Delighted to share that from Oct 1st I'll be Visiting Professor of Law at Oxford University! I first joined Oxford in 2007. I'm immensely honoured that the @oxfordlawfac.bsky.social has now formally granted me the Visiting Prof title. As @judithfreedman.bsky.social says no-one ever leaves Oxford.

VAT is the most efficient, neutral, pro-growth, tax. Yes, it can also be regressive, but in many countries - and all developed ones - there are known ways of overcoming this. So why do so many countries apply exemptions? Not for equity reasons; but for political economy ones.

Many congratulations, Rita, on the publication of this significant and timely research 👏 #LawSky #AcademicSky #Tax #Inequalities @cblpleeds.bsky.social @lsjleeds.bsky.social www.ibfd.org/shop/book/ta...

Some big (research) news: my book on Taxation and Inequalities is out! Sometimes life comes at you fast. The book went on sale the day of my father's funeral, and I wasn't present at its formal launch in Bergen. Nevertheless, it's out there now, in all its glory.

Is the Jaffa Cake a cake or a biscuit? 🍰🍪 On #NationalBiscuitDay, we revisit this classic conundrum through the lens of VAT. @delaferiar.bsky.social recently explored this question and its connection to the UK tax system on the #BBC. Find out more 👉 tinyurl.com/5n8s5u5k

It has been a hectic month: 1 presentation at the European Parliament, 2 to (different) Finance Ministers, 1 to a PM Cabinet, an UK OBR meeting, and several media interviews. Now, it's time to go back on the academic road, starting with Brazil next week, 2 years after my last visit. Me aguardem!

6 weeks after release. Turns out people do actually want to hear complex answers. Thanks to everyone for reading. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Today, on the German @zeit.de, my short comments on the spread of digital taxes. The world has fundamentally changed since 2020/2021, and the environment in which the OECD Pillars were developed no longer exists. We need to adapt. www.zeit.de/2025/16/eu-d...

Is this a good moment to highlight that I have been working on a paper on tax (legal) uncertainty on economic and administrative behaviour?

But not because of tariffs! VAT and tariffs are fundamentally different; it's a false equivalence. Me (despite being on research leave) weighing in on the topic of our times.

My standard rule, according to which the political salience of taxes is inversely proportional to the health of a nation, is, unfortunately, holding up well.

On the day VAT is headline news, the prize for best quote goes to @danneidle.bsky.social:"Jaffa Cakes is the price of political cowardice" Wiser (tax) words have rarely been spoken. I talk to Dan about how we got here, and the massive gains a VAT reform would bring. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

I will be on BBC R4 today for @danneidle.bsky.social 's great Untaxing series, to talk about cakes and biscuits. Podcast available after airing. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

The first episode of my new Radio 4 series, Untaxing, is 1.45pm today; then the same time every day this week. Available on BBC Sounds as soon as each episode airs. BBC Sounds link: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

This is the napkin on which a young economist called Art Laffer doodled a curve that he said showed that tax rises would reduce tax revenue. It's the most consequential napkin in history, inspiring a movement that led to series of tax cuts in the US, UK and across the world.

Being a tax lawyer in the 90s, the Hollywood version.

@delaferiar.bsky.social released a new book chapter on tax fairness papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

"Taxation and Inequalities" takes top spot. A labour of love, over several years - weekends and holidays - but at least everyone is reading it. Thank you. taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog...

Big news! Block your agendas: delighted to announce that I will be in Brazil in May, for a massive tax tour, at the invitation of the incomparable @rodrigomaiarj.bsky.social. Focus will be primarily on results of the Taxation of Inequalities project, with a small incursion into excise taxes.

The final draft of my (large) report on the Taxation and Inequalities project has now been posted, free to download, on SSRN. A new analytical framework, based on data from 33 countries, covering all areas of the tax system, from wealth to environmental taxes. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Six papers now free to download! Research leave is a key time to update online presence. Last time I was on research leave (2019), I made many of my older articles (in EN) free to download on SSNR. I did the same now, but for some of my old articles in PT. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/...

A minha entrevista ao @jnegocios.bsky.social sobre a nossa proposta para um IVA progressivo. Obrigada à Filomena Lança pelo interesse. www.jornaldenegocios.pt/economia/imp...

When your son is sick at home, and decides to watch the news.

Just before we all disappear for the weekend, an "all-in-one" on the Taxation and Inequalities project! My general report is available here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

The call for papers for this year's Lisbon International & European Tax Law Seminars closes on 28 February! @cblpleeds.bsky.social 👇

TMW you are the subject of your own research. On the challenges of labour mobility and demographics, and the growing use of preferential tax regimes to address them.

Or, this Monday?

Going out for a run this Sunday? Cutting the grass (or waiting in line to vote)? You can maximise your time by listening about taxes and inequality at the same time! New episode of the Tax Stories, hosted by the fantastic @taxstories.bsky.social, out now. janistax.substack.com/p/ep70-rita-...

Fancy a trip to Lisbon this summer? Who wouldn't, right? Well, if you are an Early Career Researcher in tax law, this is your chance to visit Lisbon, my beautiful home city. Details 👇 Call for papers still open, but will close soon. We look forward to welcoming you in Lisbon!

What is tax fairness? How can the tax system be used to decrease inequalities, and do we (truly) want it to? open.spotify.com/episode/0HsV...

"A pretty big smoking gun": Prof @delaferiar.bsky.social lends her expertise to the #CyprusConfidential #news about #Abramovich's right-hand man avoiding #UKTax. 👇 tinyurl.com/mvmf3zvc @icij.org @cblpleeds.bsky.social #HMRC #TaxAbuse #Offshore #TaxHaven #Law #LawSky #Crime #AcademicSky #CrimSky

Thank you so much to everyone who came (in person or online) to the @LSELaw yesterday evening. Both delighted with the positive response, and excited about the helpful feedback. Full paper here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

We have a cover! I'll be tomorrow at the LSE (irl and online), to present the results of the "Taxation and Inequalities" project. The first event of a pre-launch book tour. Details on how to join here: lselaw.events/event/lse-ta...

Back to full-on research, and excited to announce that I will be at the LSE next week, on Feb 5th, to present the results of the "Taxation and Inequalities" project! lselaw.events/event/lse-ta...

More insights from our Prof @delaferiar.bsky.social on #tax and the #CyprusConfidential files at mins 18:50 and 38:10.📻 #VAT #LawSky #AcademicSky @andyverity.bsky.social

Fascinating podcast from the BBC into the European dealings of Abramovich and Russian oligarchs. With small contributions from me on tax issues, at mins 18:50 and 38:10. Congratulations to the amazingly relentless @andyverity.bsky.social and James Oliver. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

More is coming out today. All about a really nerdy tax law point: where are strategic company decisions effectively made.

Revealed: how Roman Abramovich dodged taxes on cost of running his fleet of superyachts

Our @delaferiar.bsky.social weighing in on tax evasion with her customary eloquence. 'The Law applies to everyone, no matter how rich you are'. 👏 #AcademicSky, #LawSky, #Tax

Brief hiatus to my research leave, as many will have seen my name cited in this morning's news break - now on BBC, Guardian, etc. The Law applies to everyone, no matter how rich you are. The Rule of Law is the Rule of Law. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Finally, big news: my paper, with the results of the Taxation and Inequalities project, is out!! Drawing upon extensive new law data, from 33 countries, and informed by a wide range of disciplines, it provides a new policy roadmap for addressing inequalities through tax systems.

I promised research news - and hopefully I will have something big within the next week. But in the meantime, I have just posted online a policy brief to the G20, written with A Redonda at the height of the pandemic, on tax expenditures and inequality. Free download 👇 papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

🧐 extraordinary tax policy shift - moving to progressive, personalised VAT rates based on income instead of supply. Worth also reading @delaferiar.bsky.social & Artur Swistak excellent paper Designing a Progressive VAT, inc Uzbek pioneering this www.vatcalc.com/uruguay/urug...

One of the all time greatest. A unique artist. May his work live forever. www.theguardian.com/film/2025/ja...

New album, by my immensely talented brother Miguel's group, was launched at a packed even in Lisbon last night (which I unfortunately missed). Now available on Spotify 👇 open.spotify.com/album/1vh62c...

New Year, new me! OK, slight hyperbole. But it will be a different year, as I will be on research leave. That means no running commentary on tax policy issues. But, hopefully, lots of research news. Until then, I will, as they say "shut up and write". Happy New Year, tax nerds.

A timely reminder that we are all related. From "A Theory of Everyone", by @michael.muthukrishna.com

Sin é, 2024! (Irish for that's it) It was a difficult year, but also one full of amazing experiences, in 11 countries, in all corners of the world. Starting in Manila, ending in Lisbon. Hard to believe all this for a nerdy kid who hated gym classes. See you in 2025, tax nerds ♥️

That's it from me for a while. I leave you with my top 10 (non-work) books, from a selection of 42 this year, for those looking for Christmas inspiration. Fiction: 1. Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not), Jose Rizal (Philippines) 2. James, Percival Everett (US) 3. 2666, Roberto Bolano (Chile)

Why we need a wholesale VAT reform. The general public may be unaware of the difference it would make to the life of every single person living in these islands. But we, tax policy people, are not. There is too much at stake to give up.