Using repurposed drugs to treat COVID-19 would greatly reduce the time needed to gain FDA approval again. Details of the research on two repurposed drugs

Drug overdose epidemic emerged abruptly among the Baby Boomers, shifted youth-ward for Generation X, and then soared to new heights among the Millennials, says a new study.

Most seriously ill COVID-19 patients will be treated with the antiviral medication Remdesivir in America the maker of the drug has announced, as tensions

In treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients, anticoagulants or blood thinners help improve their chances of survival, reported Mount Sinai COVID Informatics Center researchers.

Emapalumab saved a child suffering from HLH. Although the 34-patient study wasn't large enough to show the efficacy of this new drug, doctors say their data are promising.

Olanzapine decreases the risk of nausea and vomiting among patients with advanced cancer, according to the study published in iJAMA Oncology/i. Charles Loprinzi, M.

The Italian Department of Finance has released new lists of government and private sector entities covered by Italy's split-payment mechanism.

Italy's tax agency on July 30, 2019, published a definitive version of the rules for the operation of the country's patent box regime.

An invitation to submit comments with regards to the corporate tax exemption provided to ports in Italy was published in the January 10, 2020, issue of the Official Journal of the European Union.

On February 10, 2020, the Italian tax agency commenced a short consultation on the rules surrounding the patent box self-assessment regime.

On March 4, 2020, the Italian tax authority published English language versions of the annual value-added tax form for 2020, together with instructions.

New Zealand's opposition National Party has released its plans for tax reform, announcing it would review whether to lower the corporate tax rate.

On September 16, 2019, the German conservative parties, the Christian Democrats and the Christian Social Union, published a report calling for reform of environmental taxes and levies to help Germany achieve its emissions reductions targets.

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.

Caribbean territory Trinidad and Tobago announced changes to corporate tax breaks in its 2020 Budget, in which it committed to clear the almost TTD4.5bn (USD664m) in unpaid VAT refunds.

On November 1, 2019, the presidential campaign of United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) published plans for a system of universal Medicare that will be partially funded by tax increases on large corporations and wealthy individuals, as well as by stricter anti-tax avoidance rules.

On October 23, 2019, Slovenia's National Assembly adopted a package of tax measures which includes changes to corporate, personal, and capital gains taxes.

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.

During a February 13, 2020, webcast, the OECD presented economic analysis on the potential impact of what it has proposed on international tax reform to address the digitalization of the economy.

On June 28, 2019, the Swedish Government announced that it has begun the legislative process to implement European Union e-commerce value-added tax reforms.

The Slovenian tax authority announced on July 9, 2019, that it will increase tax compliance checks on companies carrying out certain services for foreign e-commerce platforms to ensure they are charging VAT when required.

The German Cabinet has approved a proposal to reduce the rate of value-added tax on electronic publications. The rate is expected to drop from January 1, 2020.

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.

On September 17, 2019, Dutch State Secretary for Finance Menno Snel presented the Government's 2020 Tax Plan to the House of Representatives. It includes revised plans for corporate tax cuts.

Many US states will begin to impose sales and use tax obligations on remote sellers and marketplace facilitators from October 1, 2019, largely in response to the United States Supreme Court's landmark decision in the Wayfair case.

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.

The United States may impose additional duties of up to 100 percent on certain French products in retaliation for France's digital services tax, which a newly published report by the US Trade Representative has concluded discriminates against certain US companies.

On January 8, 2020, a bill was introduced in the Senate of the US state of Maryland that would impose a tax on revenues associated with digital advertising derived in the state.

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.

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 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 European Commission has published its annual taxation trends report.

The European Union value-added tax gap – the overall difference between expected VAT revenue and actual EU member state collections – was EUR152bn in 2015, says the European Commission, highlighting the need for further reforms to tackle avoidance, error, and evasion.

Appleby, the offshore law firm, has spoken out against recent media coverage, which implies but does not allege that there is wrongdoing in the papers recently exposed that include information on its clients' tax affairs.

The European Commission has sent letters of formal notice to Cyprus, Greece, and Malta for not levying the correct amount of value-added tax on yachts.

The number of advance pricing agreements between EU member states and companies rose by 64 percent from 2015 to 2016, according to research by Eurodad.

Malta's Commissioner for Revenue recently announced electronic filing deadline extensions for corporate income tax returns.

Malta's Commissioner for Revenue on January 2, 2020, issued a single set of guidelines on the automatic exchange of financial account information.

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."

Last year, the tax burden in OECD countries reached its highest level recorded, at 34.2 percent of gross domestic product, up 20 basis points on 2016, largely due to increasing taxes on personal consumption and companies.

The Belgian tax agency has issued a reminder to value-added tax-registered persons of their obligations to file VAT returns and pay VAT during the holiday season.

On January 10, 2018, the Belgian Ministry of Finance reminded taxpayers letting and leasing certain real estate that they can opt in to the value-added tax regime.

The OECD on August 13, 2019, released follow-up reports for Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States on their efforts to implement BEPS recommendations on dispute resolution.

Tax agencies from 31 countries discussed the ways they are using data analysis tools to improve tax enforcement and administration, at the first meeting of the IOTA Forum on Tax Debt Management, held in Prague, Czech Republic, On October 1-3, 2019.

The overall tax burden in the European Union relative to GDP rose slightly in 2018, to 40.3 percent, the Eurostat has announced.

Nine EU member states have called on the European Commission to draw up proposals for an EU-wide aviation tax.

On December 18, 2019, the Belgian Federal Public Finance Service announced that start-up companies can request accelerated refunds of value-added tax credits from January 1, 2020.

On January 20, 2020, the Dutch Ministry of Finance announced the list of countries with which the Netherlands intends to negotiate new or amended double tax treaties in 2020.

On January 24, 2020, the European Commission issued formal notices to numerous European Union member states with regards to lapses in the implementation of various EU anti-tax avoidance directives.

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