Should services performed by a member of a board of directors towards the company of which s/he is a member be subject to VAT? This is a question that keeps many VAT legislators, authorities, and advisors around the world busy. It is an area that has seen numerous changes in tax policy, sometimes as a…

We are happy to inform you that the latest issue of the journal is now available and includes the following contributions: Joachim Englisch, GloBE Rules and Tax Competition This article studies foreseeable effects that a relatively comprehensive implementation of the Pillar 2 GloBE international effective minimum tax would have on international tax competition for investment….

State aid law is closely linked to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) commitment to creating, maintaining, and strengthening a common market in which competition is not distorted. Precisely what characterises companies that form part of a group of companies (multinational or not) is that transactions carried out between them are…

In his conclusions in Case C-571/21 on 13 October 2022 [1], AG Rantos addressed the exemption from excise duties for electricity intended to produce more electricity. The case concerns the refusal by the German customs authorities concerning the application for an exemption from excise duties made by a local company which extracted lignite in open-air…

Highlights & Insights on European Taxation Please find below a selection of articles published this month (November 2022) in Highlights & Insights on European Taxation, plus one freely accessible article. Highlights & Insights on European Taxation (H&I) is a publication by Wolters Kluwer Nederland BV. The journal offers extensive information on all recent developments in European Taxation in the…

Customer’s status and capacity under EU VAT place of supply rules Other than for attributing VAT personality to suppliers of goods or services, the concept of taxable persons is relevant for applying the place of supply rules for services laid down in Title V, Chapter 3 of the VAT Directive (Articles 43 – 59a) [1]….

Value-Added Tax (VAT) is considered an efficient and neutral form of taxation. Yet, although its invoice-credit method and the system of fractioned payments make it a self-policing tax, the VAT can be rather complex and costly to administer for businesses, which spend significant time and resources to comply with obligations associated with this tax. VAT…

“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…

“It follows that only the national law applicable in the Member State concerned must be taken into account in order to identify the reference system for direct taxation, that identification being itself an essential prerequisite for assessing not only the existence of an advantage; but also whether it is selective in nature.”[1] With this statement,…

A Critical Analysis under European, French and Belgian Law[1] Part II :   The legal professional privilege in the common constitutional tradition and the requirements under Article 52 of the Charter for restricting fundamental rights. Introduction The first part found that under European, Belgian and French law the protection of Article 47 of the Charter…

A Critical Analysis under European, French and Belgian Law[1]. Part I :      The incompatibility with European, French and Belgian Law of precluding the protection under Article 47 of the Charter for legal counsel given by attorneys.   Introduction The opinion of the Advocate General Athanasios Rantos was highly anticipated. Indeed, it was the first time…

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…

i.        The problematic In June 2019, the Japanese and Argentine governments signed a Double Tax Convention for the Elimination of Double Taxation on Income Taxes and the Prevention of Tax Evasion and Avoidance (hereinafter Argentina-Japan DTA).[1] Although the goal of this international instrument, like all double tax treaties, is to generate an environment conducive to…

We are happy to inform you that the latest issue of the journal is now available and includes the following contributions: Isabella Zimmerl, Reaching Cross-Border Tax Certainty With Joint Audits The last few years have seen an increasing cooperation between tax authorities of Member States of the European Union by way of joint audits. This…