]

BRUSSELS | 10 MARCH 2025 Key EU Council Discussions this Week: Tax Cooperation, Business Simplification & Competitiveness  This week, the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) meeting on 11 March will focus on several key areas impacting tax policy. Ministers will discuss the Omnibus Package presented by the Commission, which aims to reduce administrative burdens by at [...]