The Impact Of The Oecd And Un Model Conventions On Bilateral Tax Treaties

This book provides an analysis of bilateral tax treaties concluded by thirty-seven jurisdictions from five continents and empirically ascertains the impact of the UN and OECD Model Tax Conventions on bilateral tax treaties. It therefore fills a major gap in the international tax literature, which has so far either studied the sole Model Tax Conventions or focused on bilateral treaties in the context of the tax treaty policy of single countries, and sets the pace for a new methodology in the analysis and interpretation of tax treaties. A general report outlines the key points of the analysis, highlights current trends and predicts future developments of multilateralism and global tax law. This is an essential resource for academics, tax authorities and international tax practitioners who find textbooks based on Model Tax Conventions insufficient.

"The substantive scope of a tax treaty determines the extent of protection it can provide against international double taxation. Countries worldwide have adopted the text of Art. 2 ('Taxes covered') of the OECD Model Tax Conventions in their bilateral tax treaties. However, the structure and wording of Art. 2, which have remained virtually unchanged since the beginnings of tax treaty law in the 1920s, create interpetive issues and uncertainties in practical treaty application. This book not only provides in-depth analysis of recent case law and academic literature, but also sheds light on the background to the standard formulations so widely used in the provision on the substantive scope of today's tax treaties. The source documents used have rarely found their way into publications before: historical OEEC and OECD Reports and Minutes, originally largely classified as 'restricted' and thus inaccessible to the public for decades, provide an insight into the drafting process of Art. 2 and the discussions of Delegates from various nations on practical implications for treaty application. The book offers a unique perspective on this core treaty provision and aims to provide guidance for determing the 'taxes covered' in any tax treaty"--Page 4 of cover.

Since the mid-1980s, the legal basis of the practice of tax administrations and courts around the world to conform to the Commentaries when interpreting and applying bilateral tax treaties based on the OECD Model has been the subject of an ongoing academic debate. Recently the debate has received new impetus, and the primary focus is now on the general principles of international law. In particular, opinions differ on the question whether the Commentaries can be a source of legal obligations through the principles of acquiescence and estoppel, both of which are founded on considerations of good faith, and equity and provide specific protection of settled expectations. The reports contained in this book address two questions. The first is whether, under international law, the states parties to a tax treaty are legally bound by the OECD Commentaries when interpreting and applying the provisions of the treaty which are identical to those of the OECD Model. The second question is whether, under the contracting states' internal law, taxpayers and the tax authorities are equally bound to apply the Commentaries if and when the contracting states themselves are so bound under international law. The book brings various legal disciplines - public international law, international tax law, Community law and constitutional law - together in order to resolve the legal status of the Commentaries. Through interdisciplinary debate, the issues have been defined clearly and the exact points at which the opinions differ are identified, thereby resulting in a better understanding of the issues at hand.

This is the tenth edition of the condensed version of the "OECD Model Tax Convention on Income and on Capital". It contains the full text of the "Model Tax Convention on Income and Capital" as it read on 21 November 2017, but without the historical notes and the background reports included...

As almost every income tax treaty is based on precedents found in the OECD or UN Model Convention, the practical relevance of the two Models is undeniable. The Models and the Commentaries thereon serve not only as starting points during treaty negotiations but also as significant aids in interpretation in the sense of articles 31 and 32 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. Although the UN Model draws strongly from the OECD Model, it pursues a different aim and deviates substantially in certain provisions.0In its 11 chapters, this book provides a detailed analysis of the deviations between the OECD and UN Models. It examines the provisions included in the Models, as well as their impact and relevance.0The book incorporates the perspectives of leading scholars and practitioners in the field of international taxation.

The United Nations Model Double Taxation Convention between Developed and Developing Countries: 2021 Update is a publication geared towards the international community especially developing countries and countries with economies in transition. Double tax treaties aim to prevent unrelieved double taxation, in order to foster cross-border economic activity and the transfer of technology. The UN Model Tax Convention consists of articles on the treaty's scope and on definitions to be used in the treaty. For different kinds of income and capital, it allocates taxing rights before establishing how double taxation will be eliminated where the taxing rights are shared. It also includes articles that prevent certain forms of tax discrimination; provide for the exchange of tax information and assistance in tax collection between the treaty partners; allow the treaty partners to consult together, through the Mutual Agreement Procedure, to resolve disputes or address doubts concerning the treaty; and address certain types of treaty abuse. The most important changes included in the 2021 version of the UN Model address concerns expressed by developing countries regarding tax treaty obstacles to the taxation of foreign enterprises on income from automated digital services and on gains on so-called “offshore indirect transfers”. The 2021 UN Model also features new guidance on the application and interpretation of the definition of a permanent establishment, the concept of a beneficial owner, and the application of the Model's provisions to collective investment vehicles, pensions funds, and real estate investment trusts. This fifth edition of the UN Model Tax Convention culminates four years of work by the UN Tax Committee and its Subcommittees, supported by the Secretariat in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Since its first publication in 1980, the Model has been updated previously in 2001, 2011, and 2017.

Bilateral tax treaties are often, to a greater or lesser extent, based on the OECD Model Convention. Among the distributive rules with respect to taxation of income which are laid down in Chapter III of that model, Article 21 assigns the tax jurisdiction in respect of "other income" - understood to mean items of income which are not dealt with in other provisions of the tax treaty - to the residence state in accordance with the main rule underlying the OECD Model, thus ensuring that no income falls outside the scope of the treaty. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of Article 21 of the OECD Model. In extensive detail, and with reference to case law from a number of jurisdictions and to statements of various authorities and official documents, the author shows how Article 21 operates in relation to the other distributive rules of the OECD Model and bilateral tax treaties based thereon. The analysis considers such items of income as the following in relation to Article 21: - income from immovable property; - business profits; - profits from shipping, inland waterways transport, and air transport; - dividends, interest, and royalties; - capital gains; and - income from employment. In addition, the author examines the significance of the OECD Commentaries for the interpretation of tax treaties, the "other income" article in other model conventions, and notable deviations from Article 21 among bilateral tax treaties. An appendix offers well-grounded recommendations on how to potentially amend the wording of Article 21 and the related commentary and how the application of the article can be improved. Although underexposed in the tax law literature heretofore, the "other income" article raises important international taxation issues that remain problematic or unresolved. Tax lawyers, government officials, and other interested professionals will find here a penetrating analysis that goes a long way towards clarifying the characterisation of income that resists the standard categories defined in tax treaties.

This report addresses the issue of the application of tax treaties to cases involving partnerships in detail and focuses on specific factual examples.