Malta has enacted rules removing the bias in favor of debt financing by creating a notional interest deduction for equity financing.

Malta's tonnage tax scheme has been conditionally approved for a period of 10 years by the European Commission under EU state aid rules.

The OECD has recently launched a consultation on tackling the circumvention of its latest international tax transparency standard, the Common Reporting Standard, through the use by individuals of residency by investment (RBI), or citizenship by investment (CBI) schemes.

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 has reiterated its commitment to fighting aggressive tax planning, joining other EU member states who have unanimously agreed to amend the EU's tax information sharing law, the Directive on Administrative Cooperation.

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.

Belgium's Council of Ministers has approved a draft law that would temporarily treat the United Kingdom as a member of the European Union for Belgian tax purposes should the UK leave the EU having failed to agree any withdrawal arrangements.

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.

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.

The UK Government on January 10, 2020, released the synthesized text of the 1987 Belgium-UK double tax agreement, as modified by the BEPS multilateral instrument.

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.

On March 18, 2020, the Belgian tax authorities announced the postponement of various value-added tax filing and payment deadlines to support companies during the coronavirus crisis.

On March 24, 2020, the Belgian tax authority announced value-added tax will not be levied on medical equipment donated to hospitals and healthcare facilities.

On March 29, 2020, the Belgian tax authority announced that value-added tax refunds will be accelerated for all declarations relating to the month of February 2020.

On April 3, 2020, the Belgian tax authority announced an increase in the credit available for timely advance tax payments to provide businesses and the self-employed a liquidity boost amid the COVID-19 crisis.

On April 29, 2020, the Belgian tax authority announced changes to the deadline for the submission of annual corporate tax declarations due to the COVID-19 crisis.

In a new report, the OECD has drawn attention to criminal activity in free trade zones, which typically offer tax privileges and lighter regulation, highlighting that they may be unintentionally fostering growth in counterfeit goods.

The Hong Kong Government has released a draft bill containing its 2017 proposal to provide an enhanced tax deduction for research and development expenditure.

Hong Kong's Government has published a draft law preserving the profits tax exemption for offshore venture capital funds who participate in the island's new Innovation and Technology Venture Fund.

Hong Kong's Government says it is studying the feasibility of introducing a tax on vacant "first-hand" private residential properties.

Hong Kong's Legislative Council has passed legislation to improve the jurisdiction's tax incentives for research and development spending.

The OECD recently released the seventh round of stage one peer review reports, assessing eight jurisdictions' efforts to implement the BEPS Action 14 minimum standard on tax dispute resolution.

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's country-by-country reporting regime meets international standards and the country effectively exchanges the reports it receives with other countries, an OECD peer review has concluded.

The Swiss Federal Council will bring into force legislation on the implementation of recommendations made by the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes.

The Swiss Government has welcomed Switzerland's removal from the EU's list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions, and said that the country meets and implements international tax standards.

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.

On October 22, 2019, the Swiss Federal Finance Department uploaded a series of publications concerning the value-added tax rules for those participating in and organizing sporting events.

On October 23, the Swiss Federal Council adopted a dispatch on a protocol to the double tax agreement with Iran, which implements the minimum standards for such agreements.

Switzerland is to amend its domestic framework for the automatic exchange of information, in line with recommendations made by the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes.

The Swiss Federal Tax Authority has released new English-language guidance for foreign businesses on their obligations under Swiss VAT law.

Switzerland has released a report on its efforts to resolve tax disputes, noting that the average time to complete mutual agreement procedure cases was 13 months in 2018, significantly below that required under the BEPS minimum standards.

Liechtenstein and Switzerland have agreed a new cooperation pact in the area of value-added tax administration and enforcement.

Switzerland and Italy are to amend the customs status of the Italian enclave of Campione d'Italia.

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

The Swiss Government has announced that it will waive interest on late payments of tax, to allow companies to delay their tax payments.

The OECD Global Forum has released eight peer review reports, for Brunei, Macau, Switzerland, Barbados, the Seychelles, Liberia, Peru, and Tunisia, on the jurisdictions' efforts to adopt and comply with international tax standards on transparency and the exchange of tax-related information on request.

The OECD's Global Forum has found Switzerland largely compliant with the international standards on transparency and the exchange of information upon request.

The Swiss Federal Council has announced that it will expand a system of guarantees for SMEs to provide support for start-ups during the coronavirus pandemic.

The United Arab Emirates' Federal Tax Authority has released a statement confirming that all purchases from online retailers are subject to the same value-added tax rules as for purchases from brick and mortar stores – that they should generally be subject to the headline five percent value-added tax rate.

The UAE's Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has changed the deadline for firms preparing to file a VAT return for the first time.

The EU has announced the removal of eight jurisdictions from its tax blacklist.

The UAE's Federal Tax Authority has newly launched a number of VAT compliance tools and further confirmed how the value-added tax regime, introduced at the start of the year, should operate.

Businesses registered for the United Arab Emirates's value-added tax need to complete a four-step online procedure to file their tax returns, the Federal Tax Authority has said.