#international-tax
International Tax
Cross-border tax compliance, foreign income reporting, and US international tax obligations for individuals and corporations
EU CBAM 2026: The Carbon Border Tax Guide for Small Steel, Aluminum, and Fertilizer Exporters
The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism entered its definitive phase on January 1, 2026, requiring EU importers of steel, aluminum, cement, fertilizer, hydrogen, and electricity to buy CBAM certificates priced to the roughly €60-€95 per tonne EU ETS carbon rate, with costs and paperwork increasingly passed back to small US exporters who can't supply verified emissions data.
Osek Patur vs. Osek Murshe: Israel's ₪120,000 Freelancer VAT Threshold Explained
Israeli freelancers must convert from osek patur (VAT-exempt) to osek murshe (VAT-charging) status once annual invoiced revenue crosses ₪120,000, with the conversion retroactive to the crossing date and closed-list professions like architects and lawyers required to register as osek murshe from their first shekel.
Sri Lanka's 18% Digital Services VAT: What Foreign SaaS and App Sellers Must Register For
Sri Lanka now charges 18% VAT on digital services sold by non-resident providers once revenue exceeds LKR 36 million a year or LKR 9 million in a quarter, effective July 1, 2026, with quarterly filing and registration due within three months of crossing the threshold.
Ryczałt vs. Skala Podatkowa: How Poland's Sole Proprietors Should Pick the Right Tax Regime in 2026
Poland's sole proprietors must pick between ryczałt (2–17% on revenue), skala podatkowa (12%/32% on income), and podatek liniowy (flat 19%) by February 20, 2026. This guide compares the 2026 rules — including the health contribution jump to a 100% minimum-wage assessment base — and shows which regime fits low-expense freelancers versus high-cost contractors.
Serbia's Paušal Flat-Rate Tax in 2026: The 6 Million RSD Ceiling, the 10% Cap, and What Freelancers Should Track
Serbia's paušal flat-rate regime charges roughly 170,000 freelancers a fixed monthly tax — RSD 30,000–60,000 for most Belgrade IT contractors in 2026 — but crossing the 6,000,000 RSD annual turnover ceiling triggers full-profit taxation with no grace period. Here's how the 2026 decisions, the 10% year-over-year cap extended through 2027, and a simple multi-currency ledger fit together.
HMRC's April 2026 Umbrella Company Rules: Agencies and End Clients Now Liable for Unpaid PAYE
From April 6, 2026, HMRC can recover a UK umbrella company's unpaid PAYE and NICs directly from the recruitment agency — or the end client if no UK agency exists — with no reasonable-care defense. Here's who is in scope and the due diligence steps to take before the deadline.
Estonia e-Residency in 2026: The New 2% Board Fee Tax, VAT Substance Rules, and What Still Works
Estonia added a 2% surcharge on board member fees (24% total) from January 2026 and now denies VAT numbers to e-Resident companies without real economic ties — while 0% corporate tax on retained profits remains. Here's what changes for Estonian OÜ owners.
New Zealand Provisional Tax Explained: Standard, Estimation, and AIM Methods for Small Business
New Zealand provisional taxpayers with residual income tax over $5,000 choose between the standard uplift method (105% of last year's RIT), the estimation method, and AIM, with IRD charging use-of-money interest near 11% annually on shortfalls outside the safe harbour rules.
UK VAT Capital Goods Scheme Simplified: Computers Dropped, Property Threshold Rises to £600,000
From July 29, 2026, HMRC removes computers from the VAT Capital Goods Scheme entirely and raises the land and property threshold from £250,000 to £600,000 — the first increase since 1990. Expenditure incurred before that date stays under the old rules for its full adjustment period, so mid-project businesses must check when their first qualifying spend landed.
Japan's Qualified Invoice System: What the October 2026 Deductibility Cut Means for Freelancers and Their Clients
On October 1, 2026, Japan's transitional 80% input-credit for consumption tax paid to unregistered suppliers shrinks — to 70% under the FY2026 tax reform taper, then 50% in 2028, 30% in 2030, and 0% by October 2031 — while the 2-wari tokurei simplified rate for newly registered small businesses expires. Here's what Japanese freelancers, small suppliers, and the buyers who rely on them should do before the deadline.
Singapore's GST InvoiceNow Mandate: What Voluntary Registrants Must Do Starting April 2026
From April 1, 2026, IRAS can reject voluntary GST registration applications in Singapore that don't include InvoiceNow adoption. Here's the phased rollout timeline through 2031, the four-step Peppol setup process, available grants of up to S$1,000 per SME, and how transaction-level reporting changes the case for clean books.
Egypt's Small Business Tax Rate Just Dropped to 0.4%. Here's How the New Law Actually Works.
Egypt's Law No. 6 of 2025 lets SMEs with annual turnover up to EGP 20 million pay 0.4%–1.5% tax on revenue instead of 22.5% on profit, with stamp duty and dividend withholding exemptions but a five-year lock-in — while Resolution 281 of 2025 halves the mandatory e-invoicing threshold to EGP 250,000.