Complementary Law No. 227/2026, published on 13 January 2026, formally establishes the Management Committee of the Goods and Services Tax (CGIBS) and sets out governance, litigation, and revenue distribution rules for Brazil’s new IBS tax. The law does not impose immediate obligations on taxpayers but signals a shift to a centralized, standardized administration that will affect audits, enforcement, and data cross‑checking in the future.

On December 23, 2025, Hungary enacted Decree No. 45/2025, setting new transfer‑pricing documentation thresholds. The decree requires local files for related‑party transactions above 150 million HUF and master files for those above 500 million HUF, while offering simplified documentation for low‑value services.

The Austrian government will cut the VAT rate on a basket of essential food items from 10% to 5% starting 1 July 2026, a move aimed at easing inflationary pressures. The measure was confirmed on 14 January 2026 and will be counter‑financed by fees on imported parcels from third‑country suppliers such as China.

Spain has postponed the implementation of the Verifactu Ordinance to 2027, extending the original July 2025 deadline. An extraordinary opt‑out window for voluntary SII participants runs from 26 December 2025 to 31 January 2026, allowing withdrawal via Form 036/037 effective 1 January 2026. The decree also clarifies that mandatory SII participants cannot opt out and that non‑compliant invoicing software cannot be sold after 29 July 2025.

Denmark’s Digital Bookkeeping Act entered its final rollout phase on 1 January 2026, extending mandatory certified digital bookkeeping to about 118,000 small and foreign entities with turnover above DKK 300,000. The country also cancelled the OIOUBL 3.0 e‑invoice format on 14 January 2026, with new specifications to be clarified on 24 February 2026.

The Austrian government announced that it will halve the VAT rate on essential food items as part of its fiscal policy. The change is expected to provide relief to consumers on basic groceries. No further details on the effective date or specific rates were disclosed in the article.

Poland’s draft law seeks to align the third‑party liability provisions for capital company tax arrears (art. 116 of the Tax Ordinance) with EU Court of Justice rulings C‑277/24 (Adjak) and C‑278/24 (Genzyński). It proposes new rights for third parties to challenge tax determinations and access case files, and to clarify board member responsibilities. The draft is slated for presentation to the Sejm in the first or second quarter of 2026.

The EU Official Gazette published a preliminary ruling from the ECJ on Jan. 12, 2026, concerning Croatian VAT rules for intra‑community supplies of goods. The case involved a Croatian trading company supplying oak logs to Slovenia and claiming a VAT exemption, which was challenged for lack of documentation under Article 45a of Regulation 282/2011. The ECJ held that Directive 2006/112/EC and Regulation 282/2011 must be interpreted accordingly.

Effective 1 January 2026, Romania expands the RO e‑Factura reporting scope to include supplies to non‑resident VAT‑registered customers, shifts the invoice transmission deadline from five calendar days to five working days, and removes several compliance notification requirements. Suppliers using a personal numeric code (CNP) that started before 15 January 2026 must register in the mandatory RO e‑Factura Register, while VAT‑on‑receipt scheme businesses remain exempt from notification obligations until 30 September 2026.

The Brazilian Federal Government will reduce tax incentives for several federal taxes starting in 2026. Corporate Income Tax and Import Tax incentives will be cut from 1 January 2026, while other taxes such as PIS/Pasep, Cofins, CSLL, IPI, and employer social security contributions will see reductions from 1 April 2026. The changes affect a broad range of tax regimes and are subject to complementary legislation.

The Bahamas Prime Minister announced that VAT on unprepared food will be removed, effective 1 April 2026, bringing the rate to 0%. The announcement also includes a reduction of the overall VAT rate from 12% to 10%, aiming to ease the cost of living for Bahamian households.

Germany has permanently lowered the VAT rate on food served in restaurants, cafes and fast‑food outlets from 19% to 7% effective 1 January 2026, while drinks remain taxed at 19%. Receipts will now show separate VAT lines for food and beverages.

Egypt's tax authority announced a new facilitation package that reduces the VAT rate on medical devices to 5%, fully exempts inputs for kidney dialysis equipment, extends VAT payment suspension up to four years for industrial machinery, and exempts transit services under customs supervision. It also standardizes the 14% VAT rate on soap and industrial detergents for household use, allowing input deductions. These measures aim to support healthcare, manufacturing, and transit trade.

Austria is modernising its fiscal cash register regime from 2026, raising the small‑seller exemption threshold to €45,000, making the 15‑product‑group recording rule permanent, and allowing optional digital receipts from 1 October 2026. Paper receipts remain available on request, while core security features such as secure recording, digital signatures and QR‑coded receipts stay unchanged.

Finland’s Parliament approved a bill on 28 November 2025 that introduces a 13.5% VAT rate on specified services, goods, and imports of collectibles and antiques. The new rate and related provisions take effect on 20 December 2025, covering all tax obligations from that date, including intra‑community acquisitions. The legislation will enter into force on the same day.

The Dutch Ministry of Finance has suspended its plan to impose a €2 customs handling fee on non‑EU parcel imports under €150, pending further EU action. An interim €3 customs levy will take effect from 1 July 2026, and the EU will remove the €150 de‑minimis exemption in 2028. The Dutch motion has passed the House but awaits Senate approval, with a final decision expected soon.

The EU has agreed an interim €3 customs levy for parcels that will take effect on 1 July 2026. Romania and Italy have already implemented national levies of 25 RON (~€5) and €2 respectively for low‑value parcels, while the Netherlands and France remain in proposal stages. The move aims to curb VAT and customs fraud on low‑value e‑commerce shipments.

The Bahamian government has announced that from 1 April 2026, VAT on unprepared food will be reduced from 5% to 0%, covering items such as fresh produce, baby food, snacks and frozen foods. Additionally, owner‑occupied duplexes and triplexes will qualify for a residential property tax exemption, expanding earlier property‑tax relief measures.

Serbia’s new e‑invoicing law, adopted in Official Gazette No. 109/2025, introduces mandatory e‑invoicing for retail sales to corporate cardholders and public sector entities, postpones pre‑filled VAT returns to 2027, and requires internal invoices to be generated in the SEF system. The Ministry of Finance also released SEF version 3.14.0 with new validation and reporting features.

Malaysia has postponed the rollout of its MyInvois e‑invoicing system for businesses with annual turnover between RM1 million and RM5 million, moving the implementation date to 2027. The change reflects a shift in the national e‑invoicing roadmap and raises the threshold for mandatory e‑invoicing. Businesses in this turnover bracket must prepare to comply by 2027.