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Gately has appointed Jim Hillan to its tax team in London to help advise on areas of corporate tax, real estate tax, share schemes, and VAT.

The life of this editorial began in Sicily, the largest of the Mediterranean islands. Between the coiled metal binding at the top of my notepad and the sun-tinged skyline, the spectacular backdrop to my monthly musing was Mt. Etna – in seemingly adolescent mood, grumbling and simmering.

Katerina Charalambous A protocol amending the Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital between South Africa and Cyprus was signed on April 1 2015. According to the protocol, article 10 (Dividends) of the double tax treaty will be replaced. As such, dividends paid by a company resident in one contracting state to a company resident in the other contracting state will be taxed in the latter. Nonetheless, withholding tax (WHT) will be incurred in the first mentioned state at a rate of 5% in cases where the beneficial owner of the dividend holds at least 10% of the capital in the dividend paying company. In a different case, a 10% WHT will be incurred on the gross amount of the dividends. It is also noted that the two contracting states will by mutual agreement decide on the application of these limitations.

Ashwani Mehta, former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax at the Indian Revenue Service, who retired in February after more than 35 years at the IRS department, assesses recent developments in Indian income taxation.

One of the concerns that has arisen for governments around the world is the erosion of the national tax base caused by a globalised economy, the progress of technology and the development of telecommunications. Ricardo Rendón and César de la Parra of Chevez, Ruiz, Zamarripa y Cía look at the Mexican perspective on base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS).

With China poised to complete its VAT roll-out in the second half of this year and India hoping to introduce GST in 2016, the next few years will see 2.5 billion people paying consumption tax more efficiently than ever before on the goods and services they are buying at an ever increasing rate. Meredith McBride tracks the shift from direct to indirect taxation in Asia.

Read this month's special feature on Mexico

Rajendra Nayak

Katerina Charalambous On March 9 2015 Nicos Anastasiades, President of the Republic of Cyprus, officially visited Bahrain, accompanied by Ioannis Kasoulides, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the government spokesman, Nicos Christodoulides. The delegation was welcomed by the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at the Palace in Manama. Four bilateral agreements were signed between Cyprus and Bahrain including the avoidance of double taxation treaty, which follows the OECD Model Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation on Income and on Capital.

The UK's diverted profits tax (DPT) was developed, and enacted, quickly in the weeks leading to the general election. The legislation was a two-pronged attack: on transactions having insufficient economic substance and the avoidance of permanent establishment (PE). The legislation went into effect April 1 2015 and there have been hints that other countries are looking at similar moves; but exactly what tax doctrines will other countries adopt to achieve similar objectives?