Law Commons^™

Income Tax Treaty Arbitration, William W. Park

Faculty Scholarship

Notwithstanding similar fiscal objectives, countries that conclude income tax treaties often arrive at radically different results when treaty language is applied to a practical problem. The task of resolving disagreement on treaty interpretation falls either to national courts or to joint efforts by the tax administrations to work out differences on a voluntary basis. Neither alternative is satisfactory. Judicial proceedings lack political neutrality and yield inconsistent results. And the process for "mutual agreement" among competent fiscal authorities is fraught with delays and uncertainty.