What is the current Tax Framework under the UN Model for Taxation of International Shipping and Airline-related income? The current version of the United Nations Model Double Taxation Convention between Developed and Developing Countries (“UN Model 2021”)[1] offers two alternatives under Article 8. Alternative A aligns with the OECD Model Tax Convention on Income and…

Although the meaning of beneficial ownership in tax treaties first burst onto the scene in Indofood International Finance Ltd v JP Morgan Chase Bank N.A. London Branch [2006] EWCA Civ 158  and, for the first time in Canada in Prévost Car Inc. v R 2008 TCC 231, (affirmed 2009 FCA 57), its meaning and application…

Back in 2015, my first ever blog asked Does the UK Diverted Profits Tax help or hurt BEPS? Whatever the answer, the level of complexity and the challenges it brought to UK cross-border taxation cannot be underestimated. The recent decision of the UK Upper Tribunal in in Refinitiv Ltd and others v HM Revenue &…

Does the helm of command over international tax policy shift to the United Nations? This is the scenario that could be envisioned following the Nov. 22 U.N. General Assembly that approved the Resolution submitted by the Group of African States, following up on the Secretary-General Guterres’ report of last August. The resolution calls for an…

We are happy to inform you that the latest issue of the journal is now available and includes the following contributions: Andrés Báez Moreno & Yariv Brauner, Pillar One and Alchemy: What Can We Learn from past Mistakes Pillar One’s Amount A has failed miserably. However, the paper attempts to enumerate the many political and…

Welcome to the latest tax podcast in the International Law Talk  series. During a series of podcasts, Wolters Kluwer will bring you the latest news and industry insights from thought leaders and experts in the field of International Arbitration, IP Law, International Tax Law and Competition Law. Here at Kluwer International Tax Blog, we will…

We are happy to inform you that the latest issue of the journal is now available and includes the following contributions: Tsilly Dagan, GLoBE: The Potential Costs of Cooperation This article argues that the fact that the 2021 global tax deal (focusing on Pillar 2) is cooperative is not in itself proof of the deal…

It has been 60 years since publication of the OECD 1963 Draft Double Taxation Convention on Income and Capital. That model has provided the core and structure of all subsequent model double tax treaties published by the OECD, the UN and some states. During this period the number of bilateral tax treaties has grown exponentially….

Mees Vergouwen[1] On 21 June 2023, the Netherlands and Belgium signed a new tax treaty.[2] Part of (the protocol to) this tax treaty is a subordination clause[3] that provides that “nothing in this treaty shall prevent the application (…) of Council Directive (EU) 2022/2523 of 14 December 2022 on ensuring a global minimum level of…

Introduction On 8 February 2023, Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the OECD, hosted the OECD’s first  Inclusive Forum on Carbon Mitigation Approaches (IFCMA). As its name indicates and as many readers will be familiar with due to their experience with the OECD’s Inclusive Framework on BEPs, ICFMA aims to provide a ‘safe space’ for participants to…

On 28 September 2022, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published its Bilateral Advance Pricing Arrangement Manual (BAPAM).[1] The BAPAM aims to help streamline bilateral advance pricing arrangement (BAPA) programs by providing 29 best practice recommendations to resolve commonly experienced issues.[2] Advance pricing arrangements (APAs) are a prospective dispute resolution mechanism for cross-border…

“Oh, I was so happy when I was told you were in the panel!” It is always nice that someone is pleased with your presence, but this surprised me a bit. The OECD employee who made this confession had only just met me in the taxi that would bring us to the conference. Seeing my…

Even before introduction of the BEPS PPT, the UK has had purpose-based provisions in various forms, designed to limit access to treaty benefits in its double tax treaties since the 1960’s. Its standard formulation first appeared in 1992.  Surprisingly, the first case in which the meaning and application of this wording in a tax treaty…

Two years on since Chapter X of the OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines (Chapter X) was published in February 2020, the practical transfer pricing aspects of financial transactions are due another look. While financial transactions were often ignored once put in place, administrative practice, case law, interaction with interest limitation rules and new guidance have elevated…