In Imposing Standards, Martin Hearson shifts the focus of political rhetoric regarding international tax rules from tax havens and the Global North to the damaging impact of this regime on the Global South. Even when not exploited by tax dodgers, international tax standards place severe limits on the ability of developing countries to tax businesses, denying the Global South access to much-needed revenue. The international rules that allow tax avoidance by multinational corporations have dominated political debate about international tax in the United States and Europe, especially since the global financial crisis of 2007–2008. Hearson asks how developing countries willingly gave up their right to tax foreign companies, charting their assimilation into an OECD-led regime from the days of early independence to the present day. Based on interviews with treaty negotiators, policymakers and lobbyists, as well as observation at intergovernmental meetings, archival research, and fieldwork in Africa and Asia, Imposing Standards shows that capacity constraints and imperfect negotiation strategies in developing countries were exploited by capital-exporting states, shielding multinationals from taxation and depriving nations in the Global South of revenue they both need and deserve. Thanks to generous funding from the Gates Foundation, the ebook editions of this book are available as Open Access volumes from Cornell Open (cornellpress.cornell.edu/cornell-open) and other repositories.

Explains the concepts that underlie international tax law and double tax treaties and provides an insight into how international tax policy, law and practice operate to ultimately impose tax on international business and investment.

Over the past twenty years, foreign direct investments have spurred widespread liberalization of the foreign direct investment (FDI) regulatory framework. By opening up to foreign investors and encouraging FDI, which could result in increased capital and market access, many countries have improved the operational conditions for foreign affiliates and strengthened standards of treatment and protection. By assuring investors that their investment will be legally protected with closed bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and double taxation treaties (DTTs), this in turn creates greater interest in FDI.

Modern-day tax treaties have their foundations in one of the three Model Tax Treaties developed by the League of Nations in 1928. Using previously unexplored archival material, Sunita Jogarajan provides the first in-depth examination of the development of the League's Models. This new research provides insights into questions such as the importance of double taxation versus tax evasion; the preference for source-taxation versus residence-taxation; the influence of theory and practice on the League's work; the development of bilateral rather than multilateral treaties; the influence of developing countries on the League's work; the role of Commentary in interpreting model tax treaties; and the influential factors and key individuals involved. A better understanding of the development of the original models will inform and help guide interpretation and reform of modern-day tax treaties. Additionally, this book will be of interest to scholars of international relations and the development of law at international organisations.

"The UN Handbook on Selected Issues in Administration of Double Tax Treaties for Developing Countries was developed as part of a project implemented jointly by FfDO and the International Tax Compact. Its ten chapters were drafted by renowned international tax experts on the basis of the inputs provided by officials from national tax authorities in 35 developing countries, representing all regions of the world. Through a novel demand-driven approach, it provides practical guidance to developing countries to effectively implement double tax treaties, especially those drawing upon the United Nations Model Double Taxation Convention between Developed and Developing Countries, having regard to the specific needs and interests of these countries."--Publisher website.

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.

The Law of Double Taxation Conventions Cross-border activities or transactions may trigger tax liability in two or more jurisdictions. In order to mitigate the financial burden resulting from these situations, States have entered into numerous double taxation conventions, which provide for rules that allocate the taxing rights between the contracting states. This handbook aims at providing an introduction to the law of double taxation conventions. It is designed for students – irrespective of their national background, but the author believes that it will also be of great help for tax experts who wish to know more about double taxation conventions, as well as for international law experts who wish to understand more about tax law. The handbook does not consider one jurisdiction in particular but rather takes examples from a wide range of different countries and their jurisdictions. It includes an overview of the problem of double taxation, the state practice in the conclusion of double tax conventions and their effects, the interpretation of double taxation conventions and treaty abuse. Furthermore, this updated handbook takes new developments into account occurred since the last edition of the book from 2013, in particular also the changes through OECD’s BEPS project and the Multilateral Instrument. It deals with the latest versions of the OECD Model Tax Conventions on Income and on Capital and the UN Model Double Taxation Convention between Developed and Developing Countries, both published in 2017, as well as the latest version of the OECD Model Double Taxation Convention on Estates and Inheritances and on Gifts.

A new edition of the preeminent work on the permanent establishment (PE) is a major event in tax law scholarship. Taking into account changes in judicial and administrative practice as well as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) and the United Nation’s (UN’s) work in the three decades since the first edition, the present study brings the analysis up to date with the current internationally accepted interpretation of PE. The analysis is based on more than 720 cases from more than 20 countries, in addition to the OECD and UN model treaties and more than 630 books, articles, and official documents. The increased significance of the digital economy has rendered the traditional concept of PE inadequate for the allocation of taxing jurisdiction over the modern, mobile or digital international business. The author’s in-depth analysis explains the legal elements of the PE principle with attention to their continuing benefit and their shortcomings: criteria defining a PE- place of business, location, right of use, duration, business connection, business activity, ordinary course of business; evidence of a right of use to a place of business; business activities included in the PE concept of the tax treaties; identification of projects offshore and onshore; UN model treaty deviations from the OECD agency clause; distinction between jurisdictions with significant natural resources and countries possessing the capital, technology and know-how necessary to explore and exploit these resources; and how policies in each country may erode the PE concept. The book provides many synopses of court decisions and administrative rulings upon which the analysis is based. In addition to cases previously published in law reports and other publications, a number of unpublished decisions are included. A key word index makes it easy to find what is needed in any particular matter. The PE principle, in one version or another, is used in several thousand tax treaties in force today. This updated comprehensive study reveals the obligations imposed through the use of PE in tax treaties and will continue to be of immeasurable value to tax practitioners and scholars worldwide. In addition, the discussion of whether the notion of PE is an appropriate criterion for taxing jurisdiction in international fiscal law today provides authoritative and insightful food for thought.

The effects of the growth of multinational enterprises and globalization in the past fifty years have been profound, and many multinational enterprises, such as international banks, now operate around the world through branches known as permanent establishments. The business profits article (Article 7) of the OECD model tax treaty attributes a multinational enterprise's business profits to a permanent establishment in a host country for tax purposes. Michael Kobetsky analyses the principles for allocating the profits of multinational enterprises to permanent establishments under this article, explains the shortcomings of the current arm's length principle for attributing business profits to permanent establishments and considers the alternative method of formulary apportionment for allocating business profits.

Non-discrimination is a central obligation under both tax treaty and trade law. However, in seeking to strike a balance between national and international interests, its application differs in the two areas of practice. This deeply researched and authoritative work, which explains the policy issues and how non-discrimination analysis works, provides a comprehensive review of non-discrimination rules in WTO and tax treaty law, combining a critical commentary on case law with proposals for an innovative concept for solving cases of discrimination in tax treaty law. Among the practical issues affecting non-discrimination examined in detail are the following: implications that can be drawn from the concepts of non-discrimination under WTO law and Article 24 of the OECD Model; direct and indirect discrimination and analysis of comparability in WTO law and tax treaty law; the MFN and NT rules under the GATT and GATS; the meaning of ‘likeness’ and ‘less favourable treatment’; claiming non-discriminatory tax treatment before tax administrations and courts under a tax treaty; justification of measures against harmful tax competition, low taxation and hybrid mismatch arrangements; thin capitalisation rules, progressive tax rates, foreign losses, group taxation and relief from juridical and economic double taxation under Article 24 of the OECD Model; and integrating a justification defence into any stage of a non-discrimination analysis. The author establishes to what extent formal, substantive and subjective approaches may be applied in a non-discrimination analysis, providing the reasons for the approaches taken. A two-step comparability procedure is applied to selected cases of potential tax discrimination, demonstrating how policy arguments can be addressed under Article 24 of the OECD Model. Drawing on over a half-century of case law in both areas of practice, this comprehensive study of the non-discrimination rules under WTO law and international tax law will be invaluable in systematically solving cases of tax discrimination under Article 24 of the OECD Model and putting forward arguments at any stage of a WTO analysis. Policymakers will benefit from the author’s clear explanation of how national law should comply with international obligations. Also, taxpayers’ advisers will proceed confidently in claims of tax treaty discrimination, and academics will discover an incomparable overview and analysis of anti-discrimination rules in international trade law and double taxation conventions.