Tax Law Commons^™

Basic Bankruptcy Training For General Tax Practitioners, Walter E. Afield, Robb Longman, Alexander E. Schmidt

Faculty Publications By Year

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A Global Wealth Tax?, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

Mitt Romney famously said during his 2012 presidential campaign that “corporations are people.” Mindy Herzfeld’s column comparing the proposed 2 percent global wealth tax on billionaires with the corporate minimum tax (pillar 2) raises the opposite question: Are people like corporations for tax purposes? I would say no, for several reasons.

The U.N. Framework Tax Convention: Can It Bridge The North-South Divide?, Assaf Harpaz

Scholarly Works

The United Nations recently concluded the second session of negotiations on terms of reference for a framework convention on international tax cooperation. The framework convention presents an opportunity to multilaterally address pressing global tax issues. Its goal is to “strengthen international tax cooperation and make it fully inclusive and more effective.” The extensively negotiated terms of reference make several substantive commitments, including the fair allocation of taxing rights; tax evasion and avoidance by high-net worth individuals; sustainable development; mutual administrative assistance in tax matters; tax-related illicit financial flows; and prevention and resolution of tax disputes. The ongoing multilateral effort brings …

The Contemporary Tax Journal’S Interview With Tony Coughlan, Enas J. Al-Mais

The Contemporary Tax Journal

No abstract provided.

The Contemporary Tax Journal Volume 13, No. 1 – Summer 2024

The Contemporary Tax Journal

No abstract provided.

Better Safe Than Sorry …. When The Lack Of Proper Tax Research Goes Wrong, Aizhan Toibazarova

The Contemporary Tax Journal

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Does The Irs Have Statutory Authority To Assess Penalties Under Irc § 6038?, Jennifer Chang

The Contemporary Tax Journal

No abstract provided.

Navigating The Ins And Outs Of Amended Returns, Cheryl Cruz

The Contemporary Tax Journal

No abstract provided.

Taxation Of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, Aizhan Toibazarova

The Contemporary Tax Journal

No abstract provided.

Uworld Review Questions

The Contemporary Tax Journal

No abstract provided.

Crypto And The Exit Tax, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

Robert Goulder has devoted one of his excellent columns to the fascinating case of “Bitcoin Jesus.” As explained by Goulder:

Another billionaire was in the news recently for reasons that relate to taxation, although it’s doubtful he will be accused of much virtue. The man known internationally as “Bitcoin Jesus” got himself arrested in Spain on April 27. He now faces extradition to the United States, where an eight-count criminal tax indictment awaits him. Bitcoin Jesus is coming home.

This is a far cry from the Jesus born in Bethlehem who once said that it was easier for a camel …

Sourcing Derivatives: Time To Reverse The Rule?, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

In their excellent Tax Notes article on the application of withholding taxes on derivatives, Lorenz F. Haselberger and Michael B. Shulman write that:

A taxpayer entering into a derivative may derive income of a kind that is different from the kind of income that would have been realized had the taxpayer instead acquired the underlying asset, resulting in different U.S. withholding tax treatment.

For example, when a foreign taxpayer enters into a swap referencing an equity security or interest rate, amounts it receives that correspond to dividends or interest generally are characterized as periodic payments on a financial contract rather …

Once More: Digital Services Taxes Should Be Creditable, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

In a previous column, I argued that digital services taxes should be creditable as in-lieu-of taxes under section 903. A new analysis by Jane Gravelle sheds further light on this topic but does not change the outcome.

Gravelle makes three arguments against the creditability of DSTs. First, she argues that the whole concept underlying both pillar 1 and DSTs (allocating value to market jurisdictions) is wrong, and therefore they cannot be justified. Second, she argues that DSTs are passed on in full to consumers and that this precludes creditability. Finally, she argues that DSTs are discriminatory excise taxes on U.S. …

The Usefulness Of Pillar 1, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

Many commentators have declared that pillar 1 of the base erosion and profit-shifting project 2.0 is dead. By its explicit terms, the multilateral tax convention (MLC) implementing pillar 1 cannot go into effect this year without ratification by the United States, and the chances of the United States ratifying it before or after the election are low given massive opposition in Congress. If the MLC does not go into effect by December 31, 2024, over 30 countries will likely impose digital services taxes on January 1, 2025, making the whole pillar 1 project (which was aimed at preventing the spread …

University Of The District Of Columbia Law Review, University Of The District Of Columbia Law Review

University of the District of Columbia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Limitation On Benefits Or Principal Purpose Test? Part 2, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

Part 1 of this column discussed the choice between the limitation on benefits and principal purpose test (PPT) and the history of the LOB in U.S. tax treaty policy.

How effective is the LOB article in U.S. tax treaties, now that it no longer includes the PPT from the original U.S. LOB?

Limitation On Benefits Or Principal Purpose Test? Part 1, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

An interesting recent column by Tax Notes’ Lee Sheppard criticizes the principal purpose test (PPT) that was adopted as a minimum standard in the OECD’s base erosion and profit-shifting project 1.0 and has since been incorporated into many tax treaties through the multilateral instrument. Sheppard explains:

Readers will recall that BEPS 1.0 had a set of minimum standards for participating countries, one of which was a treaty amendment to cement the purpose of the treaty to prevent both double taxation and double nontaxation. Participants could choose between a seemingly simple, subjective principal purpose test (PPT) and a complicated but objective …

Crypto Losses, Xuan-Thao Nguyen, Jeffrey A. Maine

Articles

The crypto industry has been hit hard with various market forces and scams, leaving investors with trillion-dollar losses in recent years. The appropriate tax treatment of such losses has yet to be fully examined, as there is scant guidance and a dearth of academic literature on the subject. This Article attempts to fill this gap by applying general tax principles to crypto losses and making several recommendations to improve the clarity and consistency of tax results. It explores various theories of crypto loss “realization” (including theft, abandonment, and worthlessness), highlighting where additional guidance is needed. And it considers appropriate legislative …

Has Cost Sharing Outlived Its Usefulness?, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

In her thoughtful column on cost sharing, Mindy Herzfeld explains the history of costsharing arrangements (CSAs) going all the way back to 1966, and then asks several questions, including: “Should the existing CSA regs be scrapped in favor of another regime, or simply eliminated as a choice for taxpayers?”

Pillar 2 And Specific Benefits For Multinationals, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

In a recent column, Tax Notes’ Martin Sullivan asked whether a country that wishes to neutralize the effect of pillar 2 on its investment incentives can get around the OECD prohibition on a multinational enterprise receiving what amounts to a refund of the pillar 2 tax it pays to that country. He writes that:

It would make a mockery of the pillar 2 taxation system if an investment hub imposed a 15 percent minimum tax on a company — thereby shielding profit in that hub from other jurisdictions’ pillar 2 tax — and then, through a separate mechanism, unconditionally returned …

Preventing Inversions, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

Inversions (transactions in which a U.S. parent corporation becomes a subsidiary of a foreign corporation, but the headquarters remain in the United States) were a major focus of tax policy before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.1 There have been no inversions since the TCJA, but that is more a result of the current rate structure. If the corporate tax rate is increased, inversions may come back, and the time to act to prevent that is now.

The Court Of Justice Kicks Around The Dichotomy Between Data Protection And Competition Law Case Comment Of The Preliminary Ruling In Case C-252/21 Meta Platforms V. Bundeskartellamt, Alba Ribera Martínez

Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies

Data protection and competition law have been at a crossroads in terms of their integration. Antitrust authorities as well as data protection supervisory authorities have grappled with the question of whether both fields of law should be combined into the same analysis. The German competition authority, the Bundeskartellamt, was the first to fuse them in its landmark case against Facebook’s data processing terms and conditions. The exploitative theory of harm put forward by the German NCA is the first of its kind to integrate data protection considerations into the antitrust analysis, namely by drawing a line between an infringement with …

Should Large Corporate Mergers Be Subsidized?, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

On March 21 Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, DR. I., and J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, introduced the Stop Subsidizing Giant Mergers Act. They explained that large mergers have been increasing in recent years and that since 2007, up to 40 percent by value of all mergers have been structured as tax free. They argue that the tax breaks to mergers are a “wasteful subsidy.”

Taxation Of Information And The Data Revolution, Yariv Brauner

UF Law Faculty Publications

Existing and universal income tax rules are inherently incompatible with an economy in which information-based transactions play a significant role. This Article contends that income taxation is incapable of taxing information effectively. It goes on to argue that this incapability currently necessitates reform, and it offers three viable paths to such reform: consumption taxation, data taxes, and formulary taxation. The Article concludes that formulary taxation is currently the most desirable and plausible path to effective reform, owing to its promise to best stabilize and maintain the legitimacy of the international tax regime.

Australia’S Definition Of Royalties: Overreach Or Evolution, Vincent Ooi, Kerrie Sadiq

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In this article, Ooi and Sadiq examine the Australian Taxation Office’s reasoning for adopting a broad interpretation of royalties amidst various criticisms suggesting it has gone too far and is out of step with internationally accepted principles.

Death, Taxes, And Clean Energy: How The Inflation Reduction Act Harnesses Tax Law To Revitalize American Clean Energy, James A. Ferguson

The Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship & the Law

This article explores the nature and impact of the IRA’s historic tax reform on U.S. clean energy markets, emphasizing its significance for businesses, American workers, the global community, and the climate. It begins with an overview of federal tax credits for clean energy, comparing German and American approaches to incentivizing clean energy investments. The article then details five key provisions of the IRA, including extensions of the ITC and PTC, creation of new credits, transferability of tax credits, prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements, and additional tax credits for domestic content and siting. It further analyzes the IRA’s practical implications for …

United Nations: Will It Take The Road ‘Less Traveled’ In International Taxation?, Ashrita Prasad Kotha

Popular Media

Excerpt:

"We are amid what promises to be a significant moment in international tax law. Recently, an ad hoc committee of experts held extensive meetings in New York to draft the terms of reference for future work on international tax cooperation. The work responds to the UN General Assembly Resolution 78/230 passed in December 2023 which steers the path for UN to work towards a fully inclusive and effective international tax cooperation. The UN General Assembly Resolution was prompted by a resolution tabled by the representative of Nigeria on behalf of the African Group of countries.

[...]This ad hoc committee …

Are Exit Taxes Discriminatory?, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

In a recent column, Tax Notes’ Robert Goulder analyzed case law in Europe on the constitutionality of exit taxes. Many EU member states impose exit taxes on individual residents who move to lower-tax jurisdictions, but the Court of Justice of the European Union has repeatedly struck them down as inconsistent with freedom of movement unless they allow for deferral until realization or death with no interest charge, which is equivalent to having no exit tax at all. Goulder cogently argues that this issue is similar to the Moore problem in the United States, especially since the U.S. exit tax on …

Tax Law Analysis, Bradley T. Borden

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

Tax law has a unique analytical framework, which the nature of tax law requires. In areas of uncertainty, advisors and taxpayers are unable to determine the outcome of some reporting positions. If a taxpayer takes a reporting position that results in the taxpayer paying less tax at the time a tax return is filed, the taxpayer runs the risk of being required to pay tax later upon an IRS audit. Congress recognizes that there are areas of uncertainty in tax law and only imposes penalties if the authority supporting a reporting position is weak. To determine the strength of a …

The Section 1031 Qualified-Use Requirement, Bradley T. Borden

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

Section 1031 allows owners of real property to dispose of their property and acquire replacement real property tax-free, and it is one of the most widely used transactional-planning provisions in federal tax law. With the variation in size of the transaction to which section 1031 applies comes varying levels of advice available to property owners. The significant variation in advice that property owners receive affects the actions that they take with respect to their property. Such variation appears to be most pronounced with respect to section 1031 exchanges that occur in proximity to business transactions (i.e., contributions to and distributions …