Offshore profit shifting and the U.S. Tax Code. Part 2 (Apple Inc.) : hearing before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, first session, May 21, 2013.
Offshore profit shifting and the U.S. Tax Code. Part 1 (Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard) : hearing before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, second session, September 20, 2012.
Offshore profit shifting and the U.S. Tax Code. Part 1 (Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard) : hearing before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, second session, September 20, 2012.
On 21 May 2013, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee held a hearing that was a continuation of a series of reviews conducted by the Subcommittee on how individual and corporate taxpayers are shifting billions of dollars offshore to avoid U.S. taxes. This book examines those hearings and how Apple Inc., a U.S. multinational corporation, has used a variety of offshore structures, arrangements, and transactions to shift billions of dollars in profits away from the United States and into Ireland, where Apple has negotiated a special corporate tax rate of less than two percent. This book examines how Apple Inc. transferred the economic rights to its intellectual property through a cost sharing agreement with its own offshore affiliates, and was thereby able to shift tens of billions of dollars offshore to a low tax jurisdiction and avoid U.S. tax. Apple Inc then utilised U.S. tax loopholes, including the so-called "check-the-box" rules, to avoid U.S. taxes on $44 billion in taxable offshore income over the past four years, or about $10 billion in tax avoidance per year. The book also examines some of the weaknesses and loopholes in certain U.S. tax code provisions, including transfer pricing, Subpart F, and related regulations, that enable multinational corporations to avoid U.S. taxes.
Jurisdiction to Tax Corporate Income Pursuant to the Presumptive Benefit Principle intends to demonstrate that the profit shifting phenomenon (i.e., the ability of companies to book their profits in jurisdictions other than those that host their economic activities) is real, severe, undesirable, and above all, the natural consequence of both the preservation of three fundamental paradigms that have historically underlain corporate income taxes and their precise legal configuration. In view of this, the book submits a number of proposals in relation to the aforementioned paradigms and in the light of the suggested “presumptive benefit principle” so as to counteract profit shifting risks and thus attain a more equitable allocation of taxing rights among States. This PhD thesis obtained the prestigious European Academic Tax Thesis Award 2018 granted by the European Commission and the European Association of Tax Law Professors. What’s in this book: This book provides a disruptive discourse on tax sovereignty in the field of corporate income taxation that endeavors to escape from long-standing tax policy tendencies and prejudices while considering the challenges posed by a globalized (and increasingly digitalized) economy. In particular, the book offers an innovative perspective on certain deep-rooted paradigms historically underlying corporate income taxation: tax treatment of related parties within a corporate group along with the arm’s-length standard; corporate tax residence standards; and definition of source for corporate income tax purposes, with a particular emphasis on the permanent establishment concept. The book explores their respective origins, supposed tax policy rationales, structural problems and interactions; ultimately showing how the way tax jurisdiction is currently defined through them inherently tends to trigger profit shifting outcomes. In view of the conclusions of the study, the author suggests the use of a new version of the traditional benefit principle (the “presumptive benefit principle”) that would contribute to address the profit shifting phenomenon while serving as a practical guideline to achieve a more equitable allocation of taxing rights among jurisdictions. Finally, the book submits a number of proposals inspired by the aforementioned guideline that aspire to strike a balance between equity, effectiveness and technical feasibility. They include a new corporate tax residence test and, most notably, a proposal on a new remote-sales permanent establishment. How this will help you: With its case study (based on the Apple group) empirically demonstrating the existence of the profit shifting phenomenon, its clearly documented exposure of the reasons why traditional corporate income tax regimes systematically give rise to these outcomes, its new tax policy guideline and its proposals for reform, this book makes a significant contribution to current tax policy discussions concerning corporate income taxation in cross-border scenarios. It will be warmly welcomed by all concerned—policymakers, scholars, practitioners—with the greatest tax policy challenges that corporate income taxation is facing in the contemporary world.
Congress and the Obama Administration have expressed interest in addressing multinational corporations' ability to shift profits into low- and no-tax countries with little corresponding change in business operations. Several factors appear to be driving this interest. Economists have estimated that profit shifting results in significant tax revenue losses annually, implying that reducing the practice could help address deficit and debt concerns. Profit shifting and base erosion are also believed to distort the allocation of capital as investment decisions are overly influenced by taxes. Fairness concerns have also been raised. If multinational corporations can avoid or reduce their taxes, other taxpayers (including domestically focused businesses and individuals) may perceive the tax system as unfair. At the same time, policymakers are also concerned that American corporations could be unintentionally harmed if careful consideration is not given to the proper way to reduce profit shifting. This book is intended to assist Congress as it considers what, if any, action to curb profit shifting. This book discusses the methods used for shifting profits only to the extent that it is necessary for interpreting the data or discussing policy options. In addition, this book addresses tax havens; basic concepts and policy issues of U.S. international corporate taxation; and reforms of U.S. international taxation.
