When it comes to determining the jurisdictional reach of VAT, two principles are used by the OECD, EU policy makers and scholars, namely, the origin principle and the destination principle. These principles can mean different things. One problem is that different constructions thereof can result in confusion in the communication between legal actors and, more importantly - in different legal outcomes. Another legal issue is whether the origin and destination principles have a coercive effect. In particular, the OECD considers the destination principle to be an "international norm" that is "sanctioned" by WTO rules. However, is it really so? Does the WTO compel its members to apply the destination principle or is it a matter of choice in furtherance of the intention to achieve neutrality in international trade? The aim of this book is to bring clarity to the understanding of the origin and destination principles and to prompt policy makers to be more accurate in their use of terminology when drafting legislation. In pursuit of this objective, these principles are studied in three international legal frameworks, namely the WTO legal order, the OECD framework and the EU legal order. The study also addresses the question of the principles legal status in each of the selected legal frameworks. Furthermore, an evaluation is undertaken of the origin and destination principles from the perspective of the legal character of VAT as a tax on consumption. It is claimed in this book that a consumption-type VAT may also be based on the origin principle subject to certain conditions. Also addressed is the issue of the allocation of VAT in the European Union. The results of the analysis demonstrate that the different derogations available to the Member States with regard to the current EU VAT system make it an extremely complex and fragmented system. Furthermore, the proposed definitive VAT system also remains hybrid, i.e. it is based on both the origin and destination principles. The end of the book presents conclusions regarding which of the two principles is preferable for the allocation of VAT in the internal market of the European Union. This book should be of use for policy makers and other legal actors seeking to develop a deeper understanding of the origin and destination principles and their application in the internal market of the European Union.

This paper set forth internationally agreed principles and standards for the value added tax (VAT) treatment of the most common types of international transactions, with a particular focus on trade in services and intangibles. Its aim is to minimise inconsistencies in the application of VAT in a cross-border context with a view to reducing uncertainty and risks of double taxation and unintended non-taxation in international trade. It also includes the recommended principles and mechanisms to address the challenges for the collection of VAT on crossborder sales of digital products that had been identified in the context of the OECD/G20 Project on Base and Erosion and Profit Shifting (the BEPS Project).

This Research Agenda considers the future direction of research in tax law, channeling creative thinking from leading tax scholars around the world who explore potential routes for further development in both traditional and more unconventional areas of tax law.

International tax regimes and practices are heavily criticized for failing to fairly levy corporate tax on giant multinational taxpayers in the current globalized and digitalized world. This important and far-seeing book demonstrates how formulary apportionment (FA) – an approach by which a multinational corporation pays each jurisdiction’s corporate tax based on the share of its worldwide income allocated to that jurisdiction – can achieve the much-sought goal of aligning value creation and taxation. The author, through an intensive analysis of the European Union’s (EU’s) Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB) Directive Proposal(s) and comparison to the United States (US’s) formulary apportionment experience, shows how the perceived problems with an FA system can be overcome and lays out the necessary elements for its feasibility. With detailed attention to the debates around formulary apportionment and its theoretical foundations, the book provides a blueprint for rebuilding the normative framework for the EU’s tax reform by clearly analysing the implications of the following and more: theorising public benefits to be represented by taxation; reorganising different economic theories about tax neutrality and tax justice; advancing the comparative legal research methodology to analyse law reform by combining the functional approach and the problem-solving approach; designing the logical formulary apportionment system for digital economy; ensuring the removal of the incentive for multinationals to shift reported income to low-tax locations; reducing the tax system’s complexity and the administrative burden it imposes on firms; eliminating transfer pricing complexity for intra-firm transactions; achieving equal weighting of the sales factor, the labour factor, and the asset factor in the formula; application of ‘destination-based’ rule for attributing the sales factor; and replacing the traditional permanent establishment nexus with a ‘factor presence nexus’. The presentation incorporates extensive comparison between the EU’s formulary apportionment tax reform option and FA systems existing in the United States (US) at state level, including reference to relevant US case law and legislation. As a possible option to address the problem of base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS), formulary apportionment is gaining increasing acceptance and attention. This book will prove invaluable to taxation authorities, tax practitioners, and scholars in its deeply informed and systematic guidance on good practices and prevention of problematic experiences in establishing and implementing an effective and market-neutral FA system.

When it comes to determining the jurisdictional reach of VAT, two principles are used by the OECD, EU policy makers and scholars, namely, the origin principle and the destination principle. These principles can mean different things. One problem is that different constructions thereof can result in confusion in the communication between legal actors and, more importantly - in different legal outcomes. Another legal issue is whether the origin and destination principles have a coercive effect. In particular, the OECD considers the destination principle to be an "international norm" that is "sanctioned" by WTO rules. However, is it really so? Does the WTO compel its members to apply the destination principle or is it a matter of choice in furtherance of the intention to achieve neutrality in international trade? The aim of this book is to bring clarity to the understanding of the origin and destination principles and to prompt policy makers to be more accurate in their use of terminology when drafting legislation. In pursuit of this objective, these principles are studied in three international legal frameworks, namely the WTO legal order, the OECD framework and the EU legal order. The study also addresses the question of the principles legal status in each of the selected legal frameworks. Furthermore, an evaluation is undertaken of the origin and destination principles from the perspective of the legal character of VAT as a tax on consumption. It is claimed in this book that a consumption-type VAT may also be based on the origin principle subject to certain conditions. Also addressed is the issue of the allocation of VAT in the European Union. The results of the analysis demonstrate that the different derogations available to the Member States with regard to the current EU VAT system make it an extremely complex and fragmented system. Furthermore, the proposed definitive VAT system also remains hybrid, i.e. it is based on both the origin and destination principles. The end of the book presents conclusions regarding which of the two principles is preferable for the allocation of VAT in the internal market of the European Union. This book should be of use for policy makers and other legal actors seeking to develop a deeper understanding of the origin and destination principles and their application in the internal market of the European Union.

An in-depth analysis of the specific aspects of justice, equality and tax law "Justice, Equality and Tax Law" is a topic that is both old and new at the same time. Even if the society changes, the demands that tax needs to be just and equal seem to be immutable. What changes, of course, is the perception of the content of those demands. International taxation post-BEPS has been fraught with new challenges that warranted urgent responses. These challenges were mainly provoked by the unprecedented rise of the digital economy which truly marked a change in the way business is conducted, how value is created, and how goods and services are produced and consumed. Digitalization, in turn, had repercussions on all aspects of taxation - direct taxation, indirect taxation, and even tax procedures. For instance, the quest for more justice and equality in profit taxes was the reason why, in October 2021, a historical deal based on a two-pillar solution to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalization of the economy was negotiated within the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting and agreed upon by 137 member countries. It was also the motive behind the shift from a typical vendor collection model to an intermediary collection model supported by centralized registration points in indirect taxes, notably the VAT/GST. Abundant data from the European Union or the OECD signalized an ever-increasing gap between expected VAT revenues and VAT actually collected, making it obvious that the classical system of VAT/GST collection was unable to respond to challenges posed by the digital economy. Therefore, new solutions based on the participation of digital platforms as intermediaries had been introduced. Finally, new technologies, such as blockchain, paved new avenues in enhancing tax compliance. In this context, this volume entitled "Justice, Equality, and Tax Law" contains not only a selection of the best master ́s theses of the full-time LL.M. programme in 2021/2022 but also represents an in-depth analysis of various aspects of this evergreen topic.

In all of the new countries formed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, other than the Baltics, the value-added taxes (VATs) adopted were “hybrid” VATs that treat CIS trade differently from trade with the rest of the world. This paper inquires whether this is appropriate. The paper concludes that it would be better if all CIS countries applied the destination principle to CIS trade as well as to trade with the rest of the world. The paper addresses the economic, administrative and revenue allocation considerations underlying this decision.