Lawyers across Europe holding their breath while awaiting the General Court’s ruling on the Belgian Excess Profits case were doubtlessly disappointed. On Valentine’s Day, the General Court reminded the European Commission that “tough love” is always a possibility, but the Commission’s defeat is no mortal blow. Its decision was annulled on more or less “technical”…
I am happy to inform you that issue the first issue of 2019 is available and includes, among others, the following contributions: My editorial, which is entitled “In Search of an International Tax System in a Post-BEPS Tax Competition Setting”. It claims that the future of the international tax system will depend on how successful…
The Debate What makes a tax system competitive? How can countries multiply the competitiveness of the existing system? These question-marks are attracting substantial research by today’s policy makers, at national and international level as well as by business lobbyists. Most importantly, their potential replies entail significant impact for taxpayers and the society in general. Indicatively,…
The judgements of the CJEU in N Luxembourg 1 v Skatteministeriet (Case C-115/16) and joined cases and in T Danmark (Case C-116/16) and another joined case, on 26 February 2019, once again addressed numerous controversies over meaning of the term “beneficial ownership”. The court’s concern in N Luxembourg was qualification for relief from withholding tax…
1. Purpose of the blog Intra-group guarantees are usually used by companies within the same multinational enterprise to obtain beneficial conditions for funding arrangements. For instance, lower interest rates due to the decreased level of the credit risk assumed by the lender (such as a bank) or/and extended borrowing capacity. In this blog, we will…
The classic issue of dynamic versus static interpretation of tax treaties arises again. Not only is this a hot topic in the international tax arena, but it is also a permanent pain in the Spanish Supreme Court’s neck since its judgment on the Julio Iglesias case of June 11, 2008 (available here). In that case,…
This second and last part of the contribution concentrates on the present and future of artificial intelligence (AI)[1] and tax law. Let us see if AI can be happily married with tax law in order to get the best of both worlds. Present: Assisting Rather Than Replacing of Tax Lawyers All of the features that…
According to recent research’s prediction,[1] global GDP could be up to 14% higher in 2030 as a result of various artificial intelligence (AI)[2] applications, which is the equivalent of an additional $15.7 trillion. It makes AI oriented sectors the biggest commercial opportunity in the currently supersonic fast changing economy. This contribution, perhaps surprisingly, does not…
According to an undisclosed policy paper that is currently circulated within the OECD, the German government is promoting an internationally coordinated reform of corporate taxation. Specifically, Germany proposes an effective minimum tax on the profits of multinational companies. Complex, easy to manipulate and unfair – there is widespread discontent with the current system of international…
As we approach the halfway mark between the 2018 IFA conference in Seoul and the 2019 one in London, I want to clear up some issues around “Business” as in stakeholders in tax discussions. Classically these stakeholders are “Government”, “Academia” and “Business” (plus the last 10 years “Civil society”). So, who should “Business” be? Setting…
The Italian Stability Law for 2019 finally approved on 30 December 2018 has introduced a new art. 24-ter in the Income Tax Act (ITA). It includes a substitute tax of 7%, in lieu of ordinary taxation, on all non-Italian-sourced income earned by foreign pensioners transferring their tax residence in the southern regions of Italy. The…
For thousands of years the human species was constrained to limit its activities and creativity in the planetary space. Today, the Digital Revolution has opened a new space: the cyber-space, removing the limits once and for all. Cyber-space is understood as a virtual world, a notional environment existing in and due to the network of…
Transfer pricing cases in India are estimated to account for more than half of the world’s transfer pricing disputes. Prolonged transfer pricing litigation due to overburdened courts and tribunals is a sad reality for many companies doing business in India. The consequence is that a cloud of uncertainty constantly hangs over cross-border, intra-group transactions routinely…
Intertax issue 12 is available and I am delighted to share with the reader the topics dealt with in the issue. In my editorial, “Taxes and Competiveness: How Much Competitive Is European Tax Competition?”, I critically address some of the topics discussed on the Platform for Tax Good Governance at its meeting after the summer…
