The increasing globalization of economic activity is bringing an awareness of the international consequences of tax policy. The move toward the common European market in 1992 raises the important question of how inefficiencies in the various tax systems—such as self-defeating tax competition among member nations—will be addressed. As barriers to trade and investment tumble, cross-national differences in tax structures may loom larger and create incentives for relocations of capital and labor; and efficient and equitable income tax systems are becoming more difficult to administer and enforce, particularly because of the growing importance of multinational enterprises. What will be the role of tax policy in this more integrated world economy? Assaf Razin and Joel Slemrod gathered experts from two traditionally distinct specialties, taxation and international economics, to lay the groundwork for understanding these issues, which will require the attention of scholars and policymakers for years to come. Contributors describe the basic provisions of the U.S. tax code with respect to international transactions, highlighting the changes contained in the U.S. Tax Reform Act of 1986; explore the ways that tax systems influence the decisions of multinationals; examine the effect of taxation on trade patterns and capital flows; and discuss the implications of the opening world economy for the design of optimal international tax policy. The papers will prove valuable not only to scholars and students, but to government economists and international tax lawyers as well.

U.S. real estate is enormously attractive to many foreign investors, who are thus ushered into the ambit of the complex U.S. Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA). A full understanding of the associated tax implications on the part of these investors and their advisors is essential if they are to implement the correct structure to maximize their returns, avoid unnecessary withholding, and comply with applicable requirements. This book, the first practical guide to FIRPTA, clearly articulates the operation and transactional implications of FIRPTA and its interaction with various other regimes, sets forth real life situations, and points out potential traps, all in a readily graspable format. Among the tax issues and consequences that directly or indirectly affect foreign investors in U.S. real property interests, the author highlights the following and more: • the real estate investment trust (REIT); • withholding taxes that are jointly and severally liable for buyers and sellers; • treatment of rental, interest, and dividend income; • effect of the branch profits tax; • tax treaty benefits; • exemptions to FIRPTA; • special rules applicable to foreign governmental investors; • tax reporting standards and potential penalties for noncompliance; and • state and local tax issues relating to U.S. real estate investments. Providing a straightforward and accessible guide for navigating the tax issues that confront foreign investors in U.S. real estate, this resource will prove invaluable in identifying and formulating the correct strategies for investors and their advisors with respect to investments in the U.S. real estate market. It is sure to benefit all interested parties for years to come. Angela W. Yu, a tax partner of KPMG’s New York office, has extensive experience providing integrated tax advice to clients on cross-border transactions. She is a frequent speaker on U.S. tax issues, and has addressed many professional organizations.

Research on capital formation has long been a major focus of studies sponsored by the National Bureau of Economic Research because of the crucial role of capital accumulation in the process of economic growth. The papers in this volume examine the influence of taxes on capital formation, with specific focus on the determinants of saving and the process of investment in plant and equipment.

Addresses the nature and extent of the international mobility of foreign direct investment and how tax competition is affecting the structure of national tax systems, and how efforts at international coordination of tax policy will affect such changes.

This 2017 report sets out recommendations for branch mismatch rules that would bring the treatment of these structures into line with the treatment of hybrid mismatch arrangements as set out in the 2015 Report on Neutralising the Effects of Hybrids Mismatch Arrangements (Action 2 Report).

The book describes the difficulties of the current international corporate income tax system. It starts by describing its origins and how changes, such as the development of multinational enterprises and digitalization have created fundamental problems, not foreseen at its inception. These include tax competition—as governments try to attract tax bases through low tax rates or incentives, and profit shifting, as companies avoid tax by reporting profits in jurisdictions with lower tax rates. The book then discusses solutions, including both evolutionary changes to the current system and fundamental reform options. It covers both reform efforts already under way, for example under the Inclusive Framework at the OECD, and potential radical reform ideas developed by academics.