This book explores one of the most significant trends in the evolution of global tax systems by asking how, within less than half a century, the value-added tax (VAT) has risen from relative obscurity to become one of the world's most dominant revenue instruments. Despite its significance, very...

This chapter contests the claim made by Murphy and Nagel that the choice of tax base is of only instrumental significance to economic justice (The Myth of Ownership (OUP, 2002, 8. 98)). We agree with Murphy and Nagel that what ultimately justifies taxation is its contribution to just outcomes,...

The OECD International VAT/GST guidelines (OECD Guidelines) are the most significant global attempt to coordinate place of taxation rules for cross‑border supplies of services and intangibles so that the final consumption of such supplies are effectively taxed on a destination basis. However,...

This short column highlights for estate and gift tax practitioners 10 noteworthy law review articles published during 2009. Estate and gift taxation is one area in which law professors' writing should be of interest to tax practitioners and vice versa, because significant change in the law of...

Many articles in the legal and economic literature claim that a pure Haig-Simons income tax cannot effectively tax investment income. This is because an investor can use leverage to gross up her investments in risky assets such that the increased gain (or loss) exactly offsets any income tax (or...

The paper explores the origins of the Value Added Tax (VAT) and its rapid global rise from relative obscurity in the mid-twentieth century to its near worldwide adoption today. The paper highlights general trends in VAT design and provides a critical overview of the explanations provided for the...

For many emerging and developing economies, it is exceedingly difficult to constrain residents from evading tax liability on income from capital, whether earned domestically or abroad. Meanwhile, an international regime for combatting offshore tax evasion is emerging, and the form of the new...

New Zealand lawyers are dealing increasingly with Japan, and with its big corporations. This article discusses points of interest which arise, e.g. Cross-cultural overview, the status of the merchant, the development and use of law, Japanese strength of tradition and how Japan and its business...

Based on a traditional legal dogmatic method, valid law is deduced with respect to general anti-abuse rules (GAARs) in Danish tax law. Accordingly, first it is discussed whether a court-developed general anti-avoidance doctrine can be considered to exist. Subsequently, the provision containing...

Value-added Tax (VAT) has become one of the most pervasive tax instruments across the developed and, increasingly, the developing world. However, despite broad-based consumption tax reform dominating the Australian taxation agenda from the 1970s onwards, Australia did not introduce VAT until...