Tax By Design

Based on the findings of a commission chaired by James Mirrlees, this volume presents a coherent picture of tax reform whose aim is to identify the characteristics of a good tax system for any open developed economy, assess the extent to which the UK tax system conforms to these ideals, and recommend how it might be reformed in that direction.

"This book is the product of the first Cnossen Forum-Tax by design for the Netherlands that was held on 23-24 May 2019."--Page v.

The Review was chaired by Nobel Laureate Professor Sir James Mirrlees of the University of Cambridge and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. --

The goal of the Mirrlees Review has been to identify what makes a good tax system for an open developed economy in the 21st century and to suggest how the UK tax system could be reformed to move in that direction. As an integral part of the Review, this volume brings together thirteen studies of different dimensions of tax design, plus associated commentaries. These were commissioned from IFS researchers and other international experts, to be of interest and value in their own right, as well as to provide inspiration for the final report of the Review, which is published as a separate volume, Tax by Design. The Commission's work was directed by: Tim Besley Richard Blundell Malcolm Gammie James Poterba The Commission's editorial team: Stuart Adam Stephen Bond Robert Chote Paul Johnson Gareth Myles

This study introduces the concept of “Tax Compliance by design”. It describes how revenue bodies can exploit developments in technology and the ways in which modern SMEs organise themselves to incorporate tax compliance into the systems businesses use to manage their financial affairs.

The book describes the difficulties of the current international corporate income tax system. It starts by describing its origins and how changes, such as the development of multinational enterprises and digitalization have created fundamental problems, not foreseen at its inception. These include tax competition—as governments try to attract tax bases through low tax rates or incentives, and profit shifting, as companies avoid tax by reporting profits in jurisdictions with lower tax rates. The book then discusses solutions, including both evolutionary changes to the current system and fundamental reform options. It covers both reform efforts already under way, for example under the Inclusive Framework at the OECD, and potential radical reform ideas developed by academics.

In 2015 the OECD released its roadmap to address Base Erosion and Profit Shifting - the largest reform of international tax the world has seen in a century. This volume is a comprehensive stock-take of the BEPS implementation that looks beyond a mere checklist of action or non-action to explore the experiences of 18 different jurisdictions.