Vat in the Digital Era: Unilateral and Multilateral Options for Reform

With the growth of the digitalized economy, VAT on cross-border digital supplies has emerged as an important issue. Yet, views and practices regarding the application of the VAT on these supplies differ significantly across different jurisdictions. A lack of international VAT harmonization can cause double taxation or unintended double non-taxation, resulting in distortions and revenue losses.

VAT in the Digital Era considers unilateral and multilateral options for the creation of an internationally coordinated VAT framework. Providing analysis of the status quo in key jurisdictions, the book explores the implications of the digitalized economy for the VAT systems across borders. It outlines possible approaches that can be taken to achieve a more consistent international VAT treatment of cross-border supplies, and the extent to which a multilateral solution would be preferable and achievable at the international level.

Bringing together contributions from leading international voices in the VAT law and policy and international taxation fields, VAT in the Digital Era addresses current issues and proposes ways to coordinate VAT rules on cross-border digital supplies. This new book is essential reading for academics, researchers, governments, and other financial organisations involved with the world’s most important indirect tax.

Yan Xu

Yan Xu is Scientia Associate Professor of Tax Law at UNSW, Australia and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law. Yan has been a Fulbright Senior Scholar at Columbia Law School and has held international academic fellowships at, among others, the University of Cambridge, New York University, and the University of Melbourne. She has published extensively in the field of tax law, and made presentations on invitation from prominent bodies, including the Australian Commonwealth Treasury, United Nations ESCAP, and the International Fiscal Association. She is an awardee of several competitive government research grants.