GAARS: the better insight into a country’s tax system In a post-BEPS tax world and in times of an ever-increasing need for tax revenue, policy-makers are more willing than ever to tighten or adopt General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAARs). A GAAR is typically a broad principle-based rule trying to establish the borderline between “abuse” and “use” of a law, thereby addressing the phenomenon that as long as there have been taxes, persons have been trying to reduce their tax bills. This award-winning book compares the GAARs and judicial anti-avoidance approaches of Germany, the UK and the EU. It gives a deep insight into the predominant legal traditions of the Western World, comprehensively analyses case-law and offers unique perspectives on tax law across jurisdictions. This book reveals that there is no other feature of tax law that provides a better insight into a country’s tax system than its anti-avoidance rules. GAARs and their historical background reveal so much about judicial perspectives on taxation and legal interpretation, citizens’ tax morale, drafters’ inclinations for technical or principled drafting or legislators’ willingness to confront politically sensitive issues. Understanding the role of GAARs ultimately also reveals whether they are a suitable means to counteract tax avoidance effectively. The Book is the winner of the Wolfgang Gassner-Wissenschaftspreis 2016!

About the book The growing importance of the intangible assets in the global economy coupled with expanding international intra-firm trade, has meant that transfer pricing issues concerning intangibles have assumed critical importance for both the Multi National Enterprises as well as Tax authorities. The identification, accounting & valuation of intangibles is a challenging and evolving field. This volume details the various such issues and concerns from both industry and revenue perspective. Further, the contemporary issues of digital economy, tax planning, BEPS, GAAR have also been extensively dealt with. Key features · Explains in detail the meaning of various types of intangibles as defined in Income Tax Act. · Discusses the various possible methodologies for valuing the intangibles including the typical and residual methods · Accounts for all the relevant changes suggested by the OECD in the BEPS Action Point 8-10 report regarding intangibles · Valuation of Highly Uncertain as well Hard-to-Value Intangibles · Relevant Features of and taxation challenges posed by Digital economy · Various possible techniques of Tax Planning adopted by the Multi-national Enterprises · All the BEPS Action Point Reports along with recommendations as adopted globally as well as in India including Thin Capitalisation, PoEM, Equalisation Levy, amended DTAAs with Mauritius, Cyprus & Singapore {Updated upto Finance Bill, 2017 (India)} · Transfer Pricing Aspects of CCAs, Intra-group Services & Business Restructuring including issue of indirect transfers · Discussion on General Anti Avoidance Rules, to be implemented in India from 01/04/2017 · Famous and important global and Indian case laws with regard to intangibles · Detailed discussion on issue of AMP expenses & marketing intangibles

Proposes a uniform statutory GAAR for the Federation of Australia, and examines "the experiences of countries with (e.g., Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa) and without (e.g., the United States of America and the United Kingdom) a statutory GAAR"--Page ix.

This book provides a concise, practical guide to the European Union’s Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (ATAD). Presenting unique insights into the ATAD’s five specific anti-avoidance rules, its chapters explain the background of those rules, the directive’s interactions with relevant jurisprudence, and the challenges posed to the ATAD’s interpretation and implementation in domestic law.

The Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (MLI) is the most forceful multilateral initiative to coordinate tax regimes on a worldwide basis since the dawn of modern income taxation over a century ago. This book evaluates two radically opposed viewpoints on the convention—a momentous and revolutionary paradigm shift versus a mechanism that merely continues an ongoing flow of limited policy coordination—with detailed investigations that bring to life the hopes and the realities of the current era of multilateral tax cooperation. Bringing together authors from national jurisdictions across the globe to scrutinize the MLI and its likely future ramifications, the book provides in-depth commentary and analysis in the following sequence: first, a comprehensive discussion of the design and goals of the MLI as a treaty and an institutional framework; second, an overview of the structure of the convention and its take-up across the globe to date; and third, the substantive implementation of the MLI with a wide range of country reports. Practice areas covered include tax law, international law, and international relations. The legal workings and implications of the MLI might still seem mysterious to those whose daily work is impacted by it, and there is as yet little jurisprudence regarding its legal nature or ultimate effect on the bilateral treaties coming within its scope. For these reasons, this pathbreaking book will be warmly welcomed by in-house counsel and law firms advising cross-border investors and firms; nongovernmental organizations involved in policy analysis and issue advocacy; researchers working on technical areas of international tax law; and lawyers interested in international policymaking, including the creation and diffusion of consensus-based fiscal and related regulatory norms across jurisdictions of differing development levels.

Updated to address recent developments, this evaluation of the international tax order compares approaches of the OECD, UN, and EU.

This book enables the reader to understand the complex world of statutory interpretation, especially in the context of taxation laws. This book analyses the intricate relationship between legislation and its interpretation by the judiciary, underscoring the critical role that statutory law plays in contemporary society. It highlights the challenges judges face in deciphering the often opaque language used in statutes. The book stresses the importance of understanding legislative intent and the various approaches to interpretation, such as the literal rule, golden rule, and mischief rule, while also introducing the reader to more modern methodologies like the plain meaning approach and purposive approach. This book is tailored for a broad audience, including tax practitioners, lawyers, judges, academicians, and policymakers. Its comprehensive coverage of both foundational principles and contemporary developments in tax law interpretation makes it an invaluable resource for those engaged in the legal, academic, and practical aspects of taxation. The Present Publication is the 2nd Edition, authored by Dr. K.N. Chaturvedi, with the following noteworthy features: • [Highlights of the 2nd Edition] are as follows: o [Updates] Discusses the developments in tax policy and interpretation since 2008, including the implementation of the GST regime in India and global tax law alignments like GAAR and MLI o [Judicial Decisions] Discusses recent Supreme Court decisions on key aspects of the Income-tax Act, 1961, and analyses the judicial stance on tax exemptions and deductions o [New Content] Introduces chapters on Tax exemptions and DTAA, updates on customs tariff classifications, and discussions on the simplification and rationalization of direct taxes o [Legislative Changes] Notes the enactment of the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act, 2023, which updates the 1931 Act, reflecting ongoing legislative evolution • [Judicial Scrutiny and the Art of Drafting] It presents examples from judicial pronouncements that critique legislative drafting, illustrating this with case laws, and discusses the resulting judicial efforts to interpret ambiguous statutes • [Legislative Language and Public Understanding] The debate on whether laws should be written in plain English is addressed, with opinions suggesting that simplifying legal language may not necessarily benefit the general public due to the complexities of legal interpretation and context • [Evolving Principles of Judicial Interpretation] The book notes a shift from traditional rules of statutory interpretation (literal, golden, and mischief rules) towards more nuanced approaches like plain meaning, contextual, and purposive interpretations, reflecting a broader and more flexible understanding of legislative texts • [Comparative Analysis of Statutory Interpretation] This book discusses interpretation practices across common law countries (the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the United States, and India), highlighting differences and commonalities in approaches • [Structural Overview of Tax Law] Early chapters provide an in-depth look at India's tax system, the constitutional framework of taxation, the legislative process for tax statutes, and the structural anatomy of an Act, laying a foundation for understanding statutory interpretation in the context of taxation The detailed contents of the book are as follows: • Tax System in India o The book begins with an exploration of the principles of rule of law and governance as they relate to taxation o It discusses the complexities of statutory interpretation, specifically within the realm of taxation laws o An in-depth look at the various tax systems in India, including service tax, income tax, and other significant taxes o Attention is given to state taxes and the introduction of new tax laws, illustrating the evolving nature of tax legislation • Constitutional Provisions Relating to Taxation o Delivers a foundational understanding of what constitutes a tax and the necessity of legal authority for its levy and collection o Examines constitutional remedies in tax matters and differentiates between tax, fee, and cess o Details the distribution of legislative powers between Parliament and State Legislature, including competence to tax and specific taxes like income tax, sales tax, and excise duty on liquor o Addresses the interpretation of legislative entries, the concept of pith and substance, and the limits of taxing power, including instances where statutes have been held constitutional or unconstitutional • Various Stages of Law-Making and Their Relevance as an Aid to Interpretation o Offers insight into the law-making process, the relationship between policy and drafting, and the introduction and types of bills o Discusses the significance of presidential recommendations, accompanying documents for taxation bills, and various memorandums and notes that provide clarity to legislative intent o Explores how statutory interpretation is influenced by law commission reports, taxation committees, parliamentary committees, and speeches by legislators • Structure of a Taxing Statute o Provides a comprehensive guide to drafting taxing statutes, including the importance of the title, preamble, and definition clauses o Explains the roles of legal fiction, headings, marginal notes, explanations, provisos, schedules, and the power to remove difficulties in tax legislation • Tax Interpretation of Exemption Provisions o Discusses the preliminary aspects, constitutional provisions, and complexity of tax exemption provisions o Emphasizes procedural safeguards, judicial review, flexibility in designing exemption provisions, and interpretation of these provisions o Covers tax incentives and the concept of legitimate expectation in tax law • DTAA and International Taxation o Introduces Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAA) and their role in international taxation, including Supreme Court rulings on the matter o Details the new scheme of international taxation, amendments to the Income-tax Act, and specific sections pertinent to international agreements o Explores the interpretation of DTAA and the Multilateral Instrument (MLI), as well as significant judgments related to international tax law • Different Approaches to Interpretation o Expounds on the basic principles of statutory interpretation and compares the approaches taken by various jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and India • Tax Evasion, Tax Avoidance, and Tax Mitigation o Addresses the distinctions between tax evasion, tax avoidance, and tax mitigation o Details the statutory framework on tax avoidance, including General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR) and transfer pricing provisions • Aids to Interpretation o Discusses general, internal, and external aids to the interpretation of tax statutes o Outlines general presumptions relevant to the interpretation of tax laws, including presumptions about constitutionality, retrospective effect, exemption provisions, and implied repeal o Includes a discussion on the use of Latin maxims and the significance of popular, ordinary, and technical meanings in statutory interpretation • Simplification and Rationalisation of Direct Taxes o Covers efforts towards simplifying and rationalizing direct taxes, including the roles of various committees, commissions, and reports from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) o Reviews the Direct Tax Code Bill 2010 and outlines key concepts for the future of tax law simplification

In October 2016, the European Commission relaunched its plan to harmonize national income tax systems via the Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB), perhaps the most ambitious reform of EU tax law ever attempted. This timely book offers an early analysis of this important proposal and its implications, covering issues such as the project’s scope and main elements, international considerations, the relationship with OECD’s base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) initiative, consolidation, and anti-abuse rules. With carefully selected papers first presented at a January 2017 conference hosted by the Amsterdam Centre for Tax Law, this volume focuses on such topics and issues as the following: – ways in which the proposed CCCTB is designed to preserve the competence of Member States to set their own tax rates; – reduction of the administrative burden for multinational companies; – incentives for research and development; – automatic cross-border relief within the EU; – detailed analysis of the proposal’s formula apportionment regime; – proposed new controlled foreign company (CFC) rules; and – interest limitation rule. Because of the commitment of many Member States to keep their corporate income tax systems competitive on a stand-alone basis, the proposed CCCTB is enormously controversial. This book provides authoritative insights into problems likely to arise and discusses the prospects of how the proposal is likely to be implemented. Thus, this book proves to be of immeasurable value to taxation policymakers, practitioners, and academics.