OFF THE PRESS

Wayne State University Law School Distinguished Professor Alan Schenk has co-authored a new edition of his 2007 book, "Value Added Tax: A Comparative Approach."

The book, published by Cambridge University Press, offers significant updating from its earlier edition, as well as a new chapter on China's value added tax and business tax systems, and a new chapter on avoidance and evasion of value added tax.

With co-authors Victor Thuronyl, formerly lead counsel (taxation) at the International Monetary Fund, and Wei Cui of the University of British Columbia Vancouver, Schenk offers the book for law and business students and scholars, as well as a resource for tax authorities and ministries of finance. The book integrates legal, economic and administrative materials about the value added tax in a comparative presentation analyzing policy issues related to tax structure and tax base as well as insights into how cases arising out of value added tax disputes have been resolved.

Value added tax is relied on to raise significant revenue in more than 150 countries. The new edition of the book includes new value added tax-related developments in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Schenk, who has taught at Wayne Law since 1966, earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and a law degree at the University of Illinois and a master of laws degree in taxation from New York University. He served as professor-in-residence in the Office of the Chief Counsel, IRS, and has taught at Harvard Law School, University of Iowa School of Law, University of Michigan Law School, University of San Diego School of Law, and in other U.S. venues and schools in Canada, Australia and South Africa.

He has written several other books on value added tax as well as numerous articles and book chapters. For the past 18 years, he has served as a technical advisor for the International Monetary Fund's legal department, drafting and reviewing value added tax legislation and implementing regulations for developing countries and emerging economies of Eastern Europe.

Schenk also organized conferences on value added tax in the United States and abroad, and is a frequent speaker on the topic. He is a member of the editorial board of the International VAT Monitor published by the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation. He testified before Congress on tax reform and served as an expert on value added tax matters for foreign nations. Schenk also served as an expert in a number of international arbitrations involving value added tax.

Published: Tue, Mar 24, 2015