Corporate Residence And International Taxation

Analysis of the case law test for corporate residence, developed mainly in the United Kingdom beginning in the 19th century, the residence definition adopted in the OECD Model Convention and some of its more common variants, and Canadian domestic statutory provisions.

Deals with issues and problems raised by residence of companies for tax purposes, including detailed analysis from a national viewpoint in selected European and North American jurisdictions, Australia and South Africa.

The concept of residence lies at the core of corporate income taxation. In domestic tax systems, the essential function of the residence concept is to subject resident corporate taxpayers to full tax liability, usually on a worldwide basis. In tax treaties, residence plays a fundamental role in the allocation of taxing powers between states. Moreover, within the European Union, it gives access to the legal protection granted to companies by internal market rules, whether contained in EU treaties (fundamental freedoms) or in tax directives. Today, however, the globalization and the digitalization of the economy are putting residence under heavy pressure. Within multinational enterprises, the geographical dislocation of the functions performed by people and entities within the multinational group makes it harder to identify a central place of decision or management in cases where this place is not the same as the place where the company was incorporated. Moreover, tax planning strategies involving location or the transfer of residence to low-tax jurisdictions have come under the spotlight of international organizations, such as the OECD and the European Union. Against this background, this book examines the notion of residence from a comparative, EU and international law perspective. It is divided into two parts. Part one comprises a general introductory report, as well as five thematic reports on key present and future issues concerning the tax residence of companies. Part two comprises the national reports of 14 EU Member States and 6 non-EU Member States (Norway, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United States). Those reports contain an extensive analysis of the definition and function of corporate tax residence on the basis of a questionnaire (which is included as an appendix in this book). With contributions from renowned academics from Europe and beyond, this book offers an insightful and multifaceted perspective on a fundamental concept of domestic and international taxation.

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.

This book is a comprehensive, up-to-date treatise on income tax law in Canada. The book introduces students and practitioners to income tax law in its broadest dimensions. It addresses the subject matter based on principles, policy, and practice. The objective is to explain what the law is, why it is the way it is, and how it works (or does not).

It is of great importance to be able to determine who or what is considered ‘resident’ within the meaning of tax treaty provisions. However, the concept of residence has never been fundamentally adjusted to current circumstances in which technological developments make it possible for corporations to explore the wide gap between their actual business operations and the ‘legalistic’ requirements for corporate residence. In this study of the OECD Model Tax Convention – the basis for most tax treaties – the author develops a clear understanding of the content of the residence concept as regards entities and proposes solutions to current problems, finishing with his own thoroughgoing definition. In seeking a definition of the term ‘resident’ that covers all uses in treaties, the analysis draws on, in addition to the current and earlier iterations of the OECD Model Law itself, such elements as the following: domestic law meaning of residence in the tax law of France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States; Articles 31 and 32 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties; historical documents that uncover the ordinary meaning of treaty terms; tax treaty case law and court decisions; and fiscal, tax and legal scholarship surrounding the concept of residence for taxation purposes. The analysis includes a comprehensive description of tiebreaker rules, various perspectives on ‘place of effective management’ and policy considerations as to the further development of the treatment of entities under double tax conventions. Given the inordinate importance of the definition of ‘resident’, the differences in interpretation to which the current definition gives rise and the economic developments that call for an evaluation of the provision, this thorough examination of the treaty rules on residence of entities will be welcomed by tax lawyers, corporate counsel and policymakers and academics concerned with tax law. The author’s guidance on the concept of residence for tax purposes and his original proposals for reform will prove of great practical value for tax practitioners.

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.