This book provides an insight into business structuring and the related tax considerations. It covers all important aspects of fixed place of business and dependent agency types of PE, as well as the exceptions for independent agents, permitted ancillary activities, and parent-subsidiary relationships. It provides commentary on applicable rules and discusses regulations and case law from multiple jurisdictions. This new edition has entirely new chapters on e-commerce, supply chain and contract manufacturing structures and service PEs; updates of model treaty changes and PE rulings globally; and features implications of new developments in mineral extraction, real estate leasing and construction management. The book identifies key PE rulings not only in OECD countries, but also in the emerging BRIC countries.

"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).

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.

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.

Dependent Agents as Permanent Establishments The article on business profits may be the most relevant one in tax treaties. If patterned after the OECD Model Tax Convention, this article allocates the exclusive taxing right over the profits of an enterprise to the residence country, unless the enterprise carries on business in the source country through a permanent establishment. Considering the importance of allocating taxation rights, tax authorities and courts of many countries have increasingly focused on the concept of agency permanent establishment. This book includes 12 chapters which provide an in-depth analysis of the key aspects that need to be taken into account for interpreting the concept of agency permanent establishment. It incorporates the perspectives of leading scholars and practitioners dealing with international tax cases. This book is designed to provide essential insights to academics, practitioners, tax officials and judges who deal or are interested in the field of international taxation.

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.

This book is a comprehensive review of the tax treaty concept of a `permanent establishment' from its origins in early Prussian and British tax law to its present manifestation in over 1250 bilateral income tax treaties written by two of the leading authors on the subject. The book covers both Anglo Saxon and civil law precedent, The OECD and US model treaties used in developed country treaties and the differing approach of the UN model for developing countries. The book exhanstively deals with all aspects of the `fixed place of business' and `dependent agency' permanent establishments and the exceptions for independent agents, permitted ancilliary activities and parent subsidiary relationships. The text integrates conceptual analyses and technical discussion with relevant tax planning opportunities, appropriately highlighted or diagrammed. A number of valuable tax planning techniques are presented which have not been previously discussed in any literature.