The Irish Revenue has issued advice on the steps it is taking to help SMEs experiencing cashflow and trading difficulties arising from the impact of the coronavirus.

Jersey has signed a double taxation agreement with the Republic of Cyprus. This is the island's twelfth agreement that meets the international standard for such agreements.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

In a letter to United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the European Council has expressed concern at the lack of action by the US Government to alleviate the compliance burdens of EU nationals and financial institutions with regards to the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act.

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.

The provisions of the EU's second Anti Tax Avoidance Directive will become effective in all member states from January 1, 2020.

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 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.

Caribbean territory Aruba has released instructions on the completion of transfer pricing documentation and released model templates for completion.

Germany's IT systems are not ready for the VAT "quick fix" simplifications that entered into force on January 1, 2020, according to the European Commission.

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."

The Dutch Tax and Customs Administration has launched a campaign to monitor the employment status of individuals working in the care and construction sectors.

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.

Highlights: On behalf of ISPEN 2019, Medindia interviewed Dr. BS Ramakrishna to throw light on the evolving ro

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On April 6, 2020, Italy's Council of Ministers announced further measures to support taxpayers affected by the COVID-19 virus, including the postponement of value-added tax, social security, and wage withholding payment deadlines.

The Irish Government has announced the expansion of its support measures for SMEs affected by the economic impact of the coronavirus.

On April 9, 2020, the OECD released an update to a spreadsheet hosted on its website that maps out all the various tax policy responses countries have taken to support individual and corporate taxpayers following the outbreak of COVID-19.

Bolivia has announced a number of filing and payment extensions for taxpayers, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

On April 4, 2020, Malta released payroll tax-related guidance for employers on the Government's responses to the COVID-19 epidemic.

On April 15, 2020, the United States Internal Revenue Service unveiled the "Get My Payment" online tool that will allow taxpayers to receive economic impact payments under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

The OECD has published the comments it has received on a proposal for a framework of Model Rules for sharing and gig economy platforms to report the activities of their users, to support tax authorities to ensure the collection of tax.

On April 17, 2020, the President of Poland signed legislation into law to extend transfer pricing documentation deadlines, as part of a package of additional COVID-19 economic support measures.

On April 23, 2020, the National Treasury of South Africa provided further details of the additional COVID-19 tax support measures first announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on April 21.

On April 25, 2020, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Germany would attempt to seek agreement on a financial transaction tax and a minimum corporate tax when it assumes the presidency of the European Union in July 2020.

On July 11, 2019, France's proposed digital services tax received parliamentary approval, following approval also from the Senate.

On September 23, 2019, the French Government outlined a number of measures that will be included in the 2020 Finance Law to ensure the payment of value-added tax on items bought by French residents from online marketplaces.

Norway's Minister of Finance, Siv Jensen, has said that Norway will adopt a national digital services tax if negotiations towards an international digital tax framework fail to materialize this year.

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz has said he is confident that an agreement can be reached on a European Union financial transactions tax.

The European Commission has launched infringement proceedings against 14 member states for failing to implement the so-called value-added tax quick fixes.

France's Directorate General of Public Finance confirmed in a statement issued on February 10, 2020, that companies liable for the country's digital services tax can delay payment of upcoming installments of the tax until December 2020.

The finance ministers of France, Germany, Italy, and Spain have put their names to a statement calling for countries to reach an agreement on solving the tax challenges of the digital economy by the end of 2020.

The French General Directorate of Public Finance has announced that companies and self-employed taxpayers will be able to postpone without penalty upcoming tax payments due to the public health emergency.

New study uses photovoice methodology and qualitatively compares citizens' perceptions about the food environment in three Bilbao neighborhoods with different socioeconomic levels.

For people when making healthy food choices - overriding fat and salt, sugar content is the key factor, revealed researchers. A team from the

Scientists from the University of Southampton studied the association between BMI and prolonged sickness absence, cutting down at work and health-related

Soy is widely viewed as a healthful food. However, whether intake of soy products (unfermented and fermented) is associated with longer life expectancy is unclear.

Being distracted by technology during mealtimes may reduce the amount of food a person eats, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the iJournal of Nutrition/i.

Nutrition and diet have a profound impact on microbial composition in the gut, according to a study. The findings of the study are published in the journal iNutrition Reviews/i.

Unconscious food cravings were found to make bariatric surgery less effective for extreme obesity, stated new research that was accepted for presentation