This book proposes an interdisciplinary and comparative approach to the taxation of corporate groups. Chapter 1 analyses the core mechanical pillars of corporate income tax (CIT) systems and their impact on corporate behaviour. Chapter 2 first analyses the economic, legal and functional nature of corporate groups. Then, it examines the fundamental mechanical operation of CIT systems assuming that no tax integration solution, such as group taxation or flow-through taxation, is applicable, and assesses the merits and shortfalls of taxing corporate groups in this manner. Conversely, in chapter 3 the book analyses how corporate groups may be taxed under tax integration solutions and investigates the consequences of adopting such a stance. The study concludes, in chapter 4, by proposing a set of policy guidelines that should be considered when approaching the taxation of corporate groups.

Antony Ting presents the first comprehensive comparative study of the tax consolidation regimes adopted in eight countries.

Academic research shows that well-known principal-agent and capital market problems are strongly influenced by tax considerations. Against this background, this volume is the first to present a fully-fledged overview of the interdependence of tax and corporate governance. Not only the basic political, legal and economic questions but also major topics like income measurement, shareholding structures, corporate social responsibility and tax shelter disclosure are covered.

The tax rules of the United States and other countries have intended and unintended effects on the operations of multinational corporations, influencing everything from the formation and allocation of capital to competitive strategies. The growing importance of international business has led economists to reconsider whether current systems of taxing international income are viable in a world of significant capital market integration and global commercial competition. In an attempt to quantify the effect of tax policy on international investment choices, this volume presents in-depth analyses of the interaction of international tax rules and the investment decisions of multinational enterprises. Ten papers assess the role played by multinational firms and their investment in the U.S. economy and the design of international tax rules for multinational investment; analyze channels through which international tax rules affect the costs of international business activities; and examine ways in which international tax rules affect financing decisions of multinational firms. As a group, the papers demonstrate that international tax rules have significant effects on firms' investment and other financing decisions.

National tax authorities individually determine multinational ?rms’ country-speci?c tax liabilities by applying one or more sanctioned transfer pricing methodologies. These methodologies are founded on basic assumptions about market structure and ?rm behavior that are rarely empirically valid. Moreover, for the most part, the transfer pricing methodologies now in vogue were developed before the Internet became a dominant factor in the world economy, and hedge and private equity funds transformed ?nancial and commodities markets. For these reasons, multinational ?rms are unable to accurately anticipate their tax liabilities in individual countries, and remain at risk of double taxation. Uncertainties in corporate tax liability are extremely costly, both for individual corporations and from an economy-wide perspective. Firms pay exorbitant fees to have tax attorneys, accountants and economists prepare the documentation required by tax authorities to substantiate their intercompany pricing practices and defend their tax positions on audit. Corporate tax liabilities are also potentially much higher than they would be under a more transparent and predictable transfer pricing regime (due to the potential for double taxation and penalties), and investors’ returns are reduced accordingly. The FASB’s Interpretation No. 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes (released on July 13, 2006), has motivated multinational ?rms to increase their reserves substantially (in many cases at the insistence of their au- tors), reducing the total funds available for productive investment. 1 The current transfer pricing regimes are embodied in the OECD Guidelines, individual OECD member countries’ interpretations thereof, the U. S.

This book was first published in 2007. Most countries levy taxes on corporations, but the impact - and therefore the wisdom - of such taxes is highly controversial among economists. Does the burden of these taxes fall on wealthy shareowners, or is it passed along to those who work for, or buy the products of, corporations? Can a country with high corporate taxes remain competitive in the global economy? This book features research by leading economists and accountants that sheds light on these and related questions, including how taxes affect corporate dividend policy, stock market value, avoidance, and evasion. The studies promise to inform both future tax policy and regulatory policy, especially in light of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission that are having profound effects on the market for tax planning and auditing in the wake of the well-publicized accounting scandals in Enron and WorldCom.