On 21 June 2018 the US Supreme Court ruled that out-of-state retailers must charge and remit sales tax, even if they do not have a physical nexus in the customer’s US State. It thereby confirmed the economic nexus legislation introduced by South Dakota. Furthermore, the court’s decision effectively overturns contrary earlier rulings. Other US States will follow South Dakota’s example. US and non-US online sellers with customers in the US must now check whether they are affected.

AUSTRALIA plans to tax non-established providers of hotel rooms +++ GREAT BRITAIN intends to simplify input VAT deduction of import VAT +++ GREECE is about to introduce real-time reporting obligations and plans to ban paper invoices +++ HUNGARY unofficially grants grace period for real-time reporting +++ INDIA intends to simplify VAT returns +++ ITALY postpones the obligation to issue electronic invoices +++ KUWAIT schedules the introduction of a VAT system for 2021 +++ MALAYSIA abolished GST +++ NEW ZEALAND plans to abolish the exemption limit for imports +++ RUSSIA reduces the exemption threshold for imports +++ SWITZERLAND publishes broadcasting fees +++ SPAIN expands real-time reporting obligations

In its decision of 25.04.2018, the Federal Fiscal Court’s 9th Senate voiced “serious doubts” as regards the constitutionality of the interest rate charged on tax arrears. The Federal Ministry of Finance’s now instructs tax offices to grant the suspension of the execution for all interest assessments which are based on sec 238 General Fiscal Code. However, this only applies for interest periods as of April 2015. Moreover, taxpayers must first appeal against the interest assessment and apply for the suspension.