OECD Arbitration in Tax Treaty Law


Book Description

Arbitration: the solution to tackle cross-border tax disputes From the increasing integration of the world economy and the lack of rules to govern the taxation of multinational enterprises to cross-border tax disputes: arbitration is one potential solution. Arbitration is not a new development in the international tax arena, but it has not yet been widely implemented in practice. In the last few years, the concept of arbitration in tax matters was revived, mainly following the OECD/G20 BEPS Project, as well as the EU Action Plan on Corporate Taxation. Now arbitration is expected to play a more significant role and enhance the existing framework of cross-border tax dispute resolution. „OECD Arbitration in Tax Treaty Law” constitutes a comprehensive compendium on international tax arbitration and provides in-depth analysis of all relevant aspects of the topic. The introductory chapters provide background information on tax arbitration and comparisons with other areas of law. The book also takes stock of the recent developments in this area within the OECD, the EU, the UN and the United States. It addresses the main concerns that have been raised with regard to arbitration, and compares and contrasts the design of various arbitration clauses. It also considers potential future developments. This compendium on international tax arbitration shows one way how to tackle the rising tide of cross-border tax disputes.




The Resolution of International Tax Disputes


Book Description

The number of international tax disputes is constantly increasing. This is a logical consequence of the pressure that is exerted on the global tax system by a rise in the number of internationally active and mobile taxpayers and tax competition between states on the one hand. On the other hand, the implementation of measures to tackle base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) by multinational enterprises already gives rise to further disputes and another increase of disputes might arise from the latest reforms of the international tax system, namely the Two-Pillar-Solution to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy. Against this background, the time is right for an institutionalised international tax dispute resolution mechanism that takes into account the interests of taxpayers, states, and the public and allows for a swift and binding resolution of international tax disputes ¬– exactly what this timely and thoroughgoing book offers. A comprehensive overview of existing international tax dispute resolution mechanisms – and an analysis of their procedural rules, advantages, and disadvantages – leads to a deeply informed proposal on how they can be further developed in a way that ensures greater fairness and equity for all stakeholders. Among the lines of conflict that characterise international tax disputes, the author sheds clear light on how improvements in the design of dispute resolution mechanisms may be found. This includes these questions: How should a dispute resolution mechanism be structured? Should there be a mandatory resolution if the states cannot agree? In which way should taxpayers participate in the procedure? Should agreements and decisions be published? Should there be an institution to administer the procedure? The book concludes with a draft convention that would implement the author’s suggestions. Tax lawyers and other tax professionals worldwide, as well as national tax authorities, will benefit greatly from this book. They will deepen their understanding of the variety of existing tax dispute resolution mechanisms and discover ways to strengthen them. Academics will find ample room to reflect on the key design elements of such mechanisms and how to improve them.




A Multilateral Convention for Tax


Book Description

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.




Dispute Resolution Under Tax Treaties


Book Description

As the interrelationship among tax bases continues to parallel the rapid development of the global economy, disputes among governments as to their right to tax international trade and investments under income tax treaties are expected to increase in number and scope. This study takes an in-depth look at the mechanisms used to resolve such disputes and how they interact with the interests of the various parties involved in the process. The study presents an analysis of the available literature, supplemented by statistical data from North America, Europe and Asia. Analysis of this data leads to interesting insights into the way the dispute resolution process functions when it is applied in different contexts. A comprehensive common framework of analysis, based on a checklist for governments, international organizations and taxpayers, is also developed in the study. This framework lists the main advantages and disadvantages of treaty-related international income tax dispute resolution procedures. The checklist is formulated with the aim to assist readers informing policies and in arguing positions, taking into account the subjective value given by each reader to each listed item. The study concludes by suggesting the creation of a new mechanism for the resolution of tax treaty-related disputes, and advocates, in part, the establishment of a new international organization with links to domestic judicial networks. This mechanism is then subjected to the same common framework analysis and checklist used in earlier parts of the study. The analysis suggests how such a mechanism would mitigate some of the most formidable challenges associated with the current dispute resolution procedures.




Legitimacy and International Courts


Book Description

One of the most noted developments in international law over the past twenty years is the proliferation of international courts and tribunals. They decide who has the right to exploit natural resources, define the scope of human rights, delimit international boundaries and determine when the use of force is prohibited. As the number and influence of international courts grow, so too do challenges to their legitimacy. This volume provides new interdisciplinary insights into international courts' legitimacy: what drives and undermines the legitimacy of these bodies? How do drivers change depending on the court concerned? What is the link between legitimacy, democracy, effectiveness and justice? Top international experts analyse legitimacy for specific international courts, as well as the links between legitimacy and cross-cutting themes. Failure to understand and respond to legitimacy concerns can endanger both the courts and the law they interpret and apply.




Public Actors in International Investment Law


Book Description

This open access book focuses on public actors with a role in the settlement of investment disputes. Traditional studies on actors in international investment law have tended to concentrate on arbitrators, claimant investors and respondent states. Yet this focus on the "principal" players in investment dispute settlement has allowed a number of other seminal actors to be neglected. This book seeks to redress this imbalance by turning the spotlight on the latter. From the investor's home state to domestic courts, from sub-national governments to international organisations, and from political risk insurance agencies to legal defence teams in national ministries, the book critically reviews these overlooked public actors in international investment law.




Arbitration in Asia - 2nd Edition


Book Description

Asia has witnessed an extraordinary growth in the use of international arbitration in the past two decades. Arbitration in Asia is an ideal reference to guide practitioners and business people in the proper selection of a suitable arbitral seat or jurisdiction in Asia. The book includes substantive chapters reflecting detailed commentary and analysis on 18 Asian jurisdictions from the area's leading arbitration practitioners and experts. The materials in this looseleaf volume provide a practical reference guide and resource tool for the law and practice of international commercial arbitration in Asia.




International Taxation in a Changing Landscape


Book Description

This book contains essays written in honour of Prof. Dr Bertil Wiman, a renowned tax scholar and much-appreciated teacher. Prof. Wiman is one of the founding members of EATLP, former chairman of EATLP and former vice president of IFA. The essays cover various topics in the field of international tax law, with a major focus on corporate taxation, an area to which Prof. Dr Bertil Wiman has dedicated most of his research. The book includes authoritative analyses by acknowledged experts on several key international tax topics, which illustrates the growing complexity of this area together with its rapid evolution. The book contains analyses of key international topics, such as: the tax challenges of the digitalisation of the economy; the resolution of international tax disputes; the principles for the taxation of corporations; EU tax law; transfer pricing; and tax treaty law. The depth of the essays contained in this book mirrors the importance of the contributions of Prof. Dr Bertil Wiman to the international tax community. It will also prove of great value to policymakers, tax practitioners and academics.







Third-Party Funding in International Arbitration


Book Description

Since the first edition of this invaluable book in 2012, third-party funding has become more mainstream in international arbitration practice. However, since even the existence of a third-party funding agreement in a dispute is often kept secret, it can be difficult to glean the specifics of successful funding agreements. This welcome book, now updated, expertly reveals the nuances of third-party funding in international arbitration, examines the phenomenon in key jurisdictions, and provides a reliable resource for users and potential users that may wish to tap into and make use of this distinctive funding tool. Focusing on Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, and South Africa, the authors analyze and assess the legal regime based upon legislation, judicial opinions, ethics opinions, and practitioner anecdotes describing the state of third-party funding in each jurisdiction. In addition to updating summaries of the law of the various jurisdictions, the second edition includes a new chapter addressing third-party funding in investor-state arbitration. Among the issues raised and examined are the following: · payment of adverse costs; · “Before-the-Event” (BTE) and “After-the-Event” (ATE) insurance; · attorney financing: pro bono representation, contingency representation, conditional fee arrangements; · loans; · ethical doctrines affecting the third-party funding industry; · possible future bundling, securitization, and trading of legal claims; · risk that the funder may put its own interests ahead of the client’s interests; and · whether the existence of a funding agreement must or should be disclosed to the decision maker. The second edition also includes discussion of recent institutional developments as they relate to third-party funding, including the work of the ICCA-Queen Mary Task Force on Third-Party Funding and how third-party funding is being incorporated into arbitral rules and investment treaties. Ably providing a thorough understanding of what third-party funding entails and what legal parameters exist, this book will be of compelling interest to parties aiming to take advantage of the high values, speed, reduced evidentiary costs, outcome predictability, industry expertise, and high award enforceability characteristic of the third-party funding arrangements available in international arbitration.