This book is a detailed and comprehensive study on the taxation of cross-border dividend distributions. It first considers cross-border dividend taxation in the context of EU law. In this field, issues such as the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice, the hindrance to the internal market caused by double taxation of dividends and the compatibility of dividend withholding taxes are dealt with. Next, the book discusses the taxation of dividends under tax treaties, in particular focusing on the definition of "dividends" in the OECD Model Convention and the meaning of the concept of "beneficial owner" as applied to dividends. The application of domestic and agreement-based anti-abuse rules to dividends is thoroughly analysed. Finally, the relevance of the non-discrimination provision enshrined in Art. 24 of the OECD Model Convention to dividends as well as procedural issues relating to treaty relief and possible ways of improvement are taken into consideration. Individual country surveys provide an in-depth analysis of the above issues from a national viewpoint in selected European and non-European jurisdictions.

This book is the first in-depth study to analyze the circumstances in which the freedom of establishment or free movement of capital may apply to the cross-border distribution of dividends. It covers both the positive integration set forth by the European Commission and the Member States and the negative integration developed by the European Court of Justice. The author discusses such elements of these integration measures as the following: economic double taxation (two different subjects pay tax on the same profit); juridical double taxation (two different states tax one and the same person for the same income); exemption, credit, and other techniques adopted by States to avoid double taxation; division of taxing rights between two States with respect to dividend income; prevention of juridical double taxation by bilateral tax conventions; Member States’ mitigation of economic double taxation; double exemption as an unplanned outcome of double taxation prevention measures; and order of precedence between freedom of establishment and free movement of capital. The analysis treats relevant provisions the OECD Model Tax Convention in detail, as this model is widely used by national tax authorities in connection with international taxation of dividends. It also examines pertinent initiatives launched by the European Commission up to and including its consultation paper of January 28, 2011. In addition to its scrutiny of the disparities in cross-border dividend taxation within the European Union, this book stands out for its detailed coverage of the progress made in resolving these challenging taxation issues. It is sure to be welcomed by investors, corporate counsel, and national revenue authorities.

The paper describes in some detail the imputation systems in France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, paying particular attention to the minimum tax. It also briefly addresses a number of economic issues; it examines the likely impact of the minimum tax on the investment and financing decisions of companies, and outlines how the impact of the imputation system depends on the minimum tax; and it also briefly raises the issue of alternative forms of taxation of corporate source income.

This article analyzes a complex line of recent decisions in which the European Court of Justice has set forth its vision of a nondiscriminatory system for taxing corporate income distributed as dividends within the European Union. We begin by identifying the principal tax policy issues that arise in constructing a system for taxing cross-border dividends and then review the standard solutions found in national legislation and international tax treaties. Against that background, we examine in detail a dozen of the Court's decisions, half of which have been handed down since 2006. Our conclusion is that the ECJ is applying a standard of nondiscrimination to evaluate national tax laws in a manner totally divorced from the underlying tax policy norms that produced the legislation at issue. Some, but not all, of the decisions seem to require nondiscrimination based on the destination, but not the origin, of corporate investment. The result is a jurisprudence that fails to hold together substantively, functionally, and rhetorically. In many instances, this result follows from largely formalistic distinctions made by the Court, such as whether a withholding tax on dividends should be considered corporate or shareholder taxation.

The book analyses the taxation of investment funds and their investors from the standpoint of domestic tax laws, tax treaties and EC law. It also provides a comprehensive understanding of the tax issues arising in the cross-border transactions of investment funds and private fund investors in the European Union. The viewpoints of the source state of income, residence state of the investment fund as well as the residence state of the investor are all considered. The book takes a comparative approach by covering five EU Member States (the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Luxembourg and Finland). On the basis of the examination at the Member State level, the present tax rules and practices are tested against the fundamental freedoms of the EC Treaty. The conclusion is that there are still various tax measures that are likely to be in conflict with EC law. The book also discusses possibilities of adopting targeted measures of positive integration at the level of the European Union with a view to enhancing the objective of the single investment fund market.

The distribution of profits between corporations resident in different jurisdictions gives rise to significant tax planning opportunities for multinational enterprises. As cross-border transactions between corporations grow in number and complexity, the question of how a profit distribution is classified for corporate income tax purposes becomes increasingly important, particularly in the context of issues such as double taxation, non-taxation and tax neutrality. This unique and practical work covers the rules determining which transactions may be classified and therefore taxed as dividend income and how classification conflicts may be resolved. The author examines the classification of various inter-corporate transactions, including: and• Payments made under dividend-stripping arrangements. and• Fictitious profit distributions. and• Economic benefits in the context of transfer pricing. and• Returns on debt-equity hybrids. and• Interest payments in thin capitalization situations and distributions following liquidation. The analysis of each transaction refers to international tax law. Most weight is given to tax treaties and EU tax law. The approaches adopted in different statesand’ national tax law are covered by a more general analysis. The comprehensive coverage and practical nature of The International Tax Law Concept of Dividend make it an essential acquisition for tax practitioners, researchers and tax libraries worldwide.