A Journey Through European And International Taxation

To some extent, because of his overlapping careers in academia and politics, the renowned tax scholar Peter Essers is known for his influential insight that ‘the effects of taxation on the political balance of power, and vice versa, are always interlinked with other phenomena, such as wars, crises, religious developments and inequalities in society’. In this widely ranging festschrift, thirty-six prominent tax scholars from all across Europe examine the legacy of Peter Essers’ research interests, from the larger philosophical, political, and social factors driving tax history to the reality of the taxing State as experienced by taxpayers and tax officials. The book’s outstanding overview of the most relevant technical and policy aspects of European and international taxation includes deeply thoughtful chapters on such topics and issues as the following: developing sustainable corporate tax governance; tax whistleblowing; transfer pricing; balancing qualitative and quantitative approaches to tax research; necessity to reach something close to ‘equal treatment’ between the upper and lower social classes; consent and democracy; tax rebellions; tax evasion and tax avoidance; taxation of cross-border remote workers and their employers; mitigation of double taxation of income earned by entertainers and sportspersons; and the international tax treaty network. More than a homage to this scholar’s far-reaching contributions, this book is remarkable for the variety and academic rigour of the chapters. The understanding its authors provide of both the broad contours and the intricacies of European and international taxation will be of inestimable value to tax practitioners, policymakers, tax consultants, and academics, as well as interested researchers in economics, political science, and sociology.

With its multidisciplinary approach, this book gives readers a better understanding of the effects of taxes on sustainable development in the European Union and worldwide.

This Second Edition provides an updated and succinct, yet highly informative overview of the key issues surrounding taxation and international law from Reuven Avi-Yonah, a leading authority on international tax. This small but powerful book surveys the nuances of the varying taxation systems, offering expert insight into the scope, reach and nature of international tax regimes, as well as providing an excellent platform for understanding how the principles of jurisdiction apply to tax and the connected tools that are used by countries in imposing taxes. It includes new material on BEPS, the EU Anti Tax Avoidance Package, and the US Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Comprising the proceedings and working documents of an annual seminar held in Milan in November 2007, this book analyses the tax issues for groups of companies operating in a European or worldwide dimension. The book examines the issues raised by both tax treaty and European law by focusing on selected topics. It first provides an analysis of the group concept under company and commercial law followed by an overview of taxation of groups in common and civil law countries. The tax regime of groups of companies under European law is further considered, both for income tax and VAT. The issues raised by application of tax treaties to groups of companies is then considered, with a particular emphasis on treaty recognition of groups, application of tax treaties to companies included in national group consolidation regimes, and application of the treaty articles on business income and non-discrimination. Individual country surveys provide an in-depth analysis of the above issues from a national viewpoint in selected European and North American jurisdictions.

The papers in this book are the result of the 10th Annual Conference of the Group for Research on European and International Taxation (GREIT), which was held on 17 and 18 September 2015 in Amsterdam. The theme of this conference was the influence of European law on international tax law and, vice versa, the influence of international tax law on European law. European law and international tax law are increasingly offering building blocks for what can be called a "global supranational tax law".

This handbook is a concise guide for those who are interested in obtaining a basic knowledge of European tax law. Designed for students, it should be useful as well for experienced international tax specialists with little knowledge of European law, for European law specialists who are reluctant to approach the technicalities of direct taxation, and for non-Europeans who deal with Europe for business or academic reasons and need to understand the foundations of European tax law. The book will also be useful to academics without a legal background, in order to approach the technical issues raised by European Union tax law. This third edition has been updated and upgraded. For the purpose of enhancing the handbook's content and its flexible use, the book contains (flow) charts, a table of all the ECJ judgments quoted, indicating the marginal number and chapter in which they have been analyzed, and an analytical index. Considering the complexity of European direct tax law and the relevant ECJ case law, such features will also make this handbook an indispensable tool for the most experienced European direct tax law experts.

This authoritative book provides a structural, global view of evolving judicial and doctrinal trends in the understanding of beneficial ownership in international taxation. Despite attempts by the OECD to clarify the concept, it remains ambiguous to tax authorities, courts and scholars alike, which has detrimental effects on the functioning of tax treaties. Blazej Kuzniacki presents a route towards an international autonomous meaning of beneficial ownership in international taxation, while also offering a comprehensive explanation of the divergent understandings and tax policy arguments underpinning its continuing ambiguity. Key Features: Guidance towards solving definitional disputes between taxpayers and tax authorities Discussion of ground-breaking judgments in cases on beneficial ownership from various jurisdictions across the world Comprehensive reflection of tax law in action, particularly in respect of outbound investments that trigger transborder payments of dividends, interest and royalties Clear demarcation between appropriate and inappropriate usage of beneficial ownership by authorities and courts when addressing the issue of abuse of tax treaties and EU Directives Beneficial Ownership in International Taxation will be a crucial resource for lawyers specialising in international taxation, tax practitioners and accountants, along with officials at tax authorities and judges hearing cases in this area. It will also be useful for policy makers working on cross-border taxation, and scholars and students researching international tax law.

The book provides an introduction to European law on direct taxation. It includes an overview of the sources of European law, the impact of the fundamental freedoms on direct taxation and the relevance of the European state aid provisions in tax matters. Further, it analyses all relevant directives in the field of direct taxation, namely the Parent-Subsidiary Directive, the Merger Directive, the Interest and Royalty Directive, looks at mutual assistance, as well as the EU Arbitration Convention. This edition has some structural changes, primarily made to adapt the analysis of European tax integration to the application of the EU Charter on Fundamental Rights in tax matters and the development of global tax competition. The latter phenomenon is being targeted by the BEPS and Tax Transparency projects in a suptranational framework that coordinates the exercise of national taxing rights around the globe and which also has significant repercussions for European tax integration.