Withholding Taxes

Taxes at source which are typically withheld by the payor in a transaction and transferred to tax authorities on behalf of the payee of the same transaction.

Abuse of law, Abuse of rights, Anti-tax avoidance, Beneficial ownership, Canada, Corporate income tax, Direct taxation, Dividends, Double Taxation, income tax, International Tax Law, Loans, OECD MC Convention, Tax Avoidance, Tax haven, Tax Planning, Tax Treaties, United Kingdom, Withholding Taxes

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

The recent English Court of Appeal decision in Hargreaves Property Holdings Ltd v HMRC [2024] EWCA Civ 365 http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2024/365.html  has again examined the meaning of beneficial ownership and the related expression “beneficially entitled” in UK domestic tax law. It follows shortly after the Tax Court of Canada decision in Husky Energy Energy Inc. v The…

Abuse of law, Abuse of rights, Anti-tax avoidance, Beneficial ownership, Canada, Dividends, Double Taxation, Finance, Financial transactions, GAAR, income tax, International Tax Law, Luxembourg, MLI, OECD, OECD MC Convention, Share Dealings, Tax Avoidance, Tax haven, Tax Treaties, Treaty shopping, Withholding Taxes

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

In my previous blog I examined the Tax Court of Canada’s analysis of the meaning of beneficial ownership in tax treaties in Husky Energy Inc. v The King, 2023 TCC 167 in relation to stock or securities lending. This post examines the application of the General Anti-Avoidance Rule(GAAR) in Canada to the transactions. The facts…

Abuse of law, Anti-tax avoidance, Beneficial ownership, Canada, Direct taxation, Dividends, Double non-taxation, Double Taxation, DTA, Finance, Financial transactions, Holding company, International Tax Law, OECD, Tax Treaties, Treaty shopping, Withholding Taxes

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

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…

CJEU, EU contribution, EU law, Intertax, Pillar II, Transfer Pricing, United States, Withholding Taxes

(General Editor of Intertax)/ /Leave a comment

We are happy to inform you that the latest issue of the journal is now available and includes the following contributions: Jeroen Lammers & Błażej Kuźniacki, The EU Solidarity Contribution and a More Proportional Alternative: A Study Under EU and International Investment Law This paper reviews the EU Solidarity Contribution that was recently introduced by…

Abuse of law, Anti-tax avoidance, Beneficial ownership, BEPS, Direct taxation, Financial transactions, Fund management, Ireland, MLI, OECD, Principal purpose test, Tax haven, Tax Treaties, Treaty shopping, United Kingdom, Withholding Taxes

(Temple Tax Chambers; King’s College London)/ /4 Comments
article 3(2), burden of proof, OECD Commetary, treaty interpretation, UN Commentary

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…

Charitable trusts, Crypto-assets, India, Withholding Taxes

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

When India’s Finance Minister rose before the Lok Sabha (House of Commons) on 1st Feb, 2022 to present her budget for India’s fiscal year 2022-23 (April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023), she compressed the 284 page budget document into a crisp 90-minute speech, a part of which highlighted how India’s proposed budgetary tax measures…

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…

Switzerland, Withholding Taxes

(Reinarz Tax & Legal)/ /Leave a comment

For a number of years, endeavors to reform the Swiss federal withholding tax system with regard to the taxation of interest from collective debt instruments have been going on. The reform is generally aimed at strengthening the Swiss debt capital market. The latest proposals would completely do away with federal withholding tax on bond interest….

India, Royalties, Withholding Taxes

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

Mukesh Butani, Seema Kejriwal & Ajitesh Dayal Singh Introduction The Supreme Court of India recently settled a two-decade old dispute pertaining to taxability of software income. The Supreme Court ruled that payments to non-resident software vendors/licensors cannot be treated as payment towards royalty, and hence no withholding tax liability can be imposed on the resident…

Germany, Withholding Taxes

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Introduction Let’s assume the following situation: ParCo is the parent company of a multinational group with its residence in Switzerland and engaged in the automotive business. It developed an innovative battery technology. Due to the high density of competition and rivalry, ParCo is interested in having its innovative technology protected through a patent. For this…

Residence, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Withholding Taxes

(Reinarz Tax & Legal)/ /Leave a comment

With a judgment rendered on 27 November 2020 (case no. 2C_835/2017), the Swiss Federal Supreme Court (“FSC”) confirmed a decision by the Federal Administrative Court (“FAC”) of 24 August 2017 (decision no. A-1462/2016) concerning an individual tax residence matter that arose in the context of certain dividend withholding tax (WHT) refund requests, which had been…

BEPS, Digital economy, OECD, Pillar I, Pillar II, Withholding Taxes

(Texas A&M University Law)/ /Leave a comment

We commend the OECD’s 15-year effort since its 2005 publication of E-commerce: Transfer Pricing and Business Profits Taxation to address the challenges arising from the digitalization of multinational enterprises’ business models and the evolution of cross-border ecommerce. Our comments and recommendations are submitted in an academic capacity and do not represent an official statement or…

Beneficial ownership, CJEU, EU law, Exemption, Italy, Withholding Taxes

(Catholic University in Italy; Maisto & Associati) and (Maisto e Associati)/ /1 Comment

On 10 July 2020, the Italian Supreme Court (also ‘Court’) issued its decision No. 14756 (‘Decision 14756/2020’, published in H&I 2020/470 with comments by Arginelli and Tenore) dealing, amongst others, with the interpretation of the beneficial owner requirement under the Interest and  Royalty Directive (Directive 2003/49/EC; ‘IRD’) and the abuse of the IRD. The case…

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…