Abstract
With expectations appropriately lowered as to what to expect from an article devoted to VAT issues, I hope that what follows will, at a minimum, persuade readers that there is more to VAT than cash-flow and, with any luck, pique some interest in the challenges that VATs confront-and that the Guidelines have sought to address-with respect to international trade in services and intangibles. Part II of this Article provides the background to the Guidelines, describing the basic features of a VAT, the problems with which the Guidelines are concerned, and a brief history of the OECD's efforts to address these problems. Part III discusses the Guidelines' neutrality principles. Part IV discusses the general rules applicable to business-to-business (B2B) transactions. Part V discusses the general rules applicable to business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions. Part VI discusses specific rules for particular types of supplies. Part VII discusses the Guidelines' recommendations designed to support a consistent interpretation of the Guidelines, including the use of mechanisms for mutual cooperation and exchange of information and other arrangements allowing tax administrations to work together. Part VIII concludes.
Recommended Citation
Walter Hellerstein,
A Hitchhicker's Guide to the OECD's International VAT/GST Guidelines,
18 Fla. Tax Rev.
(2016).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/ftr/vol18/iss1/10