Tax Treaties

Treaties dealing with the division of taxing rights between states.

Corporate income tax, Dispute resolution, Double Taxation, India, International Tax Law, OECD, Permanent Establishments, Physical presence, Place of taxation, Tax Treaties, United Kingdom, United States

(Temple Tax Chambers; King’s College London)/ /3 Comments
Delaware law, habitual exercise

Last month my blog discussed the questions relating to corporate residence and article 4(1) of the UK-US Double Tax Treaty raised in G E Financial Investments v HMRC  [2021] UKFTT 210 (TC). This month the focus is on the permanent establishment issues. The case concerned a complex financing structure General Electric Company group. The taxpayer,…

Canada, Corporate income tax, Double Taxation, International Tax Law, MAPs and APAs, MNEs, OECD, Permanent Establishments, Residence, Tax Treaties, United Kingdom, United States

(Temple Tax Chambers; King’s College London)/ /2 Comments

When is a taxpayer a resident of a contracting state for purposes of a tax treaty? The decades old definition in article 4(1) of the OECD Model that ‘“resident of a Contracting State” means any person who, under the laws of that State, is liable to tax therein by reason of his domicile, residence, place…

Brexit, CJEU, EU/EEA, Tax Treaties, Trade and Cooperation Agreement, United Kingdom

(Amsterdam Centre for Tax Law (ACTL) of the University of Amsterdam; Loyens & Loeff) and (Loyens & Loeff)/ /Leave a comment

The Trade Agreement between the EU and the UK rules out any direct effect. However, the Trade Agreement could have an indirect effect. EU Member States should interpret the capital ownership provisions in their bilateral tax treaties with the UK in line with the Trade Agreement and its provision on national treatment. On the basis…

Double Taxation, Financial institutions, Hybrids, International Tax Law, Limitation on benefits, Principal purpose test, Tax Administration, Tax Credits, Tax Planning, Tax Policy, Tax Treaties, Treaty shopping, United Kingdom, United States, Withholding Taxes

(Temple Tax Chambers; King’s College London)/ /Leave a comment

The relationship between treaties and domestic tax law ought to be straightforward. The pacta servanda sunt principle expressed in articles 26 and 27 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties itself implies that treaty obligations must be upheld notwithstanding domestic law. A variety of constitutional arrangements around the world mean that there is…

Administrative obligations, Germany, IP, Residence, Royalties, Tax Treaties

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1. Introduction To be able to compete successfully in international markets, companies need to turn their R&D results fast and effectively into marketable products. Thus, besides the development (enhancement, maintenance, exploitation) of IP, its protection is of essential importance for companies. In order to ensure maximum legal protection, companies oftentimes formally register their IP assets…

Digital platforms, Digital services tax, Double Taxation, MNE Profits, OECD, Pillar I, Tax Treaties, United Nations

(Professor Maastricht University and (co)owner Cygnus Tax BV, Apertas BV and Herreveld van den Hurk BV (i.o.))/ /Leave a comment

There’s something about OECD’s Pillar One. For some years now, the world has been under the spell of a new system of taxation of companies that make profits in countries without taking root there in any way. They often operate via internet platforms, which means that the profits that are generated elsewhere cannot be taxed…

Budget, India, Liability to tax, Residence, Ruling, Tax Treaties

(Managing Partner at BMR Legal) and , (BMR Legal)/ /2 Comments

Introduction India’s 2021 Finance Bill proposes to add a definition of “liable to tax” in its domestic direct tax law. As per the definition, the term ‘liable to tax’, “in relation to a person, means that there is a liability of tax on such person under any law for the time being in force in…

Administrative cooperation, Administrative obligations, Common Reporting Standard, Exchange of Information, FATCA, Germany, India, International Tax Law, Law enforcement, Mandatory disclosure, Personal income tax, Residence, Tax Treaties, United Kingdom, United States

(Temple Tax Chambers; King’s College London)/ /Leave a comment

HMRC v Embiricos [2020] UKUT 370 (TC) reflects a common issue that arises in connection with tax investigations or audits of internationally mobile individuals. Mr Embiricos  filed his tax returns on the basis that he was resident, but not domiciled in the UK. On that basis, he was entitled to the remittance basis of taxation….

Abuse of rights, Administrative cooperation, Brexit, Double Taxation, EU law, EU/EEA, International Tax Law, Tax Treaties, United Kingdom

(Temple Tax Chambers; King’s College London)/ /Leave a comment

The newly concluded Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and UK has limited provisions concerning taxation, but interesting provisions relevant to interpretation of treaties including good faith. The Agreement does not seek to replicate many of the rights which UK citizens and businesses had under EU law. There is no general non-discrimination provision. Double…

COVID-19, Employment, Exemption, Italy, Residence, Ruling, Spain, Tax Treaties

(Maisto e Associati)/ /1 Comment

The Revenue Agency confirms the exemption of income derived abroad by foreign maritime employees who are tax residents of Italy The Italian Revenue Agency has recently issued a ruling (No. 134/2020) clarifying that the income derived by a Spanish citizen (and Italian-tax resident) maritime employee working aboard a ship flying a non-Italian flag for more…

Dividends, India, Tax on distributed profits, Tax Treaties

(Managing Partner at BMR Legal) and (BMR Legal)/ /Leave a comment

In international customary law, the scope of bilateral tax conventions is not exhaustive and instead limited by the temporal scope set out in ‘taxes covered’ clause. It is true that the scope of such clause, albeit with additional procedural stipulations, is ambulatory and taxes subsequently enacted under the domestic law provisions by treaty partners are…

Double Taxation, India, International Tax Law, OECD, Tax Treaties, Withholding Taxes

(Temple Tax Chambers; King’s College London)/ /Leave a comment

Those with a long memory for cricketing events may remember the 1996 World Cup hosted jointly by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The winner, Sri Lanka, made 398 runs for 5 wickets, in a one-day international match, a record that stood until April 2006. South Africa’s Gary Kirsten scored 188 runs, not out, against the…

BEPS, Digital platforms, Digitalization, Double Taxation, International Tax Law, Latin America, MNE Profits, OECD, Pillar I, Tax Policy, Tax Treaties, United Nations, Value Creation, Withholding Taxes

(Bomchil)/ /2 Comments

A couple of days ago, in the last weekly session of the Indiana-Leeds Summer Tax Workshop, I attended the presentation of a fascinating paper by Steven A. Dean (A Constitutional Moment in Cross-Border Taxation)(1) where the author analyzes the political and economic predominant influence of central economies in the design and shape of post-WWI in…

Double Taxation, Financial institutions, Income categorization, International Tax Law, MNE Profits, OECD, Permanent Establishments, Royalties, Tax Treaties, United Kingdom

(Temple Tax Chambers; King’s College London)/ /Leave a comment

Following the Supreme Court decision in Fowler v HMRC [2020] UKSC 22, the UK First-tier Tribunal has considered another case where classification of a source of income for tax treaty purposes was in issue. This time the question was classification as business profit or income from immovable property in the Canada-UK double tax treaty. In…