This thesis focuses upon VAT in the context of the Community's internal market. Its central aim is to prove that the current EU VAT system is incompatible with the concept of internal market as set out in the EC Treaty and interpreted by the Court of Justice. The study commences with an analysis of the concept of internal market, the main objective of which is to establish the basic legal framework for the proposed thesis. As part of this examination, it is demonstrated that the EC Treaty creates a temporally unlimited obligation for the Community to approve legislation with the aim of establishing and improving the functioning of the internal market. By analysis of existing EU VAT jurisprudence, it is argued that obstacles cannot be overcome through incremental developments emerging from the Court of Justice, but can only be resolved by fundamental and substantive legislative amendment.

This edited volume takes a closer look at various European pension-plan models and the recent challenges, trends and predictions related to the design of such schemes. The contributors analyse new ideas, both from national governments and European institutions, and consider current debates on topics such as the Capital Markets Union (CMU) and the so-called ‘European Pillar of Social Rights’ – calling for a new approach to social policy at the European level in response to common challenges, such as ageing and the digital revolution.This interdisciplinary work embraces economic, financial and legal perspectives, while focusing on previously selected coherence aspects in order to ensure that the analyses are comprehensive and globally consistent.

Tax competition in the form of harmful tax practices can distort trade and investment patterns, erode national tax bases and shift part of the tax burden onto less mobile tax bases. The Report emphasises that governments must intensify their cooperative actions to curb harmful tax practices.

This paper set forth internationally agreed principles and standards for the value added tax (VAT) treatment of the most common types of international transactions, with a particular focus on trade in services and intangibles. Its aim is to minimise inconsistencies in the application of VAT in a cross-border context with a view to reducing uncertainty and risks of double taxation and unintended non-taxation in international trade. It also includes the recommended principles and mechanisms to address the challenges for the collection of VAT on crossborder sales of digital products that had been identified in the context of the OECD/G20 Project on Base and Erosion and Profit Shifting (the BEPS Project).

An in-depth analysis of the specific aspects of justice, equality and tax law "Justice, Equality and Tax Law" is a topic that is both old and new at the same time. Even if the society changes, the demands that tax needs to be just and equal seem to be immutable. What changes, of course, is the perception of the content of those demands. International taxation post-BEPS has been fraught with new challenges that warranted urgent responses. These challenges were mainly provoked by the unprecedented rise of the digital economy which truly marked a change in the way business is conducted, how value is created, and how goods and services are produced and consumed. Digitalization, in turn, had repercussions on all aspects of taxation - direct taxation, indirect taxation, and even tax procedures. For instance, the quest for more justice and equality in profit taxes was the reason why, in October 2021, a historical deal based on a two-pillar solution to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalization of the economy was negotiated within the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting and agreed upon by 137 member countries. It was also the motive behind the shift from a typical vendor collection model to an intermediary collection model supported by centralized registration points in indirect taxes, notably the VAT/GST. Abundant data from the European Union or the OECD signalized an ever-increasing gap between expected VAT revenues and VAT actually collected, making it obvious that the classical system of VAT/GST collection was unable to respond to challenges posed by the digital economy. Therefore, new solutions based on the participation of digital platforms as intermediaries had been introduced. Finally, new technologies, such as blockchain, paved new avenues in enhancing tax compliance. In this context, this volume entitled "Justice, Equality, and Tax Law" contains not only a selection of the best master ́s theses of the full-time LL.M. programme in 2021/2022 but also represents an in-depth analysis of various aspects of this evergreen topic.

When it comes to determining the jurisdictional reach of VAT, two principles are used by the OECD, EU policy makers and scholars, namely, the origin principle and the destination principle. These principles can mean different things. One problem is that different constructions thereof can result in confusion in the communication between legal actors and, more importantly - in different legal outcomes. Another legal issue is whether the origin and destination principles have a coercive effect. In particular, the OECD considers the destination principle to be an "international norm" that is "sanctioned" by WTO rules. However, is it really so? Does the WTO compel its members to apply the destination principle or is it a matter of choice in furtherance of the intention to achieve neutrality in international trade? The aim of this book is to bring clarity to the understanding of the origin and destination principles and to prompt policy makers to be more accurate in their use of terminology when drafting legislation. In pursuit of this objective, these principles are studied in three international legal frameworks, namely the WTO legal order, the OECD framework and the EU legal order. The study also addresses the question of the principles legal status in each of the selected legal frameworks. Furthermore, an evaluation is undertaken of the origin and destination principles from the perspective of the legal character of VAT as a tax on consumption. It is claimed in this book that a consumption-type VAT may also be based on the origin principle subject to certain conditions. Also addressed is the issue of the allocation of VAT in the European Union. The results of the analysis demonstrate that the different derogations available to the Member States with regard to the current EU VAT system make it an extremely complex and fragmented system. Furthermore, the proposed definitive VAT system also remains hybrid, i.e. it is based on both the origin and destination principles. The end of the book presents conclusions regarding which of the two principles is preferable for the allocation of VAT in the internal market of the European Union. This book should be of use for policy makers and other legal actors seeking to develop a deeper understanding of the origin and destination principles and their application in the internal market of the European Union.