Series on International Taxation Residence and Economic Substance of Subsidiary Corporations in International and European Tax Law It is well known that multinational corporations establish foreign subsidiaries in great measure to reduce their worldwide tax burden. This groundbreaking book examines the content of the substance requirement in double tax convention residence rules, transfer pricing rules, anti-abuse rules, and controlled foreign corporation rules in the context of international and EU tax law, disentangling the complex relationship between the substance requirements in these four sets of legal rules. Following a descriptive-analytic method, for each substance requirement of the four sets of legal rules, the discussion deals with the content of economic substance in complex scenarios, for example: holding companies; special purpose vehicles; loss-making subsidiaries; subsidiaries with management in more than one state; subsidiaries managed by the parent company; outsourcing; and subsidiaries ‘borrowing’ the substance of other group companies. The author introduces a new method of assessment of substance requirements, offering practical solutions for their uniform application in international and European tax law. In its thorough examination of how substance requirements work and how they are interrelated among different sets of tax rules, this book has no peers. It will be welcomed by taxation practitioners and corporate counsel in Europe and worldwide.

The topics of double non-taxation and hybrid entities have acquired a particular importance in a context where transformations within the tax world seem to be leading to an international commitment most materially manifested in the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. In what is the first systematic in-depth critique of the BEPS Action Plan 2 with regard to hybrid entities, this timely book provides a critical review of the OECD’s approach and proposes a deeply informed alternative method based on the tax policy aims of simplicity, coherence and ease of administration. The author analyses the interaction between the double non-taxation outcome and the use of hybrid entities in an approach not strictly linked to any specific tax jurisdiction. To this end, the analysis includes case studies and examples from a range of jurisdictions emphasizing the international tax context, including the application of tax treaties. Among the seminal matters covered are the following: – foundations of the concepts of double non-taxation and hybrid entities, absent of the specific limitations of domestic tax legislation; – extensive analysis based on the rules of characterization of foreign entities for tax purposes in the United States, Spain, Denmark and Germany, as well as on the Poland/United States and Canada/United States tax treaties; – detailed analysis on the implications of Article 1(2) OECD Model Tax Convention and Article 3(1) Multilateral Instrument, especially having in mind the position of developing (source) countries; and – EU tax law as part of the international context, including an extensive analysis on the EU Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (ATAD) I and ATAD II. Detailed comparisons between the author’s proposal and other existing rules elucidate common points and deviations. If merely for its unparalleled clarification of the issues, this book will prove of immeasurable value to practitioners, tax authorities, policymakers and academics concerned with international tax law. Beyond that, as an authoritative guide that promises to reorient the discussion to what really matters in the debate regarding double non-taxation and hybrid entities, this analysis elaborates solutions applicable to a generality of cases worldwide, and thus hugely promotes the urgent quest for alternative solutions.

Although a genuine European tax hardly exists as such, the EC policy of aligning national taxes and tax policies insofar as is necessary for a common market affects taxation and tax law in all Member States. European Tax Law systematically surveys the EC tax rules that arise from this policy and their implications. It provides a detailed discussion of European integration and Community tax harmonisation policy, with practical analysis of all the relevant Community tax rules, in force and pending. The book's clear, straightforward coverage includes: tax measures already taken at the Community level and their legal basis; the current state of positive harmonisation as manifested in EC regulations and directives; the effect of 'negative integration' (such as prohibition of discrimination) that limits Member States' freedom to arrange their own national tax systems; the surprising effect of national habits and couleur locale ; and the consequences of general (non-fiscal) Community law for national tax laws as it emerges in the case law of the European Court of Justice. European Tax Law includes an extensive index and a table of cases for easy access to information. Practitioners, academics, and advanced students of tax law and EC law will value the lucid, ordered, and comprehensive coverage of this resource.

The effect of the significant changes in tax law at domestic, European, and international levels on investment funds, an important part of global financial services, creates a complex environment for practitioners and a source of debate for academics and policymakers. This is the first book to provide a comprehensive legal and practical analysis of the changes to the complex multilevel tax and regulatory framework concerning different types of investment funds. The contributions, updated as of late 2017, were originally presented at a conference held at the University of Luxembourg in November 2016 under the auspices of the ATOZ Chair for European and International Taxation. The book covers the central questions arising in national law and tax policy, explores the regulatory and tax framework of the European Union (EU), and discusses the multifaceted interactions of both national and EU law with bilateral tax treaties. Through fourteen chapters following a brief introduction, leading academic experts and practising specialists provide decisive insight into: – the regulatory regime for European investment funds; – the tax law and reforms in both Luxembourg and Germany; – the role of the European Commission’s State-aid practices; – examples of case law concerning the application of non-discrimination rules to various investment vehicles; – the impact of tax-specific EU legislation, such as the Parent-Subsidiary Directive, the Tax Merger Directive, and the Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive; – the availability of tax treaty protection for different collective and non-collective investment funds; – the impact of base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) developments on the taxation of cross-border investments; – the value-added tax (VAT) treatment of investment funds and their managers; and – the consequences of the global drive towards automatic exchange of information relating to existing cross-border investment structures. With its particular focus on Luxembourg – the leading centre for investment funds in Europe (and second only to the United States globally) and, thus, an instructive model for domestic-level investment fund regulation and taxation – this volume reveals the common issues that arise in virtually every other jurisdiction with a sizeable fund industry. As the first in-depth treatment of the globally significant nexus between investment funds and taxation, the book will prove valuable to policymakers, practitioners, and academics in both financial services and tax law.

This book examines recent developments and high-profile debates that have arisen in the field of international tax law and European tax law. Topics such as international tax avoidance, corporate social responsibility, good governance in tax matters, harmful tax competition, state aid, tax treaty abuse and the financial transaction tax are considered. The OECD/G20 project on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) features prominently in the book. The interaction with the European Union's Action Plan to strengthen the fight against tax fraud and tax evasion is also considered. Particular attention is paid to specific BEPS deliverables, exploring them through the prism of European Union law. Can the two approaches be aligned or are there inherent conflicts between them? The book also explores whether, when it comes to aggressive tax planning, there are internal conflicts between the established case law of the Court of Justice and the emerging policy of the European institutions. By so doing it offers a review of issues which are of constitutional importance to the European Union. Finally, the book reflects on the future of international and European tax law in the post-BEPS world.

This report presents studies and data available regarding the existence and magnitude of base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS), and contains an overview of global developments that have an impact on corporate tax matters.

Edited by Victor Thuronyi, this book offers an introduction to a broad range of issues in comparative tax law and is based on comparative discussion of the tax laws of developed countries. It presents practical models and guidelines for drafting tax legislation that can be used by officials of developing and transition countries. Volume I covers general issues, some special topics, and major taxes other than income tax.

This paper reviews the rapidly growing empirical literature on international tax avoidance by multinational corporations. It surveys evidence on main channels of corporate tax avoidance including transfer mispricing, international debt shifting, treaty shopping, tax deferral and corporate inversions. Moreover, it performs a meta analysis of the extensive literature that estimates the overall size of profit shifting. We find that the literature suggests that, on average, a 1 percentage-point lower corporate tax rate will expand before-tax income by 1 percent—an effect that is larger than reported as the consensus estimate in previous surveys and tends to be increasing over time. The literature on tax avoidance still has several unresolved puzzles and blind spots that require further research.

Tax competition in the form of harmful tax practices can distort trade and investment patterns, erode national tax bases and shift part of the tax burden onto less mobile tax bases. The Report emphasises that governments must intensify their cooperative actions to curb harmful tax practices.

Survey of taxes on immovable property. Reviews the major policy issues raised in the taxation of land and buildings and compares the main provision of property tax systems in 15 OECD Member countries.