Inhaltsangabe:Abstract: This paper is intended to give an overview over Austrian advance rulings in an international context. In order to be able to outline the Austrian rulings practice and provisions that constitute a legal basis for advance rulings -- since in Austria rulings are not based upon one single law or provision but on many -- the term advance ruling will be defined as well and its meaning in international tax practice will be described. Moreover, this paper is intended to examine Austrian rulings measures in the light of the EU and OECD provisions against harmful tax competition, as well as under the state aid provisions of the EC Treaty. It is structured as follows: In the first part, the provisions of the EU (Code of Conduct of Business Taxation) and OECD (report on harmful tax competition) against harmful tax competition as well as the state aid provisions are described and the discussion, as to whether provisions against harmful tax competition are necessary at all, is outlined briefly. Then, international rulings practice is explained. Finally and essentially, Austrian rulings provisions are described in detail and assessed according to the criteria to identify harmful tax practices described in the provisions against harmful tax competition. This diploma thesis was written in the course of the EUCOTAX-program 2001/2002. EUCOTAX is a scientific cooperation between several European universities (i.e. European Universities Cooperating on Taxes). The intention of this program is to provide students and young academics with the experience of participating in an international tax conference. During their time of preparation, they are supported by senior experts. In the year 2002, the general topic was Tax Competition . This topic was split up into six sub-topics which were to be discussed in groups during this year's conference. These sub-topics were State aid , OECD report on harmful tax competition , Code of conduct of business taxation , Holding companies/exempt entities , CFC legislation , and Advance rulings . The conference was held from 4 April to 12 April 2002 in Tilburg, Netherlands. Inhaltsverzeichnis:Table of Contents: Table of contents2 Dedication5 1.Preface6 2.Eu and OECD PRovisions against harmful tax competition8 2.1Are measures to curb harmful tax competition necessary?8 2.1.1Definition of harmful tax competition8 2.1.2Arguments in favor of the adoption of measures against harmful tax [...]

Tax competition in the form of harmful tax practices can distort trade and investment patterns, erode national tax bases and shift part of the tax burden onto less mobile tax bases. The Report emphasises that governments must intensify their cooperative actions to curb harmful tax practices.

This book analyses the functioning and effectiveness of the diplomatic EU Code of Conduct Group in tackling harmful tax competition in the European Union.

This book examines recent developments and high-profile debates that have arisen in the field of international tax law and European tax law. Topics such as international tax avoidance, corporate social responsibility, good governance in tax matters, harmful tax competition, state aid, tax treaty abuse and the financial transaction tax are considered. The OECD/G20 project on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) features prominently in the book. The interaction with the European Union's Action Plan to strengthen the fight against tax fraud and tax evasion is also considered. Particular attention is paid to specific BEPS deliverables, exploring them through the prism of European Union law. Can the two approaches be aligned or are there inherent conflicts between them? The book also explores whether, when it comes to aggressive tax planning, there are internal conflicts between the established case law of the Court of Justice and the emerging policy of the European institutions. By so doing it offers a review of issues which are of constitutional importance to the European Union. Finally, the book reflects on the future of international and European tax law in the post-BEPS world.

This report presents studies and data available regarding the existence and magnitude of base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS), and contains an overview of global developments that have an impact on corporate tax matters.

This action plan, created in response to a request by the G20, identifies a set of domestic and international actions to address the problems of base erosion and profit sharing.