Author: Antti Laukkanen

Publisher: IBFD

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 487

ISBN-13: 9087220227

This dissertation aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the taxation of investment derivatives and the relationship between the derivatives and the accrual and realization methods. Investment derivatives, such as convertible bonds, include an initial investment and a derivative (an option) to buy or sell or to participate in the value movements of some underlying property. The principal focus of this study is on three universal tax issues, namely valuation, timing and the taxation of unrealized gains. As a common principle, interest income and capital gains are treated more similarly in corporate taxation than in individual taxation. Moreover, the taxation of financial instruments is currently in a turn-around phase in several countries, not least because of the implementation of the IFRS rules in accounting and the related fair value principle. The obligation to use fair values in accounting apparently motivates tax legislators to strive to use the same principles in taxation as well. The comparative method plays a major role in this study by examining the tax legislations and the tax practices of different countries. An in-depth analysis of the similarities and differences of tax laws and practices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland and Sweden is provided. This is of particular interest as the underlying components, single and often specified financial derivatives, are basically identical. While this study does not deal with individual tax treaties or bilateral transactions, the OECD Model is scrutinized in order to highlight the underlying principles of the given recommendations, especially with respect to interest income and capital gains. Due to the increasing importance of IFRS rules in accounting, the study is not limited to tax law, but also looks at issues from the perspective of finance, accounting and economics.