One of the most important changes in the update of the UN Model of 2017, released in May 2018, is the introduction of a new Article 12A dedicated to fees for technical services. This article analyses the policy considerations which underly the new provision and describes past and current tax treaty practice with regard to the allocation of taxing rights on fees for technical services. It examines the scope of the new model Article 12A and its interaction and potential overlap with items of income covered under Article 5 and Article 7 (permanent establishment and business profits), Article 12 (royalties) and Article 14 (independent services) of the UN Model. In the final section, it analyses how the new provision might play a significant role in the taxation of (certain business models of) the digital economy.
Although rules on the allocation of taxing rights for fees for technical services have been provided for in bilateral tax treaties by African, Asian, and South American countries for decades, it was only in the 2017 update that the UN Model Tax Treaty included Article 12A on the matter, thus suggesting its inclusion in the tax treaty network of its Member States. Consequently, from a cross-border perspective, the interpretation of Article 12A is of great importance for both taxpayers and tax authorities. This book presents the first comprehensive analysis of the scope of technical services in comparison to ordinary (non-technical) services and the differentiation between Article 12A and other allocation rules of the UN Model. The book’s analysis focuses on the interpretation of the concept of technical services by examining the historical evolution of Article 12 of the OECD and UN Models and the systematic context in which it is embedded. Aspects of this analysis examined include the following: the base-erosion principle as justification for establishing source taxing rights without the physical presence of the service provider in the state in which fees for technical services arise; whether the term ‘technical’ is sufficiently defined in the Commentaries to the UN Model or whether it shall be ascribed a different meaning to increase legal certainty for tax authorities and taxpayers; relevance of the OECD Model and its Commentaries as the basis for the UN Model and its Commentaries; rules of precedence concerning the application of Article 12A in relation to the other allocation rules of the UN Model; the connection between royalties and fees for technical services; application of Article 12A UN Model to challenges arising from the digitalized economy; and the allocation of taxing rights for fees for technical services rendered in a third state. Tax treaties of selected African countries are examined, as these countries were the earliest adopters of the concept of fees for technical services into their tax treaty network. The book also provides an overview of literature and jurisprudence on country practices in Brazil, India, and other countries, as well as relevant documents of international organizations. This book provides practitioners, government officials, and academics with a deep understanding of the interpretation and application of Article 12A UN Model. It will prove of great value in preparing for tax treaty negotiations and also in informing and advising enterprises that intend to conduct business in developing countries through the provision of specialized services.
The way that nation states design their tax systems impacts the sharing of resources and wealth within and across societies. To date, wealthy countries have made tax policy design and coordination choices which allow them to claim more than they are justifiably entitled to from the global economy. In Tax Cooperation in an Unjust World, Allison Christians and Laurens van Apeldoorn show how this presently accepted reality both facilitates and feeds off continued human suffering, and therefore violates conceptions of international distributive justice. They examine two principles that govern tax cooperation across states, and explain how the current international tax order impedes their realization. They then show how states could work toward fulfilling the principles and building a fairer international tax system via incremental yet effective adaptation of key international tax norms and rules.
Detailed research on the UN Model Convention’s unique features The UN Model Convention has a significant influence on international tax treaty practice and is especially used by emerging and developing countries as a starting point for treaty negotiations. Driven by the aim to achieve consistency in the international tax treaty practice, the structure and content is, to a large extent, similar in the UN Model and the OECD Model. However, whereas the OECD has historically focused its efforts on issues mainly relevant for developed countries, the UN Tax Committee has continuously attempted to specifically take into account tax treaty policies for developing countries when drafting and amending the UN Model Convention. Compared to the OECD Model Convention, the UN Model Convention aims at giving more weight to the source principle. Popular examples are the PE definition in the UN Model which provides for a lower threshold than Article 5 of the OECD Model or Article 12A on Fees for Technical Services which has been introduced with the latest amendment of the UN Model Convention 2017 and allows for a withholding tax to be levied on payments to non-residents when the payer of the fee is a resident of that contracting State irrespective of where the services are provided. Interestingly, in the discussions of the tax challenges arising from the digitalization of the economy, the OECD and the G20 are also exploring options to allocate more taxing rights to the jurisdiction of the customer and/or user, i.e., the ‘market jurisdictions’. As this has traditionally been the focus of the UN Model Convention, its unique features and developing countries’ practices could be taken into account when exploring new nexus rules that are not constrained by the physical presence requirement. This book contains the master’s theses of the full-time LL.M. program 2018-2019 for which ‘Special Features of the UN Model Convention’ has been chosen as the general topic. With this book, the authors and editors do not aim at discussing each article of the UN Model Convention but rather focus on the unique features of the UN Model Convention, which are explored in detail. This is supplemented with an evaluation of the function and relevance of the UN Tax Committee in the international tax policy discussion and with an analysis of the influences of the OECD's BEPS project on the UN Model.he OECD's BEPS project on the UN Model.
This groundbreaking book – a major contribution addressing the imperative to find a solution to what has been labelled as the Tax Challenges Arising from the Digitalization of the Economy – provides the first comprehensive analysis of Article 12B of the UN Model Double Taxation Convention 2021, a model distributive rule for ‘Income from Automated Digital Services’. In extensive detail, the author thoroughly examines the article’s underlying principles, its individual provisions, the tax policy context that surrounds it, how it might be applied, and what its strengths and weaknesses are. The author’s analysis (which includes a paragraph-by-paragraph discussion of the article and examines its Commentary in extensive detail) covers all aspects of the article and its significance, including the following: how to reconcile the approach taken by Article 12B UN Model Convention with general principles underlying the coordination of taxing claims; legal and tax policy relation to other provisions of the UN Model Convention and to the OECD/Inclusive Framework Pillar One/Amount A; influence of developing countries in forums of international tax coordination; the value of country positions and minority views in Model Conventions; categories of digital services; the novel option for annual net taxation in Article 12B(3) UN Model Convention; and the proposal for a UN fast-track instrument. It is not surprising that the ubiquitous digitalization of the economy has led to a widespread sense of unease in the international tax community. Practitioners and policymakers who face this issue in their day-to-day work will greatly appreciate this book’s clear explanation of how Article 12B UN Model Convention works and benefit from its consideration of how it is likely to be implemented in the international double taxation treaty network.
Klaus Vogel on Double Taxation Conventions is regarded as the international gold standard on the law of tax treaties. This article-by-article commentary has been completely revised and updated to give you a full and current account of double tax conventions (DTCs). DTCs form the backbone of international taxation, but they raise many interpretational questions. This market leading work will provide you with the answers. Based on the OECD/G20 Multilateral Instrument, the OECD MC and Commentary published in 2017 and the most recent amendments to the UN MC, the book also includes relevant case law and scholarly literature upto and including 2020. Previous editions of the Vogel have been routinely relied on by courts around the world including Australia, Canada, Germany, India, South Africa, the Netherlands and United Kingdom. What’s new in this edition? There have been many important developments in this area since the last edition in 2015. The authors discuss these developments and the effect they will have upon practitioners working in this area. They also provide a wealth of new and revised case law, along with the DTCs of emerging countries. You’ll find: Reports about major features in the DTC practice of many leading jurisdictions, such as: the DTC practice of Austria, Canada, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK and the US Sections on divergent country practice covering their national models and networks of bilateral DTCs Thorough analysis of the OECD and UN model, as well as the implementation of these models in practice Amendments of bilateral DTCs, textual or in substance, on the basis of the 2017 Anti-BEPS Multilateral Instrument Coverage of a full range of the latest tax treaties around the world, including important treaties between OECD and BRICS countries This new Fifth Edition of Klaus Vogel on Double Taxation Conventions continues to reflect the unchallenged role of the OECD. The OECD MC, accompanied by the official Commentary, guidelines, reports and other recommendations, has sustained its position as the most important legal instrument in the area of DTCs. On occasion, the UN MC and Commentary diverge from the OECD texts. When this happens, the authors deal with the specifics of the UN MC in separate annotations and analyses, explaining and making sure you understand the differences. How this will help you: All the information you need to confidently advise on issues such as the taxation of income, taxation of capital and the elimination of double taxation Know that your advice to clients is based on the most up-to-date and respected information available, from an outstanding team of editors and authors The editors, Professors Ekkehart Reimer and Alexander Rust, have worked with the late Professor Vogel as well as an international team of top experts to completely update and enhance the content. The writing team comprises: Editors: Prof. Dr Ekkehart Reimer, Heidelberg University and Prof. Dr Alexander Rust, WU Vienna. Authors: Johannes Becker, Federal Ministry of Finance, Berlin; Alexander Blank, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg; Katharina Blank, Federal Ministry of Finance, Berlin; Michael Blank, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Prof. Dr Luc De Broe, Catholic University of Leuven; Laga; Prof. Dr Axel Cordewener, Catholic University of Leuven and Flick Gocke Schaumburg ; Prof. Dr Ana Paula Dourado, University of Lisbon; Daniela Endres-Reich, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg; Prof. Dr Werner Haslehner, University of Luxembourg; Prof. Dr Roland Ismer, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg; Prof. Dr Eric C. C. M. Kemmeren , Tilburg University; Prof. Dr Georg Kofler, WU Vienna; Sophia Piotrowski, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg; Prof. Dr Ekkehart Reimer, Heidelberg University; Prof. Dr Alexander Rust, WU Vienna; Annika Streicher, WU Vienna; Prof. Dr. Matthias Valta, Duesseldorf University; Jens Wittendorff, Ernst & Young, Copenhagen and University of Aarhus; Kamilla Zembala, Heidelberg University
The Oxford Handbook of International Law and Development is a unique overview of the field of international law and development, examining how normative beliefs and assumptions around development are instantiated in law, and critically examining disciplinary frameworks, competing agendas, legal actors and institutions, and alternative futures.
The increasingly digitalized global economy is undermining the usefulness of many traditional tax concepts. In addition to issues of double taxation and double non-taxation, important questions arise concerning the allocation of taxing rights in respect of income from cross-border digital transactions. This is the first book to analyse what changes are possible, necessary and feasible in order to forestall the unravelling of the existing international tax framework. Focusing in turn on the legal framework, specific proposals for adapting tax concepts for the digital economy, types of transactions and administrative issues such as those around data protection and digital currencies, the expert contributors discuss such challenges to taxation as the following: the pervasiveness of intangible assets; new value creation models; the ascendance of the sharing economy and digital services; virtual currencies; the importance of user participation for digital platforms; cloud computing; the impact of Big Data on tax enforcement; virtual business presence; and the influence of robotization. Throughout, the authors describe and analyse proposals made by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Union (EU) and individual countries and their likely impact going forward. They also attend to the limits imposed on reform possibilities by public international law, EU law and constitutional law. It is generally acknowledged that there is a need to monitor how the digital transformation may be impacting value creation. This book is a key milestone toward developing a durable, long-term solution to the tax challenges posed by the digitalization of the economy. With its thorough scrutiny of proposals for digital services tax and virtual permanent establishments, insightful analysis of digital services and detailed description of the impact of big data on tax administration and taxpayer protection, it will quickly prove indispensable for tax practitioners and the international tax community more generally.
This thesis analyzes the meaning of the new fees for technical services provision under the UN and OECD Model Treaty Convention. It provides a critical evaluation on the general treaty interpretation and application of double tax avoidance treaties. First the author discusses the policy rationale and justifications provided to introduce fees for technical services. Basic international tax principles that adhere to source versus residence taxation are also dealt with. In addition, he analyzes the general rules of treaty interpretation, the role and status of commentaries, the application of article 3 (2) and qualification conflicts, and finally the meaning and interpretation of fees for technical services.
About this book This book contains detailed analysis of some of the key provisions of the Finance Act, 2021 with the objective of identifying various issues arising from the newly inserted provisions in the Income Tax Act, 1961. This book also captures the recent development in the world of international taxation. This includes UN tax developments and a very simple explanation of working of OECD Inclusive Frameworks Pillar One and Pillar Two blueprints, which are too complex and lengthy documents. From GST perspective, the book contains certain recommendations for rationalization of anti-profiteering provisions. The book also contains a Concept Paper on UN MLI presented by the author to the FACTI Panel and G77. The author has been pushing this idea at international forums for some time. Key Features Analysis of provisions related to: · Liable to tax · Slump sale · MAT · Taxation of ULIPS · Equalisation Levy · Amendment to SCRA · Section 89A · Concept of UN MLI · OECD Pillar One and Two Blueprint · India comments on OECD Commentary · Covid 19 and International Tax · Scope of option u/s 90(2) – Selective claim of treaty benefit · Scope of PE under the domestic law · UN Developments – Royalties, Indirect transfer and CIVs · Rationalisation of anti-profiteering provisions (GST law)
