Landmark Decisions of the ECJ in Direct Taxation


Book Description

Every professional dealing with taxation in the European Union will greatly appreciate this extraordinarily useful book. Based on a high-level conference held at the University of Luxembourg in 2014, the book presents detailed expert summaries and analyses of landmark ECJ decisions in direct taxation, each case a starting point for the development of a specific doctrine. The depth of the analysis, as each author charts a way through the nuances of the Court's arguments, allows the reader to gain an unparalleled understanding of changes in the relevant subsequent jurisprudence. The fundamental issues covered are the following: - taxation of non-residents in the EU context; - implications of EU fundamental freedoms in the income tax systems of the Member States; - outbound and inbound dividend taxation; - taxation of permanent establishments; - restrictions on freedom of establishment; - tax treatment of corporate exit; - abuse of taxpayers' rights; - cohesion of the tax system as an overriding factor in the public interest; - juridical double taxation arising from the exercise of overlapping powers of two or more States; - free movement of capital and third countries; and - tax treatment of non-profit organizations in the cross-border context. The book as a whole offers an incomparable critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the Court's reasoning and its path through the complex field of crossborder income taxation, particularly in the area of the compatibility of national tax legislation with the fundamental freedoms, which continues to be a powerful driver for changes to existing tax laws. For legal academics, this is a unique and fundamental source of essential information and analysis. Crucially, although valuable as a 'snapshot' of the current state of EU tax law, this book will remain relevant for practitioners and policymakers as jurisprudence continues to develop over the years to come.




Great Judgments of the European Court of Justice


Book Description

Presents a new approach to prominent judgments of the European Court of Justice drawing on the writings of Judge Robert Lecourt.




Double (Non-)Taxation and EU Law


Book Description

Everywhere,new tax rules are under development to engage with the ever-increasing complexity and sophistication of aggressive tax planning and to reverse the tax base erosion it leads to. The most prominent initiative in this context is the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project of the OECD. Although double non-taxation is among the main issues the BEPS project intends to address, this book shows that this phenomenon has not yet been fully understood. Focusing on the fundamental freedoms and the State aid rules of the EU, this book thoroughly explains the nature of double non-taxation from an EU law perspective, its relation to double taxation, and the impact of EU law on these phenomena. Among the issues dealt with in the course of the analysis are the following: – locating the gaps and inconsistencies among domestic tax systems exploited by taxpayers; – hybrid mismatch arrangements as a prime example of double non-taxation; – political efforts undertaken within the EU in order to address double taxation and double non-taxation; – double non-taxation in the European VAT system; – the convergence of the fundamental freedoms and the State aid rules; – the ECJ’s dilemma with regard to juridical double taxation; – the deviating approach with regard to economic double taxation; – the potential impact of the ECJ’s case law on the EU law compatibility of double non-taxation. The tax jurisprudence of the ECJ is referred to and comprehensively analysed throughout this whole book. A final chapter provides an outlook on possible developments in the future. By providing the first in-depth analysis of EU law’s impact on double non-taxation – and the double taxation relief standards with which it is intimately related – this book takes a giant step towards greater legal certainty in this challenging area of tax law. It will quickly take its place as a major practical analysis which benefits tax authorities, scholars, and tax practitioners across Europe and even beyond.




European Tax Law, Volume 1


Book Description

Ben Terra (1946–2019) was professor of tax law at the universities of Amsterdam (UvA), the Netherlands, and Lund, Sweden. Peter Wattel is Advocate General in the Supreme Court of the Netherlands, State Councillor extraordinary in the Netherlands, Council of State and professor of EU tax law at the Amsterdam Centre for Tax Law (ACTL), University of Amsterdam. Sjoerd Douma is professor at the ACTL, Director of the Adv LLM programme in International Tax Law at Amsterdam Law School, and partner at Lubbers, Boer & Douma in The Hague. Otto Marres is professor at the ACTL, and tax lawyer at Meijburg & Co., Amsterdam. Hein Vermeulen is Director of PwC’s EU Direct Tax Group, Amsterdam. Dennis Weber is professor of European Corporate Taxation at the ACTL and of counsel at Loyens & Loeff. The eighth edition of this leading textbook brings its comprehensive and systematic survey of European Tax Law up to March 2022. With its critical discussion of the EU tax rules and of the European Court’s case law in tax matters, it surpasses every other textbook on EU Tax Law in its clarification and analysis of the implications of the EU Treaties and secondary EU law for national and bilateral tax law. The in-depth coverage of Volume I includes the following: 1. The far-reaching consequences of the EU free movement rights, the EU State aid prohibition, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, and the general principles of EU law for national tax law, tax treaties, national (tax) procedure, State liability, and relations with third States. 2. Secondary EU law in force and proposed on direct taxes (Parent-Subsidiary Directive, Tax Merger Directive, Interest and Royalties Directive, cross-border tax dispute settlement instruments, the Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive and pending company tax proposals). 3. (Automatic) exchange of information and other administrative assistance in the assessment and recovery of taxes between the EU Member States. 4. Soft Law on Harmful Tax Competition. Procedural matters and the extent of judicial protection are emphasized throughout this volume. This new edition will continue to be of immense value to law school and university programmes in (international) tax law and in European Union law and for practice. Volume II (2021) of this book covers harmonization of indirect taxation, energy taxation and capital duty, as well as administrative cooperation in the field of indirect taxation.




Enhanced Cooperation and European Tax Law


Book Description

The enhanced cooperation mechanism allows at least nine Member States to introduce secondary EU law which is only binding among these Member States. From an internal market perspective, enhanced cooperation laws are unique as they lie somewhere between unilateral Member State laws and uniform European Union law. The law creates harmonisation and coordination between the participating Member States, but may introduce trade obstacles in relation to non-participating Member States. This book reveals that the enhanced cooperation mechanism allows Member States to protect their harmonised values and coordination endeavours against market efficiency. Values which may not be able to justify single Member State's trade obstacles may outweigh pure internal market needs if an entire group of Member States finds these value worthy of protection. However, protection of the harmonised values can never go as far as shielding participating Member States from the negative effects of enhanced cooperation laws. The hybrid nature of enhanced cooperation laws - their nexus between the law of a single Member State and secondary EU law - also demands that these laws comply with state aid law. This book shows how the European state aid law provisions should be applied to enhanced cooperation laws. Furthermore, the book also develops a sophisticated approach to the limits non-participating Member States face in ensuring that their actions do not impede the implementation of enhanced cooperation between the participating Member States.




EU Tax Law and Policy in the 21st Century


Book Description

Major changes in EU tax law demand an analysis of not just the current state of the field, but also forthcoming EU-level policy initiatives and their likely implications for taxpayers, regulators, and national legislatures alike. This book, the first in-depth commentary and analysis of such developments, offers exactly that. Twenty EU tax and policy experts examine the impact of EU Treaty provisions and recent ECJ case law on EU tax law, and provide well-informed assessments of current and anticipated EU tax policy initiatives and their potential impacts. Taxpayers, their advisors, national tax administrations, and national legislators will find relevant chapters to aid their understanding of, and to allow them to proactively address, EU tax law issues, such as: – non-discrimination; – state aid rules; – fundamental freedoms; – discretionary power of national tax authorities; – tax competition in the internal market; – cross-border exchange of tax information; – corporate tax harmonization; – EU and Member States’ external relations; and – the limits of judicial authority in tax policy. As an authoritative,detailed guide to recent and future developments in EU tax law, with highly informed insights into their practical effect, this book will be a welcome addition to the arsenal available to tax practitioners dealing with European tax matters, as well as interested policymakers and academics.




Research Handbook on European Union Taxation Law


Book Description

Offering a comprehensive exploration of EU taxation law, this engaging Research Handbook investigates the associated legal principles in the context of both direct and indirect taxation. The important issues and debates arising from these general principles are expertly unpicked, with leading scholars examining the status quo as well as setting out a clear agenda for future research.




CJEU Case Law in Direct Taxation: Territoriality and Fundamental Freedoms


Book Description

The principle of territoriality and the fundamental freedoms The tension between the fundamental freedoms and the sovereignty of the Member States is omnipresent in the CJEU ́s case law on direct taxation. A significant number of cases concerned one of the core principles in national tax laws: the principle of territoriality. Although this principle is continuously mentioned in cases concerning the compatibility of direct tax measures with the fundamental freedoms, the case law seems to provoke more questions than answers. This book provides guidance on the meaning of territoriality in the CJEU ́s case law on direct taxation as well as on the role which this principle plays in the compatibility of domestic direct tax measures with the fundamental freedoms. During a critical and dogmatically oriented journey through the CJEU ́s case law, the reader can enjoy a comprehensive analysis, containing references to more than 300 cases. Without a doubt, this timeless reflection of the tension between the principle of territoriality and the fundamental freedoms is not only interesting from a dogmatic perspective, but also from a tax policy one.




CJEU - Recent Developments in Value Added Tax 2018


Book Description

The most important and recent judgments of the CJEU Considering the ever increasing importance of indirect taxation as a source of revenue for governments, the intensifying complexity of the legal framework, and the proliferating number of countries adopting indirect taxation, it is essential to scrutinize how the law is actually applied in practice. The primary driving force in this area is, undoubtedly, the Court of Justice of the European Union. This book analyses selected topics (e.g. the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and VAT, taxable base and rates, exemptions, and deductions) by examining the most prominent and recent judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union. Experts from all over the world, not just from academia but also government representatives and tax practitioners, have provided their input and helped us compile what is an informative and worthy read for anyone dealing with indirect taxation on a professional basis.




International Juridical Double Taxation from an Ability-to-Pay Perspective under EU Law


Book Description

The hurdles emerging from the parallel exercise of Member States’ tax sovereignty have been examined by the CJEU and intensely discussed by scholars. By uncovering a paradox in the CJEU’s case law, this groundbreaking book provides a constructive alternative to the deadlock created by the CJEU when ruling that international juridical double taxation, although constituting an obstacle to free movement, is not contrary to EU law. The book – the first in-depth treatment of this perspective – enables taxpayers facing international juridical double taxation to understand how their ability to pay is protected under EU law and the limitations that protection faces. Every aspect of the matter is rigorously examined, including the following: important differences between the traditional notion of double taxation and the current definition under Council Directive 2017/1852; legal means and methods designed to eliminate international juridical double taxation and the policies underlying them; freedoms of movement as prohibitions that limit the exercise of Member States’ taxing powers; consideration of expenses related to economic activity and personal and family circumstances; and in-depth discussion of taxation of income derived from source versus residence Member State. Throughout the book, the author refers to the case law of the CJEU on both international juridical double taxation and taxpayers’ ability to pay, as well as the relevant academic literature, allowing the reader to understand the current state of EU law on these matters and their relation. The author’s remarkable venture into this challenging field, with a deeply informed construction of instrumental categories and critical review of their content, culminates with a viable reformulation of the serious and growing problem of international juridical double taxation. The book will be welcomed by taxation professionals in practice, policymakers, and academia.