The Concept Of Permanent Establishment In The Insurance Business

siness models adopted by insurance companies; and comparative analysis of double tax treaty policies adopted in a number of countries with respect to the permanent establishment provision in the insurance business, highlighting Switzerland for comparative purposes. In a concluding chapter, the author proposes changes to the definition of the dependent agent permanent establishment currently enshrined in the model treaties and their respective commentaries, aligning such a definition to the regulatory framework in which insurance companies conduct their business in countries other than that of incorporation. As a highly significant and timely contribution to the study of the interplay between insurance regulation and tax implications, this very original work will prove of especial value to practitioners in international tax and insurance law, as well as professionals in the financial services sector and tax academics.

Permanent establishment is the key concept for allocating taxation rights in respect of business income, and the question ‘Is there a permanent establishment?’ is a tax treaty issue that advisers, government officials, and courts perennially confront. Based on a ‘fixed link to the ground’, the idea has become progressively more difficult to apply until, at this stage, re-evaluation has become a political necessity. If a permanent establishment may exist in the context of e-commerce, the concept of a geographical presence must be redefined. However, the question remains: Is e-commerce a sufficient reason for challenging the well-established permanent establishment nexus? Drawing on case law, administrative practice, and business decisions in numerous jurisdictions, the author discusses the permanent establishment criteria under conditions of e-commerce and the service economy. He shows that the OECD Model Convention and its commentaries already offer the basis for the evolution of the analysis of the concept, and that the preservation of permanent establishment protects and maintains the level playing field between capital importing and capital exporting economies. He examines in depth such elements as the following: ;the prevalence of commercial coherence over geographic coherence; the role of value-added tax; services permanent establishment; relevant definitions of ‘activity’ and ‘personnel’; multiple permanent establishments; supervision activity and sub-contracting; the differences between civil law and common law concepts of representation; particular treatment of the insurance sector; the ‘force of attraction’ concept; and specific exceptions (e.g., transportation, artists and sportsmen, rental income, agricultural activities, pipelines). Taking into account important distinctions between two model conventions (OECD and UN), as well as pertinent EU directives and the impact of EU law, the author proposes minor amendments to the OECD Model that adapt it to economic reality and current trends in jurisprudence and that can be implemented immediately. An appendix includes Article 5 and its commentaries as they have evolved since 1963, with the successive addenda and deletions. The author’s 20-plus years of experience as a tax lawyer lend the presentation a thoroughly practical aspect. The work addresses in more detail than any other publication the topic of profit allocation to a permanent establishment in the e-commerce world, an issue which is evolving rapidly in the current economic environment. Tax advisors, lawyers, and interested academics and policymakers will benefit from the book’s clear analysis of the conditions under which a permanent establishment not only should be preserved, but also how it is likely to be adapted in the future.

This study examines the difficult task of applying income taxation to the life and property and casualty insurance industries.

This report includes changes to the definition of permanent establishment in the OECD Model Tax Convention that will address strategies used to avoid having a taxable presence in a country under tax treaties. These changes will ensure that where the activities that an intermediary exercises in a country are intended to result in the regular conclusion of contracts to be performed by a foreign enterprise, that enterprise will be considered to have a taxable presence in that country unless the intermediary is performing these activities in the course of an independent business. The changes will also restrict the application of a number of exceptions to the definition of permanent establishment to activities that are preparatory or auxiliary nature and will ensure that it is not possible to take advantage of these exceptions by the fragmentation of a cohesive operating business into several small operations; they will also address situations where the exception applicable to construction sites is circumvented through the splitting-up contracts between closely related enterprises.

"Switzerland has recently witnessed an unprecedented level of tax treaty negotiations. Although this is a direct result of Switzerland's revised position regarding exchange of information, a number of contracting states have taken this opportunity to modify tax treaty benefits and/or clarify certain aspects of tax treaty interpretation and application. These are considered extensively in this edition. As Switzerland has steadily aligned itself with international principles of international taxation, the self-imposed anti-abuse rules for the application of tax treaties have become less relevant. Nevertheless, Swiss courts have become more creative in determining where there is and where there is not treaty abuse. As a result, the 1962 Abuse Decree is making way for a more complex basket of anti-abuse rules and regulations"--Foreword (page vii).

Addressing base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) is a key priority of governments. In 2013, OECD and G20 countries, working together on an equal footing, adopted a 15-point Action Plan to address BEPS. This publication is the final report for Action 7.

The OECD’s guidance on combatting tax avoidance strategies associated with Base Erosion and Profit Sharing (BEPS) methods is complex and accompanied by a wealth of literature. This book is the first to provide a concise and accessible overview of counter BEPS measures in the OECD Model and Commentary, allowing readers to gain a practical understanding of how the measures can impact the taxation of bilateral investments protected by tax treaties.

Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject Business economics - Accounting and Taxes, grade: -, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, language: English, abstract: In my scientific writing I will write about the attribution of profits to Permanent Establishments in accordance with the updated OECD Model Tax Convention and the OECD Report on the attribution of profits to Permanent Establishments in the Versions of 2008 and 2010. First I will start with the definition of the Permanent Establishment in the German law and according to the OECD Model Tax Convention. Afterwards I will continue with the allocation of Profits to the Permanent Establishment by the two step analysis and the different transfer price methods. Additionally I will write about the hypothetical independent enterprises and special regulations for Banks, the trading of financial instruments and Insurance companies.