A year ago, the US pulled the plug on de minimis. From 1 July, the EU follows. Under Council Regulation (EU) 2026/382, the long-standing customs duty exemption for parcels under €150 disappears, replaced by a flat €3 charge applied per item, based on tariff classification rather than per parcel. Three identical t-shirts in one box, €3. A t-shirt and a …
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E-commerce is often presented as a consumer story. We talk about marketplaces, brands, influencers, apps and shopping carts. But by value, the bigger market is B2B: global B2B e-commerce reached over $28 trillion in 2024 and is projected to hit $36 trillion by 2026, roughly three to four times the size of B2C. The reason B2C dominates the conversation is …
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New rules. Expanded scope. Sharper enforcement. The pressure on in-house tax teams has never been greater. From Brazil’s dual VAT reform to the spread of digital services taxes across Africa, the phase-out of low-value goods exemptions and increase of investigation powers, the pace of change is relentless and shows no sign of slowing. For tax and finance teams, that means …
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The geopolitical picture hasn’t improved. Governments are still responding the same way: targeted indirect tax reductions to shield populations from inflation that continues to bite. Latvia and Ireland within the EU, and further afield Australia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Kenya and Cambodia, have all discussed or introduced measures focused on reducing tax on fuel and everyday essentials. The fiscal trade-off is …
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Geopolitics is rapidly reshaping VAT and indirect tax rates. Countries across Europe, including Spain, Cyprus and Poland, and further afield in Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, Zambia and Argentina, are introducing temporary indirect tax cuts to cushion the impact of ongoing conflicts. These reductions are typically focused on fuel, and in some cases food and other essentials. These VAT reductions have …
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OpenAI is stepping back from its earlier plan to allow users to buy products directly inside ChatGPT, The Information reports. Instead, the company will route purchases through third-party apps connected to the chatbot. This marks a significant pivot from the wave of ambition seen in late 2025, that fuelled expectations that AI was about to reshape the way we buy …
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Early February marked the 10th anniversary of the Arab Fiscal Forum. Discussions focused on future fiscal policy priorities, including the impact of digitalisation on public finance and the use of government technology and artificial intelligence to enhance governance efficiency, optimise public spending, and strengthen the allocation of resources. One of the key themes was “From resilience to renewal: a fiscal …
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This month in Paris, the 6th Meeting of the OECD Global Forum on VAT marked the 10th anniversary of the OECD International VAT/GST Guidelines, which have shaped VAT frameworks worldwide. These frameworks continue to evolve, with legislation moving faster and its impact being felt sooner across markets. It means profit margins continue to be squeezed as new measures add complexity, …
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Happy New Year, and welcome to 2026! Brazil’s new indirect tax system entered into test phase in January 2026, alongside reforms to China’s VAT rules where platforms may become deemed suppliers liable for the tax. These are not the only major changes taking effect this month, and we highlight several others below. The key trends we’re seeing are the removal …
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The recent various government budget announcements have triggered a fresh round of rules and regulatory measures, signalling that ecommerce companies, and particularly digital platforms, will face a more complex compliance landscape, measures that will potentially erode profit margins without proper affirmative management and effective processes. This is a glimpse of what caught my attention…and as you read the plethora of …
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