Happy 72nd Birthday to VAT - vatcalc.com Value Added Tax turns 72 today, 10th April 2026.  It was first introduced in April 1954 in the French colony of Ivory Coast. VAT was then implemented in

Happy b’day global VAT. Will you look this good at 72? www.vatcalc.com/global/10th-...

But it doesn’t mention obvious similarity: Bush Snr leaving Kurds & Shias to their fate; and Trump leaving Iranians with a more tyrannical version of regime

Spain cuts fuel VAT to 10% as energy shock response - vatcalc.com Spain is preparing an emergency indirect tax package to soften the inflationary impact of escalating Middle East tensions, with a headline measure to reduce

⛽ Iran conflict inflationary pressures starts off tax cuts www.vatcalc.com/spain/spain-....

Same for 2030 EU e-invoicing and digital tax reporting rules for German businesses. Unstoppable now

Germany being dragged into 21st century by EU. Great article idea @codendahl.bsky.social 😉

A degree of the problem is the Lander state organisation of govt. Means modernisation / automation goes at pace of slowest of the 16 states. In my world, tax, digitalisation being implemented across EU is heavily diluted in the German versions; benefits lost but capital costs retained

Is there no unjust enrichment claim waiting there for the US companies to bring?

Yes, but…. I remember well search engines going through this overload phase in about 1999. Internet became nearly unusable and lot of people wrote it off. Google algo’s figured out how to sift content. That’s probably next stage for AI. We’re already developing skills, with tools, for this

UK Reform 'Save our Pub' 10% VAT rate - popular politics, poor policy - vatcalc.com Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party - which is leading in UK opinion polls - announcement of a five-point rescue package for Britain’s pub and hospitality sector

Drunk on bad tax policies www.vatcalc.com/united-kingd....

Try Stephen Spender and The Temple. Similar English man in 1930s situation to Isherwood but very different view

You prompted me to read The Lottery. And I’ve spent 48 hours since repeating to myself without much real conviction “yes, but I’d have stopped it..”. That’s what’s sad today: most of us suspect in our hearts we’d not step in

Switzerland mulls 0.8% VAT rise 2028 for military expansion - vatcalc.com World's only single tax engine & reporting application, uniquely codifying Swiss and global VAT rates for live invoice determination and returns

🪖Swiss mull 2028 0.8% VAT rise for "deterioration of the security situation". On top of approved 2028 0.7% rise for pensions www.vatcalc.com/switzerland/...

EU is introducing its version in Nov. Otherwise other states would have followed Italy now to prevent this rerouting

Can the US impose tariffs on some members of the EU and not others? Yes (and there is precedent).

Would those tariffs be difficult to enforce? Also yes.

2026 global VAT rate changes - vatcalc.com Below listed are the primary updates to standard and reduced Value Added Tax, Goods and Services Tax and Sales Tax around the world - including new indirect

Check out 2026 Global Vat rate changes www.vatcalc.com/global/2026-...

“You're a big man, but you're in bad shape”

The band The Beatles could have been

Anyone else have scrap Bingo Duty 2026 on their Budget Bingo card?

UK Budget: VAT on private ride-sharing operators 1st Jan 2026 - vatcalc.com The 26 November UK 2026 Budget, from Chancellor Rachel Reeves, is excluding private hire vehicle operators / platforms from TOMS -  imposing VAT collections

Labour Budget closes VAT private car hire operator loophole - Bolt & Uber - 1st Jan 2026 www.vatcalc.com/uk/uk-budget...

Regressive policy that pays more to well off

Instead:
Direct energy rebates
Energy debt forgiveness
Expand warm home discount
Targeted winter fuel payments
Tiering energy for basic user

OpenAI warns off use of AI as tax advisor - vatcalc.com In a quiet but significant policy shift, OpenAI has reclassified ChatGPT as an educational tool rather than a consultant, effectively barring the system from

Liability fears push OpenAI to warn on AI tax advice reliance www.vatcalc.com/global/opena...

AI VAT hallucinations cost a business a €4m contract - vatcalc.com Artificial intelligence is being hailed as a revolution in how businesses process information, prepare documents, and handle compliance.

The AI that lied: fake Polish VAT rulings loses company €4m contract www.vatcalc.com/global/ai-va...

Embracing the Artifice Some Thoughts on A.I.

So the 1990s gave us the ‘knowledge economy’—and now AI is basically the liquidation sale. Everything must go, including your thoughts
substack.com/@jasquith/no...

UK Labour to widen VAT base at 2025 Budget? - vatcalc.com On 29 September, UK Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, repeated that the standard VAT rate will not rise in line with the election manifesto promise.  But the

How to raise VAT when you, errrr, promised not to www.vatcalc.com/uk/uk-labour...

Among lots of faults, what’s with all the Fenians being portrayed as leprechauns and Guinness family as Apollo like sculptures??

Russia 2026 2% VAT rise to 22% - vatcalc.com Russia’s Ministry of Finance has put forward a 2% VAT rise to 22% from 1 January 2026. The VAT registration threshold will also be cut from Rub 60 million to

Russia's defence spending forces VAT hike in 2026 to 22% www.vatcalc.com/russia/russi...

I almost made it. But the Economist digital version’s ad’s were too interesting to not click on. As soon as I’ve finished booking my Turkish holiday, I’ll click back to it 😉

No problem. I’ve update the blog.

Ridiculous policy (if true). They should stop tinkering, withdraw all reduced rates and lower 20%. Then some careful targeted welfare.

In Colombia, fiscal cash registers in shops and online give you a personal vat rate based on your income

Actually, number probably needs updating to about £2.1bn as the Beeb story is 2022

Could VAT on gas and electricity be cut to zero? Should the VAT on domestic energy be cut to help with rising prices?

It's from a BBC story: www.bbc.co.uk/news/59897048

UK mulls cutting VAT on domestic fuel: relief or blunt instrument? - vatcalc.com The UK government is considering scrapping VAT on domestic fuel bills in the 26th November Budget. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has asked officials to examine the

Yawn. Speculation on latest desperate & ineffective VAT measure www.vatcalc.com/united-kingd...