VAT/GST in a global digital economy

"Indirect taxation is increasing in prominence worldwide. In times of international company tax competition, such forms of indirect taxation as value added tax (VAT) and goods and services taxes (GST) are particularly advantageous as sources of tax revenue on account of their broad base and non-distortion of competition in the chain of companies. In addition, the far-reaching changes in tax regimes wrought by these shifts are happening in direct parallel with the equally transformative digitalization of the economy, creating unprecedented difficulties for tax authorities worldwide and also for lawyers who must combine knowledge of the intricacies of indirect taxation with ever-changing digital ways of conducting business. In frame of a research project conducted and built on the presentations by renowned experts at a conference organized by the Institute for Austrian and International Tax Law in cooperation with PWC and Lawsquare in 2014, this book sheds clear light on the problems and opportunities of VAT/GST regimes in relation to the digital economy. Among the topics and issues covered are the following: VAT collection and compliance in the digital economy; VAT issues for interm