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.

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.

Jurisdiction to Tax Corporate Income Pursuant to the Presumptive Benefit Principle intends to demonstrate that the profit shifting phenomenon (i.e., the ability of companies to book their profits in jurisdictions other than those that host their economic activities) is real, severe, undesirable, and above all, the natural consequence of both the preservation of three fundamental paradigms that have historically underlain corporate income taxes and their precise legal configuration. In view of this, the book submits a number of proposals in relation to the aforementioned paradigms and in the light of the suggested “presumptive benefit principle” so as to counteract profit shifting risks and thus attain a more equitable allocation of taxing rights among States. This PhD thesis obtained the prestigious European Academic Tax Thesis Award 2018 granted by the European Commission and the European Association of Tax Law Professors. What’s in this book: This book provides a disruptive discourse on tax sovereignty in the field of corporate income taxation that endeavors to escape from long-standing tax policy tendencies and prejudices while considering the challenges posed by a globalized (and increasingly digitalized) economy. In particular, the book offers an innovative perspective on certain deep-rooted paradigms historically underlying corporate income taxation: tax treatment of related parties within a corporate group along with the arm’s-length standard; corporate tax residence standards; and definition of source for corporate income tax purposes, with a particular emphasis on the permanent establishment concept. The book explores their respective origins, supposed tax policy rationales, structural problems and interactions; ultimately showing how the way tax jurisdiction is currently defined through them inherently tends to trigger profit shifting outcomes. In view of the conclusions of the study, the author suggests the use of a new version of the traditional benefit principle (the “presumptive benefit principle”) that would contribute to address the profit shifting phenomenon while serving as a practical guideline to achieve a more equitable allocation of taxing rights among jurisdictions. Finally, the book submits a number of proposals inspired by the aforementioned guideline that aspire to strike a balance between equity, effectiveness and technical feasibility. They include a new corporate tax residence test and, most notably, a proposal on a new remote-sales permanent establishment. How this will help you: With its case study (based on the Apple group) empirically demonstrating the existence of the profit shifting phenomenon, its clearly documented exposure of the reasons why traditional corporate income tax regimes systematically give rise to these outcomes, its new tax policy guideline and its proposals for reform, this book makes a significant contribution to current tax policy discussions concerning corporate income taxation in cross-border scenarios. It will be warmly welcomed by all concerned—policymakers, scholars, practitioners—with the greatest tax policy challenges that corporate income taxation is facing in the contemporary world.

The book is written for students of business economics and tax law. It focuses on investment and financing decisions in cross-border situations. In particular, the book deals with: Legal structures of international company taxation, International double taxation, Source-based and residence-based income taxation, International investment and profit shifting, International corporate tax planning, International tax planning and European law, Harmonization of corporate taxation in the European Union, International tax planning and tax accounting. International tax law is designed to avoid international double taxation and to combat international tax avoidance. Nevertheless, companies investing in foreign countries may suffer from international double taxation of profits. On the other hand, these companies may also be able to exploit an international tax rate differential by means of cross-border tax planning. Ulrich Schreiber holds the chair of Business Administration and Business Taxation at the University of Mannheim. He serves as co-editor of Schmalenbachs Zeitschrift für betriebswirtschaftliche Forschung (zfbf) and Schmalenbach Business Review (sbr) and is affiliated with the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) as a research associate. Ulrich Schreiber is a member of the Academic Advisory Board of the Federal Ministry of Finance.

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.

Explains the concepts that underlie international tax law and double tax treaties and provides an insight into how international tax policy, law and practice operate to ultimately impose tax on international business and investment.

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.