Taxation in a Global Digital Economy

S. VIIEditors’ Preface

The present volume of the ‘Series on International Tax Law’ comprises the Master’s theses of the full-time students attending the 2016–17 class of the postgraduate LL.M. program ‘International Tax Law’ at WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business). The general topic this year was ‘Taxation in a Global Digital Economy’. This topic is progressively gaining importance due to the digitalization of business processes and upheaval of new digital business models. These changes can only be placed next to Gutenberg’s introduction of the mechanical moveable type printing starting the printing revolution, which can be regarded as the most important invention of the second millennium. Within the 15^th century, this new way of spreading information – including revolutionary ideas – has certainly altered society and resulted in a rapid change of political and religious dogmas. Likewise, digitalization is set to transform the ways information is received and economic value is created. This process has already posed significant challenges and, due to its transformative nature will continue to challenge national and international tax systems engineered in the beginning of 1920s...