How does EU law affect Member State corporate tax systems and the cross-border activities of companies? This unique study traces the historical development of EU corporate tax law and provides an in-depth analysis of a number of issues affecting companies, groups of companies and permanent establishments. Existing legislation, soft-law and the case-law of the Court of Justice are examined. The proposed CCCTB Directive and its potential application through enhanced co-operation are also considered. In addition to the tax issues pertaining to direct investment, the author examines the taxation of passive investment income, corporate reorganisations, exit taxes and the restrictive effect of domestic anti-abuse regimes. By doing so, the convergences and divergences arising from the interplay of EU corporate tax law and international tax law, especially the OECD model, are uncovered and highlighted.

This is an updated study of a 1998 publication, "Tax competition in the European Union". The introduction covers the recent history of tax policy within the EU, and examines the current situation in corporate taxation, taxation of savings, taxation of labour, and indirect taxation (VAT and excise duty). A comparative analysis provides a detailed survey of how direct taxes - corporate and personal - are levied within the EU. The final section discusses the main issues in the current debate on the alternative approaches of competition and co-operation in the taxation field.

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 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.

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.

Examines the proposal for home state taxation as a way to eliminate the principal barriers to the completion of the internal market in the corporate tax field. Includes an assessment by the IBFD of the compatibility of home state taxation with double taxation agreements, based on the OECD Model Convention.

The distribution of profits between corporations resident in different jurisdictions gives rise to both significant tax planning opportunities and tax risks. 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. The OECD BEPS project has only increased the relevance. This unique work discusses the international tax law rules determining which transactions may be classified and taxed as dividends and how possible classification conflicts may be resolved. The author examines the tax classification of various inter-corporate transactions, including: – Payments made under dividend-stripping arrangements. – Fictitious profit distributions. – Economic benefits in the context of transfer pricing. – Returns on debt-equity hybrids. – 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, including the BEPS development. The approaches adopted in different states’ national tax law are covered by a more general analysis. The comprehensive coverage and the practical nature of The International Tax Law Concept of Dividend make it an essential acquisition for tax practitioners, researchers and tax libraries worldwide.