2026
Fees for seas: a history of taxing waterways
Iran’s proposal to impose transit fees on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz reflects a broader historical pattern of states attempting to monetize control over key maritime chokepoints. The article traces similar practices from Ottoman and European regimes, highlighting how tolling waterways has long been tied to assertions of sovereignty and economic leverage. The current situation raises significant questions under international maritime law, particularly regarding the legality of charging fees for passage through straits used for international navigation, and underscores the geopolitical and economic risks such measures pose to global energy markets and shipping.
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Trump Administration Returns to Court for Yet Another Tariff Lawsuit
This article examines ongoing legal challenges to the Trump administration’s tariffs on imports, highlighting disputes over executive authority and trade policy. The litigation reflects broader tensions in international economic law and raises questions about the use of tariffs as quasi-tax instruments in cross-border regulation.
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New Tax Disclosure Regimes Still Leave Gaps in Information (1)
New corporate tax disclosures will provide investors with some answers to the persistent puzzle of where companies book their profits and pay their taxes—but some pieces of the puzzle are still going to be missing.
Pillar 2 and Related Benefits — The Case of the Swiss Canton of Zug
This article analyzes the development of post-pillar 2 business incentives in the Swiss canton of Zug, focusing on efforts to comply with GLOBE rules that prohibit related benefits and may jeopardize eligibility for a domestic minimum top-up tax. Wenz and Kaiser observe that Zug transitioned from income-based incentives to expenditure-based subsidies, although certain elements may continue to generate uncertainty during peer review. This case demonstrates the influence of pillar 2 on subnational tax competition and incentive strategies, especially in low-tax jurisdictions seeking to maintain competitiveness without risking disqualification under the OECD framework.
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‘Definitely a Sham’: As Tariffs Climb, Trade Fraud and Accounting Tricks Proliferate
This article examines how rising tariffs on Chinese imports have led to widespread trade fraud and accounting manipulation, as firms attempt to circumvent higher duties. It highlights practices such as misclassification of goods and rerouting through third countries, raising significant enforcement challenges. These developments are directly relevant to international tax and trade compliance, as tariff avoidance strategies often intersect with transfer pricing and customs valuation issues. The piece underscores how increased trade barriers can distort reporting and complicate cross-border regulatory enforcement.
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OpenAI’s Altman releases blueprint for taxing, regulating artificial intelligence
OpenAI published a policy blueprint for artificial intelligence recommending a revised social contract to prepare for the technology’s likely impact on the economy, workforce and overall state of humans.
Can a Corporate Wealth Tax Happen?
Avi-Yonah argues that a corporate wealth tax is more feasible than an individual wealth tax, as it addresses the mobility and valuation challenges that hinder the direct taxation of wealthy individuals. Avi-Yonah further explains that this tax could be structured as a constitutionally valid excise on corporate operations, coordinated internationally through a pillar 2-style framework, and credited against the corporate income tax. This approach offers an alternative for taxing concentrated corporate wealth and prompts reconsideration of the relationship between wealth taxation and the existing corporate income tax.
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Tariffs Return as Clock Ticks Down on Trump’s 10%: Supply Lines
The Trump administration is preparing to outline a tiered system for its broad tariffs on steel and aluminum products in an attempt to simplify a process that has dogged American companies for months.
Interest Deduction Tweak Prompts Thoughts of Offshore Borrowing
American companies with a big global footprint are reconsidering their debt strategies in the US after a change in Republicans’ 2025 tax law that limits their ability to deduct interest expenses.
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