Taxation-Transnational Commons^™

A Critical Reassessment Of The Role Of Neutrality In International Taxation, David Elkins

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Neutrality plays a central role in the literature on international taxation. In its most prevalent form, the concept of neutrality posits that in order to maximize aggregate global welfare, capital needs to flow to where it would produce the highest pretax return. The thesis of this Article is that neutrality is ordinarily inapplicable in the field of international taxation.

When considering neutrality in the international arena, the problem that one encounters is that the term “international taxation” is commonly used to describe a number of very different types of tax regimes (what the Article refers to as “intranational taxation,” “supranational …

Credit Vs. Exemption: A Comparative Study Of Double Tax Relief In The United States And Japan, Lawrence Lokken, Yoshimi Kitamura

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

The overriding issue in international taxation is the problem of double taxation. Under the tax laws of most countries, income may be taxed on the basis of either residence or source. That is, a country may tax residents of the country on worldwide income and may tax nonresidents on income from sources within the country. Thus, if a resident of one country has income from a business activity or investment in another country, the person may be taxed on the income on a residence basis by its home country and on a source basis in the other country. Most countries …

Taxing The International Athlete: Working Toward Free Trade In The Americas Through A Multilateral Tax Treaty, Jeffrey Dunlop

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

At first glance, it does not appear that taxation issues facing the international athlete and developing free trade between North and South America are closely related; they represent very different aspects of cross-border transactions and investment. On the other hand, they may be related when viewed as sequential steps in the process toward developing sustained economic relationships. This article will attempt to bridge that gap. First, Part II of this article discusses the current United States approach toward taxation of international athletes. Next, Part III reviews the history and issues facing tax treaty negotiations between the United States and developing …

The $4 Billion Question: An Analysis Of Congressional Responses To The Fsc/Eti Dispute Under Wto Export Subsidy Standards, William Chou

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

During the decade-long relationship between the United States and the World Trade Organization (WTO), perhaps no controversy has fomented as long and bitterly as the dispute over the U.S. tax benefits for exporters. This article analyzes two competing bills before the House of Representatives, both devised to bring the United States in compliance with the WTO's ruling against the U.S. Foreign Sale Corporation (FSC) and Exterritorial Income (ETI) tax regimes as prohibited export subsidies. Hit with a $4 billion retaliatory tariff by the European Union, the House sought new tax legislation that would preserve at least some of the tax …

Fight Or Flight Of U.S.-Based Multinational Businesses: Analyzing The Causes For, Effects Of, And Solutions To The Corporate Inversion Trend, Hale E. Sheppard

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

When a person is confronted by a threat, he or she experiences a psychological and physiological response commonly known as "fight or flight." In general, this innate survival mechanism causes the body to direct blood to vital areas and to release lactic acid, adrenaline and other chemicals in order to prepare a person to either face the threat or flee immediately. Multinational corporations based in the United States, likewise, have recently displayed similar fight-or-flight behavior when faced with the threat of high taxes. Unfortunately for the U.S. economy, a growing number of these American corporations have chosen the latter: flight. …

Optimal International Taxation And Tax Competition: Overcoming The Contradictions, William B. Barker

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

This paper presents a theory of international taxation based on a new approach to source taxation that reflects world development and synthesizes the objectives of economic efficiency, fairness to taxpayers, and fairness to governments. Adoption of this model results in the preservation of comprehensive income taxation to capital-exporting nations and an expenditure tax base for capital-importing nations. The system would reduce much of the distortion caused by tax competition, eliminating the tax incentive for businesses to use productive assets and technologies outside the country of their development and saving the jobs of many workers.

The Proposed E.U. Vat On Electronically Transmitted Services: Enforcement And Compliance Issues, Thomas Fawkes

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

This paper will begin by discussing the current VAT system in the E.U. It will also describe in detail the provisions of the proposed VAT amendments as they affect electronic commerce transactions with respect to both B2B and B2C transactions. Next, the practical effects of the VAT amendments in terms of increased VAT revenue for the E.U. and its mem-ber states will be discussed. Following will be a discussion on the past and present failures of the E.U. and its Member States in encouraging and en-forcing compliance under the current VAT Directive, and the implication of such failures on the …

New Transfer Pricing Rules In Brazil, Alexandre Tadeu Seguim

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Through transfer price, the organization aims to evaluate and improve the performance of the related entity. The idea that transfer pricing is a mechanism designed only to avoid taxes is misleading. Actually, to transfer price is a sound and positive way to increase value. The 1979 OECD Report on Transfer Pricing and Multinational Enterprises emphasized that the term is neutral: "the consideration of transfer pricing problems should not be confused with the consideration of problems of tax fraud or tax avoidance, even though transfer pricing policies may be used for such purposes." The 1995 OECD Report went even further by …

The United States' Response To Tax Havens: The Foreign Base Company Services Income Of Controlled Foreign Corporations, Eric T. Laity

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

This article is a detailed study of the taxation by the United States of foreign base company services income. Foreign base company services in- come is defined generally as the income derived by a controlled foreign corporation from the performance of services for a related person.2 Con- trolled foreign corporations, in turn, generally are the foreign subsidiaries of U.S. parent corporations.3 A controlled foreign corporation's foreign base company services income is taxed to its U.S. parent corporation, subject to various exclusions and qualifications. This article defines the class of sus- pect relationships between the controlled foreign corporation and its related …

The Limitation On Benefit Clause Of The U.S.-German Tax Treaty And Its Compatibility With European Union Law, Dietmar Anders

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

This comment details why the limitation on benefits clause of the U.S.- German Treaty is contrary to European Union law.5 Part I describes the discriminatory situation which German companies may face and illustrates how tax treaty abuse could occur and how to prevent it. Part I also contains an introduction to the U.S.-German Treaty and provides an example of the conflict between U.S. tax treaties and European Union law. Part II analyzes in detail the Treaty's discriminatory features with respect to European Union aw and discusses potential justifications for this discrimination based on the case law of the European Court …

Indirect Taxation And 1992, Michel V.M. Van Beek

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Since June 1985, when the Commission of the European Communities ("Commission") presented to the European Council its "White Paper" on completing the Internal Market by the elimination of physical, technical, and fiscal barriers inside the European Communities ("EC" or "Community"), the harmonization of indirect taxation has become a main topic in the European press. In this article an attempt will be made to clarify the impact of indirect taxation, or more correctly, the obstacles created by indirect taxes to the realization of the Internal Market, by looking at the past, the present and the future. However, what indirect taxes create …

Book Review

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

When a corporation enters foreign markets it must confront the complications of foreign currency exchange. Foreign exchange management ("forex management") taxes the skills of the most creative corporate financial managers. Achieving tax advantages through forex management, or at least avoiding financial disasters, requires the talents of a prophet. To maintain profits, the tax efficient forex manager must reduce taxes while reducing foreign exchange risks. In Tax Efficient Forex Management, John Chown supplies forex managers with the knowledge required to achieve significant tax advantages from managing foreign currency and asset exchange. According to Mr. Chown, the book is intended for both …

A Primer For Incorporating Under The Income Tax Laws Of France, Germany, Or The United Kingdom, Francene M. Augustyn

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

This article discusses the income tax considerations relevant to a decision to incorporate a business abroad. The article provides an overview of some of the more important aspects of the corporate income tax laws of France, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the United Kingdom. The provisions of the countries' respective tax codes are contrasted and compared; included in this comparison are analogous provisions contained in the Internal Revenue Code of the United States. Due to the ever-changing character of the provisions of the countries' respective tax codes, this article is not an exhaustive study of any one country's tax …

New Developments In The Foreign Tax Credit: The Treasury Department Attempts To Define And Income Tax, David F. Nitschke

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

In order to alleviate the double taxation of income earned overseas by United States taxpayers, the Internal Revenue Code contains aforeign tax credit. This provision, which enables a taxpayer to credit certain foreign taxes he haspaid or accrued, has been reinterpreted recently by the Depart- ment of the Treasury. In this article, Mr. Nitschke discusses several 1978 revenue rulings andproposed regulations issued in 1979 that have altered the definition of aforeign tax that qualifies as an "income tax" and, thereby, have reduced signficantly the kind offorein taxes eligible for the credit. Upon examination ofprior rulings and case law, Mr. Nitschke …

Newly Revised Income Tax Treaty With France: A Breakthrough In U.S. Tax Treaty Law, Stephanie H. Simonard

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

In 1979, the United States and France revised their 1967 Income Tax Treaty Developed along the lines of the Organization of Economic Co-Op- eration and Development Model Convention, the revised Treaty adopts a unique method of calculating the U.S. foreign tax credit limitation. The re- vised Treaty changed the definition of "source" of income to permit the for- eign tax credit against what would otherwise be termed "U.S. source income. " In this article, Mrs. Simonard examines the revised Treaty and its effects on U.S. citizens residing in France