The e-commerce space in India has always been subjected to scrutiny and litigation from an indirect tax perspective. With a view to monitor transactions done through e-commerce operators, the GST regulations have vested e-commerce players with additional compliance burden.
Water-skiing in autumn
It is the end of September. Thy sky is grey and cloudy and the wind is blowing strongly. I have to be honest and say that this Sunday morning I don’t feel like going on the lake to experience the joy of water-skiing. I would have preferred it if, because of the high wind, it were cancelled. I didn’t dare to call it off myself, because I would have to pay for the hour and in addition would have looked like a failure and wimp.Read More »
Wasserski im Herbst
Es ist Ende September. Der Himmel ist grau und bewölkt und es windet kräftig. Ich muss ehrlich sein und sagen, an diesem Sonntagmorgen habe ich gar keine Lust in das Seewasser zu steigen, um den Rausch des Wasserskifahrens zu erleben. Am liebsten wäre mir, wenn es wegen zu viel Wind abgesagt werden würde. Selber absagen traue ich mich nicht, da ich die Stunde bezahlen müsste und noch dazu wie ein Versager und Weichei da gestanden hätte.Read More »
Genossenschaftswohnung in Zürich
Es war der Alptraum, als wir damals vor vielen Jahren als junge Familie mit sehr wenig Geld eine Wohnung gesucht haben. Das, was zu haben war, konnten wir uns nicht leisten und das, was wir uns leisten könnten, bekamen wir nicht. Unsere Ansprüche waren so bescheiden wie unsere finanziellen Möglichkeiten und trotz intensiver Suche schien es aussichtslos.
Als die Verzweiflung am Grössten war, tauchte ein Kollege auf, der nach seiner Scheidung aus einer alten, kleinen Genossenschaftswohnung wegziehen wollte. Wir hatten das wahnsinnige Glück, dass wir diese Wohnung übernehmen konnten. So habe ich Effretikon kennen und schätzen gelernt.Read More »
Cooperative apartment in Zürich
It was a nightmare when many years ago as a young family with little money we were looking for an apartment. What was available, we couldn’t afford and what we could afford, we didn’t get. Our requirements were as modest as our financial resources and, despite intensive searching, it seemed hopeless.
When our desperation was at its peak, a colleague appeared, who after his divorce wanted to move out of an old small cooperative apartment. We had the great good fortune that we could take over this apartment. That is how I came to know and like Effretikon.Read More »
UK: Making Tax Digital – your new obligation as from 1 of April 2019
HMRC recently published their final version of the legislation introducing the new MTD VAT reporting obligations, which are to take effect from 1 April 2019.
From this date, businesses with UK taxable turnover above the VAT registration threshold (currently ₤85,000 per annum) will need to keep and preserve digital records and submit UK VAT returns using compatible software.Read More »
New York, once again
There are many beautiful places on this earth. There are places, where fascinating things happen, places with a special vibe, but New York is a class of its own.
I travel to New York to visit my clients. And it’s always the same deal: I know in advance, that I will work like crazy. That I will not get enough sleep and that my tiredness will rob me of my ability to think properly. All that scares me. But then I get to experience things, which are simply impossible to live anywhere else in the world.Read More »
Wieder Mal New York
Es gibt wunderschöne Orte auf dieser Erde, es gibt pulsierende Orte, es gibt Orte, wo wahnsinnige Sachen passieren, aber es gibt nur ein New York.
Ich reise dorthin, um meine Kunden zu besuchen. Und es ist jedes Mal das Gleiche. Ich weiss im Voraus, dass ich arbeiten werde wie wahnsinnig. Ich weiss, dass ich zu wenig Schlaf bekommen werde und dass mir die Müdigkeit teilweise meine geistigen Fähigkeiten rauben wird. Ich fürchte es alles. Aber es kommen auch Sachen, die sonst nirgendwo auf dieser Erde zu erleben sind.Read More »
SINGAPORE: Customer accounting for prescribed goods
From 1 January 2019, customer accounting is applicable to a relevant supply of prescribed goods exceeding $10,000 made by a GST-registered supplier to a GST-registered customer.
The prescribed goods are mobile phones, memory cards and off-the-self software.Read More »
Ups, we did it again …
It is easier to moan about the world falling apart than to roll up one’s own sleeves and do something about it. I have the astounding good fortune to work with people, who, as I do, think that we should return something to this world. In our team we had a democratic vote: Do we want a fun afternoon at the fair or to do something similar or do we want to do something for others: the result was clear, the majority was of the opinion that we should help. It would be a lie to say that our team is about to be canonised and that all had voted for the charitable work, No, but the majority did and the minority also accepted the democratic decision and joined in.
And so two weeks ago we sat in a bus on the way to Ringgenberg. We drove into an idyllic village with an astonishingly large school kitchen. Our aim: to make as much jam as only humanly possible and to bake so many Guetzli that we could not keep up with the packaging. We were almost 50 people and with so many one can achieve a lot in an afternoon. This year we have worked for REACH Schweiz. REACH means Render Effective Aid to Children and stands for a relief organisation in Switzerland, which with a group of committed people helps children and youths in need. With the operation of a hostel 60 children of mountain farmers in Thailand are given the opportunity to attend the attached school. REACH also supports in three refugee camps schools, in order to offer about 1,000 Burmese children and youths a perspective. In Mae Sot an apprentice and student hostel was completed in 2017 and in Tanzania REACH operates an agricultural school, where 55 male and female students can complete a training in agriculture, in timber processing and in sewing.
Our team was split up into bakers, jam and syrup makers. There was a preparation room, which washed and cut up everything and the packers. I landed with the packers, because it was not so popular as making and baking, but someone had to do it. The kitchen smelled wonderful and the longer we worked, the better it smelled: of ripe fruit, of fresh sweet pastry, of jam. There was a lot of laughter and work. Everybody really rolled up their sleeves and as soon as someone had no more work, he looked for something else to do. We succeeded in baking and packaging 20kg Guetzli. In addition out of 5kg strawberries, 2kg plums, 2kg elderberries, 7.5kg wild berries, 2.5kg raspberries, 10kg peaches, 6.5kg nectarines and 9 melons we made about 80kg jam and reduced 5kg raspberries and 2.5kg elderberries to syrup.
In our rather small group of packers, at first I folded the bags but I soon moved up to the group of labellers. You have to know which jam is in the jar and what such a jar costs. When folding the bags, I could join in the conversation and laughter, but when labelling I fell silent. It sounds easy to write a 100 times “mixed berries jam”, but you have to concentrate in order to string together the correct letters in the correct number. Suddenly, the packers could not keep up. The whole team had produced so many goods. The free hands from the kitchen moved to the packaging table and so we not only succeeded in making and baking huge quantities, but in packaging, labelling and making everything ready for transport.
The best of the whole initiative was that it made so much fun. It is a pleasure to do something for someone else and at the same to feel so great. I hope that the all the jars of jam and all the bags with the pastry are sold and the money benefits the children in Thailand, who really need it. These children have only a few opportunities for the future, we have the whole world at our feet. And if you too want to make a contribution, send a little money to REACH, in order to build a new school or sponsor a child, to create greater perspectives for these under-privileged children.
Michaela Merz 