Less is more

September 13, 2019September 13, 2019 Michaela MerzLeave a comment

I moved last year. I had to leave many items behind because there was no space for them anymore. It hurt. The emotional tie was strong. It may be true, that I haven’t held the majority of those books for over twenty years (apart from when dusting them off) but for nearly all of them I knew where I had purchased them or who had given them to me and which experiences I had had when I read them. With each book, with each object I suddenly saw images that otherwise would have gotten lost in the labyrinth of my memory. I knew that if you throw away objects that you don’t really need, a part of your story is lost. That is just like when you accidentally delete photos, such as was the case recently at Swisscom. To remember the experiences without the support of those images, is nearly impossible.

Weniger ist mehr

September 13, 2019September 13, 2019 Michaela MerzLeave a comment

Ich bin letztes Jahr umgezogen. Ich musste mich von vielen Dingen trennen, weil sie kein Platz mehr hatten. Das tat weh. Die emotionale Bindung war stark. Es mag stimmen, dass ich Mehrheit meine Bücher mehr als 20 Jahre kein einziges Mal in Hand hatte (ausser zum Abstauben), aber bei fast allen, wusste ich wo ich sie gekauft hatte oder wer sie mir geschenkt hat und welche Erlebnisse ich hatte, als ich sie las. Mit jedem Buch, mit jedem Gegenstand sind plötzlich Bilder gekommen, die sonst im Labyrinth der Erinnerungen verloren gegangen wären. Mir war klar, dass wenn man die Gegenstände wegwirft, weil man sie eigentlich nicht braucht, geht ein Teil der eigenen Geschichte verloren. Das ist wie wenn die Fotos per Irrtum gelöscht werden, wie kürzlich bei Swisscom. Sich dann an die Erlebnisse ohne die Stütze der Bilder zu erinnern, ist fast Ding der Unmöglichkeit.

Mexico – New proposed VAT laws for 2020

September 11, 2019September 11, 2019 Michaela Merz1 Comment

The Executive Branch of Mexico’s federal government filed last September 8th, the 2020 Budget to the Congress. Among the relevant changes included in the Budget 2020 are those related to the Value Added Tax Law (VATL).

As of April 2020 (if approved) nonresident entities that provide digital services would be subject to 16% VAT rate if the recipient is located within Mexico, and the service is provided through applications or digital content, over the internet, and the process is primarily automatized. Such VAT will be determined upon the payment of the service rendered.Read More »

UK – EU VAT refunds amended legislation in connection with Brexit

September 10, 2019September 11, 2019 Michaela Merz3 Comments

HMRC confirmed that the transitional legislation for EU VAT refunds under Part 20 of the VAT Regulations 1995 has been amended to reflect the change in Exit Day from 29 March 2019. The revised legislation was laid on 5 September 2019. You can access a copy of it from this link >

Image source: unsplash.com

Czech Republik – Introduction of general reverse charge as from 2020 probable

September 9, 2019September 18, 2019 Michaela Merz1 Comment

The Czech Republic has applied for the introduction of a generalised reverse charge system, which will apply to all supplies of goods and services in the Czech Republic worth over 17,500 euros (approx. 450,000 CZK). In such cases, the obligation to declare VAT will automatically be shifted from the supplier to the customer. The possibility of introducing this measure in local legislation is subject to compliance with the entry criteria stated in the Council Directive and to the final approval of the EU Council. If the Czech application is approved, the MoF estimates that changes to the Czech VAT Act will be effective starting from 1 July 2020 and lasting until June 2022.Read More »

Mexico – VAT obligation for none-resident companies providing electronic services

September 9, 2019September 9, 2019 Michaela Merz1 Comment

Amendment to the current VAT Law and the federal fiscal code was submitted to the Chamber of Deputies on 5 of September. The aim is to amend the VAT Law in order to tax services provided through digital platforms by none resident companies. In order words it means that foreign companies without any permanent establishment in Mexico providing services through platforms to customers domiciled in Mexico will be subject to VAT. The bill mentions two options

PwC’s Pharma & Life Sciences Regulatory Radar

September 6, 2019September 6, 2019 Michaela MerzLeave a comment

Increasing regulatory challenges

The pharmaceutical & life sciences industry, a long-standing, innovative and successful industry, needs to function in an increasingly challenging market environment. Regulation is one of the main reasons for this. In an increasingly interconnected world where more and more sophisticated pharmaceutical (e.g. genetically engineered, and biologicals, orphan drugs), Medtech as well as nutrition products are being developed, public scrutiny and ultimately legal frameworks are tightening. Governments and regulators are adopting more regulations in order to meet the requirements of technological advancement and changing social conditions (e.g EU GMP/GDP Annex 21, Annex 6 and 16 for clinical trials and the new Swiss “Arzneimittelverordnung”). Given the vast quantity of regulations, there is an inherent risk of missing out on critical topics or taking the required action too late. Therefore, the pharmaceutical & life sciences sector will have to be vigilant and adapt to the constantly changing regulatory landscape.Read More »

Each year

September 6, 2019September 6, 2019 Michaela MerzLeave a comment

I wrote until my fingers were sore – nectarine jam, peach jam, forest berry jam, melon-lemon-banana jam, strawberry jam. Yes, us tax people did another round of jam making and cookie backing. ‘God this smells good!’ I thought to myself for the entire afternoon, especially, because I hadn’t managed to eat breakfast or lunch. But I was able to resist the temptation and didn’t even nick the smallest morsel.

Jedes Jahr wieder

September 5, 2019September 6, 2019 Michaela MerzLeave a comment

Ich habe mir die Finger wundgeschrieben – Nektarinen Confi, Plattpfirsich Confi, Waldbeeren Confi, Melonen- Zitronen-Banane Confi, Erdbeeren Confi. Ja, wir Steuerleute haben wieder Konfitüre gekocht und Kekse gebacken. «Gott riecht es toll! » dachte ich mir den ganzen Nachmittag, vor allem, weil ich es nicht geschafft habe weder Frühstück noch etwas zu Mittag zu essen. Aber ich widerstand der Versuchung und stibitzte nicht mal ein kleines Stücklein.