Blockchain Technology: Driving Towards the Next Industrial Revolution?

New technologies have provoked a new revolution in human history: the so-called “digital revolution” or “next production revolution”. It marks the passage from the mechanical or analogue electronic technology to digital electronic technology, with primary impact on the area of communication but also, subsequently, in production.
It is revolution, because it has the capacity to overhaul established social structures.
In fact, it is already doing so: starting with business and trade, new technologies are now shaping labour, governance, culture.
The dominant trend is towards a global village: everyone and everything is a few steps – or rather a few clicks – away; cultures intermingle in an explosive mix, while national borders keep losing ground and relevance – mere remnants of a fading past.
This is where we are heading and each new development, e.g. every new platform, novel application, promising social network or innovative robot is one more (cyber-) brick for the construction of the global village.

Published in: Legal Perspective on Blockchain - Theory, Outcomes, and Outlooks

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Do the EU’s Open Internet Regulation And Proposed Digital Services Tax Threaten the Digital Single Market?

The EU’s digital single market serves as the framework for its efforts to exploit digital opportunities and achieve sustainable growth and development in the modern era. Some of the EU’s undertakings have sparked heated debates regarding their suitability for effectively pursuing their stated objectives.

This article examines two of these initiatives — the Telecommunications Single Market Regulation, adopted in 2015, and the recently proposed digital services tax (DST) — and the risks they may pose to the digital single market.

Published in: TAX NOTES INTERNATIONAL - October 15, 2018

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Italy Turns Up the Heat on EU with Digital Sales Tax

Published in: TP Week

Italy is hoping its proposed digital sales tax will send a message to the EU and accelerate the process of finding consensus on digital economy taxation. However, the proposal interferes with the EU’s plans and could create double taxation scenarios.

Italy hopes to curb tax avoidance by digital companies with a proposal for a new digital sales tax that, if approved, would apply from January 1 2019. The proposal would impose a 6% tax on digital transactions made through electronic means to Italian tax residents with business income, and to Italian permanent establishments (PE) of non-tax residents. This will work out as the buyer paying the service provider 94% of the amount, while withholding 6% for the Italian Treasury.

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