What does the notion of “aggressive tax strategy” mean for the quest for tax justice and what are its consequences on environmental, social and governance matters?[1] In my opinion, an enterprise’s tax strategy should be considered when assessing whether that enterprise meets the so-called “ESG” criteria. I explain why in this blog. A justification for…
We are happy to inform you that the latest issue of the journal is now available and includes the following contributions: Stefanie Geringer, The EU’s Uncoordinated Approach to Tax Avoidance and Tax Abuse in Relation to ‘Uncooperative’ Tax Jurisdictions The European Union (EU)’s external tax policies in relation to ‘uncooperative’ tax jurisdictions are predominantly shaped…
English may be the lingua franca of our time, but it is not the only language of international law. Royal Bank of Canada v HMRC [2022] UKUT 45 (TCC). raised issues around the interpretation of a tax treaty concluded in English and French, both languages being equally authentic. The complex facts are summarised at https://kluwertaxblog.com/2020/07/29/income-from-immoveable-property-article-6-and-royalty-streams/….
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), by means of an Order in Case C-255/20 of 9 November 2021 [1], established the incompatibility with EU law, in particular with Directives 2008/118/EC and 92/12/EEC, of the Italian Regional Tax on Petrol for Automotive (IRBA), due to the absence of a specific purpose attributed to…
Prof.M.F. (Maarten) de Wilde[1] Summary Yesterday, on 14 March 2022, the OECD published the Commentary on the Pillar 2 Model Rules, the global minimum rate for large multinationals. When reading the first pages, the author was overwhelmed by the urge to write this opinion and, ‘equally, however’, to make a connection with an animal farm….
In the first part of this two-piece article titled “Croatia: A New (Tax-Free) Promised Land for Digital Nomads? (Part I)”, we provided an overview of the new Croatian normative framework applicable to digital nomads, i.e., a set of migration and tax law provisions adopted to facilitate digital nomads’ temporary stay in Croatia. These legislative developments…
The concept of “digital nomadism” has emerged in popular literature some 25 years ago, in a thought-provoking and prescient book co-authored by Tsugio Makimoto and David Manners.[1] Put simply, the notion has been that various technological advances will make it possible for large swathes of people to discard traditional norms of work and employment, becoming…
Territorial connection (or its more fashionable name “nexus”) for tax purposes is expressed in a variety of ways in domestic and international legal instruments. Permanent establishment in article 5 of the Model treaties and “fixed base” in article 14 of the UN Model are central concepts in direct tax subject matter jurisdiction. Fixed establishment The…
Trésor-Gauthier M. Kalonji [1] Summary The Covid-19 pandemic has shaken several rules applicable in conventional tax law, in particular with regard to determining the conditions for qualifying a “building site or construction or installation project” as a permanent establishment (hereafter “PE”), as defined by the OECD Model Tax Convention on Income and on Capital (hereafter…
Abridged comments for a regional appraisal and possible outcomes to implementation 2010-2020: A Decade of Profound Changes in International Taxation Following the world financial crisis, the industrialized countries were deeply dissatisfied with revenue collection levels. In that context, which extended to the first years of the last decade, the political dialectic of the time left…
1 AI and XAI in tax law [1][2] Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are becoming increasingly central in the global economy. According to PWC estimates, they may provide boosts of up to 26% to local economies, which could lead to an increase of USD 15.7 trillion to global GDP. They are also gaining relevance in the context…
Introduction: some uneasy questions Taxation is at the core of the UN 2030 Agenda since it is an essential element to build a more equal, as well as more prosperous, society and provides the “fuel” needed to realize all the ambitious plans required to decrease our impact on the environment.[1] Therefore, good tax governance is…
A new carbon pricing instrument In autumn 2021, the Austrian government presented its long announced eco-social tax reform as part of its climate strategy to minimize the Austrian greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2040. The Austrian Ecological Tax Reform Act contains a variety of climate and compensatory measures for citizens and companies. A…
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…
