This book investigates whether the European Commission (EC) has the mandate to legislate on direct taxation in sovereign states and ultimately questions whether the EC’s enforcement action in recent tax ruling cases, in the area of state aid, respects the rule of law.
This book investigates whether the European Commission (EC) has the mandate to legislate on direct taxation in sovereign states and ultimately questions whether the EC's enforcement action in recent tax ruling cases, in the area of State aid, respects the rule of law. Liza Lovdahl Gormsen explores whether the EC's recent rulings in relation to Member States' advanced pricing arrangements reflect a genuine problem of illegal State aid or whether the EC is attempting to use State aid rules to harmonise national tax systems. The author examines this issue through relevant case law, comparing the EC's actions with OECD guidance and US practices, assessing what is legitimate in terms of the EC's actions and competences. Through the lens of State aid and tax rulings, the author addresses the wider constitutional question of how to reconcile national interests with the move towards European harmonisation; does the answer lie in more integration, or less? This book will be of great interest to academics researching the relationship between the EC and Member States in regards to taxation, State aid and authority over direct taxation. Practising lawyers working in the field of State aid and tax will also find this to be a useful resource as it clearly outlines relevant case law and interprets the resulting decisions.
This revised and updated Research Handbook on European State Aid Law brings together established academics and practitioners to provide a wide-ranging coverage of the field. Incorporating political science, economics and the law in its analysis, it provides a strong overview of the salient issues in State aid law and policy.
This book is a compilation of contributions exploring the impact of the European Treaty provisions regarding state aid on Member States’ legislation and administrative practice in the area of business taxation. Starting from a detailed analysis of the European Courts’ jurisprudence on Art.107 TFEU the authors lay out fundamental issues – e.g. on legal concepts like “advantage”, “selectivity” and “discrimination” – and explore current problems – in particular policy and practice regarding “harmful” tax competition within the European Union. This includes the Member States’ Code of Conduct on business taxation, the limits to anti-avoidance legislation and the options for legislation on patent boxes. The European Commission’s recent findings on preferential “rulings” are discussed as well as the general relationship between international tax law, transfer pricing standards and the European prohibition on selective fiscal aids.
Introduction - The Law and Economics of EU State Aid Control /Vincent Verouden and Philipp Werner --Advantage /Giuseppe Conte and James Kavanagh --State Measure /Rein Wesseling and Marieke Bredenoord-Spoek --Selectivity /Michael Honoré --Distortion of Competition and Effect on Trade /Jacques Derenne and Vincent Verouden --Compatibility of Aid - General Introduction /Leigh Hancher and Phedon Nicolaides --General Block Exemption Regulation /Koert van Buiren and Alexander Rose --Ex Post Evaluation of Aid /Xavier Boutin and Inkalotta Nuotio-Osazee --Research, Development and Innovation Aid /Pascal Belmin and Hans Zenger --Regional Aid /Hans W. Friederiszick and Massimo Merola --Risk Finance Aid /Isabel Taylor and Albert Bravo-Biosca --Rescue and Restructuring Aid /Ulrich Soltész and Bruce Lyons --Services of General Economic Interest /Philipp Werner and Vincent Verouden --Infrastructure Aid /Penelope Papandropoulos and Elisabetta Righini --State Aid in the Broadband Sector /Hein Hobbelen and Oliver Stehmann --State Aid in the Postal Services Sector /Alessandra Fratini and Khaled Diaw --Transport Aid /Udo Woll and Andrew Meaney --Energy and Environmental Aid /Kai Struckmann and Geza Sapi --Aid to Broadcasting, Culture and Sport /Christine Gerlach and Dimitrios Pikios --Aid in the Banking Sector /Stan Maes and Stephen Mavroghenis --State Aid and Privatisation /Andreas von Bonin and Elisabeth Häringer.
This book provides a comprehensive practitioner guide to the EU law of State aid, covering all relevant legislation, case law, and the dominant themes shaping EU State aid policy. It discusses the concept of State aid and its development in the European Union, as well as practical aspects such as procedures for notification to the European Commission, and enforcement in the European Court and national courts. It offers extensive coverage of specific sectors, including transport and shipbuilding, media and communications, energy and environmental protection, culture and heritage, and agriculture. The third edition is fully updated to cover the extensive legislative changes in this area, including the new General Block Exemption Regulation and De Minimis Regulation, horizontal aid guidelines, and sectoral guidelines for aviation, cinemas, agriculture, and fisheries; as well as State aid cases in the national courts, particularly the UK, and recent European Court jurisprudence. Accessible to competition lawyers and non-specialists, the book's clarity and concision make it an invaluable reference to this area of law.
Following each Member State's need to rebuild a strong and stable economy after the 2007 financial crisis, the European Union (EU) has developed a robust new transparency framework with binding anti-abuse measures and stronger instruments to challenge external threats of base erosion. This is the first and only book to provide a complete detailed analysis of the Anti-Tax Avoidance Package and other recent and ongoing European actions taken in direct taxation. With contributions from both prominent tax academics and Spain's delegates to the European meetings where these rules are debated and promulgated, the book covers such issues and topics as the following: – the development of the EU Strategy towards Aggressive Tax Planning; – recent tax-related jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice; – the Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive; – tax treaties and non-tax treaties with tax consequences both between Member States and between Member States and third countries; – code of conduct for business taxation; – automatic exchange of information; – country-by-country reporting; – arbitration in tax matters; – external strategy for effective taxation regarding non-EU countries; – competition and state aid developments in direct taxation; – the Common Consolidated Tax Base; and – digital significant presence and permanent establishment. As the EU pursues its ambitious tax agenda, taxation's contribution to EU growth and competitiveness and its part in relations with the rest of the world will come into ever clearer focus. In addition to its insights into these trends, the book's unparalleled practical information and analysis will be of great value to tax practitioners dealing with investment analysis, tax planning schemes, and other features of the current international tax landscape.
The rules controlling State aid and subsidies on the EU and the WTO level touch nearly every aspect of national law. Written by a team of experts from the judiciary, practice, academia, and officials, this book provides a thorough and analytic approach to this vital area of law.
An invaluable resource to all those involved in advising or litigating matters of state aid, from lawmakers to regulators, lawyers, economists and courts. This fully revised 4th edition presents detailed practical guidance to the law and practice in the European Union as it stands today, together with the relevant primary law materials
This book provides a comprehensive practitioner guide to the EU law of State aid, covering all relevant legislation, case law, and the dominant themes shaping EU State aid policy. It discusses the concept of State aid and its development in the European Union, as well as practical aspects such as procedures for notification to the European Commission, and enforcement in the European Court and national courts. It offers extensive coverage of specific sectors, including transport and shipbuilding, media and communications, energy and environmental protection, culture and heritage, and agriculture. The third edition is fully updated to cover the extensive legislative changes in this area, including the new General Block Exemption Regulation and De Minimis Regulation, horizontal aid guidelines, and sectoral guidelines for aviation, cinemas, agriculture, and fisheries; as well as State aid cases in the national courts, particularly the UK, and recent European Court jurisprudence. Accessible to competition lawyers and non-specialists, the book's clarity and concision make it an invaluable reference to this area of law.