The Impact of Community Law on Tax Treaties:Issues and Solutions


Book Description

Study on the question of harmonization of direct taxation among European Community Member States: how Member States must comply with EC Law as they apply their tax treaties, how EC law regulates cross-border tax issues within the Community, and how EC law affects tax treaties between EU Member States and third countries. The book provides expert commentary on 27 leading tax cases from the European Court of Justice, and gives the proposal of EC Model Tax Convention, which combines existing provisions of international tax law with the principles of Community tax law.







Credit Method Compatibility and Constraints under EU Law


Book Description

As European Union (EU) Member States seek to counteract base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) practices while avoiding new obstacles to the EU’s internal market such as double taxation, the credit method, also known as the foreign tax credit, is one of the essential tools in this balancing act, yet it is one that has given rise to various EU law challenges and questions. This invaluable book – the first in-depth study of the EU law constraints on designing the credit method – delineates the EU law boundaries within which the Member States must operate when they implement this method of tax relief. For the first time, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) cases that may affect, directly or indirectly, the credit method and its main components are systematically identified and analysed in order to extract the legal findings and principles that define the contours within which the Member States can manoeuvre when considering EU-compatible approaches to the credit method. To this end, among others, this book offers: an extensive study of the historical legal developments of the credit method; an overview of the key design features of the credit method, considering the optional, variable components, such as the credit limitation (maximum creditable amount), that tailor it to different legal and policy considerations; an analysis of the legal constraints on the key features of the credit method flowing from CJEU case law on the fundamental freedoms, considering the impact of landmark cases and concepts (e.g., Schumacker, neutralization); the EU law implications based on the type of credit method (direct, indirect, imputation) and the feature of the credit method (e.g., credit limitation, credit carryforward); and examples to clearly and concisely illustrate the basic operation of the credit method and some of the main calculation and EU law issues. The author’s doctoral dissertation, on which the book is based, was awarded the Wolfgang Gassner Science Prize 2020 and the European Doctoral Tax Thesis Award 2020. As a timely, comprehensive and practical study of the relationship between the credit method and EU law, this book will be welcomed by lawyers and other professionals working with taxation matters, as well as by tax policymakers and academics in the fields of international and European tax law.




The Impact of Tax Treaties and EU Law on Group Taxation Regimes


Book Description

Should the income of a corporate group be taxed differently solely because the traditional structure of the income tax system considers each company individually? Taxation affects business decisions, including location, the form in which business is carried out, and the efficient allocation of company resources. Disparities – differences arising from the interaction of different tax systems – and obstacles – distortions created by domestic legislation arising from differences between domestic and cross-border situations – both become more acute when a business chooses to set up or acquire other companies, thus forming a group, usually operating in multiple jurisdictions. Responding to such ever more common developments, this book is the first in-depth analysis of how tax treaties and EU law influence group taxation regimes. Among the issues and topics covered are the following: – analysis of the different tax group regimes adopted by different countries; – advantages and disadvantages of a variety of models; – application of the non-discrimination provision of Article 24 of the OECD Model Tax Convention to group taxation regimes; – application of the fundamental freedoms of the TFEU to group taxation regimes following the three-step approach adopted by the EU Court of Justice; – uncertainty raised by the landmark Marks & Spencer case, its interpretation and consequences to other group taxations regimes; – interrelations between tax treaties and EU Law in the context of tax groups; and – per-element approach. The analysis considers concrete examples as well as relevant case law. With its analysis of the standards required by the two sets of norms (tax treaties and EU law) and their interaction, particularly in terms of non-discrimination, this book sheds clear light on ways to overcome the disparities and obstacles inherent in group taxation regimes. As a thorough survey of the extent to which the interpretation of tax treaties and EU law affect group taxation regimes, this book has no peers. All taxation professionals, whether working in EU Member States or in EU trading partners, will appreciate its invaluable insights and guidance.




Tax Treaty Interpretation


Book Description

Detailed survey of tax treaty interpretations in 16 European countries taking into account court decisions since 1993, the OECD reports on partnership, changes in administrative practice at national level and recent Community law effecting taxation and tax practice.




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.




Residence of Individuals Under Tax Treaties and EC Law


Book Description

This book deals comprehensively with the problems raised by residence of individuals for tax purposes. It begins with an overview of residence of individuals in private international law, with a particular emphasis on general principles on residence and conflict of law rules. It then examines issues raised by residence of individuals in EC (non-tax) law. Individual country surveys provide in-depth analyses from a national viewpoint. The following countries are discussed: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and United Kingdom.




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.




Time and Tax: Issues in International, EU, and Constitutional Law


Book Description

Time is a crucial dimension in the application of any law. In tax law, however, where an environment characterized by rapid change on the national, European, and international levels complicates the provision of accurate legal advice, timing is particularly sensitive. This book is the first to analyse the relationship between time and three key areas of tax: treaties, EU law, and constitutional law issues, such as legal certainty and individual rights. Among the numerous timing issues arising out of applying tax rules, the book addresses the following: – time limits within which relief must be requested; – statutes of limitation for claiming a tax refund; – transitional issues relating to changes in tax treaties; – attribution of profits and expenses to a moving or closed-down business; – effect of tax-related CJEU decisions and EU directives; – compliance of exit tax regimes with free movement; – limits of retroactivity under principles protected by the EU Charter and the ECHR; and – conflict between efficiency of taxation and individual rights. Derived from a recent conference organized by the prestigious ATOZ Chair for European and International Taxation at the University of Luxembourg, the book brings together contributions from leading tax experts from various areas of tax practice, academia, and the judiciary. Among other issues, the book notably expands on how economic theory can inform a constitutional analysis of the timing of taxation. There is no other work that concentrates so usefully on the difficulties associated with applying tax rules – whether arising from treaties, jurisprudence, or policy – to changing circumstances over time. This book will quickly prove itself to be an indispensable resource for European tax lawyers, policymakers, company counsels, and academics.




Europe-China Tax Treaties


Book Description

This network aims at initiating and coordinating both comparative education in taxation, through the organisation of activities such as winter courses and guest lectures, and comparative research in the field, by means of joint research projects, international conferences and exchange of researchers between various countries. --