Strategizing International Tax Best Practices – by Keith Brockman

Posts tagged ‘OECD’

US developments/OECD toolkit

Recent international tax developments include the following:

  • OECD is progressing on a Digital Strategy, with planned consensus in 2020 (hopefully separate countries will have added patience for a coordinated approach)
  • US Previously Taxed Income (PTI) regulations are due this summer/fall
  • Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) final regulations were issued, effective March 2019 and expanding the definition of “responsible person”
  • India and the US reached agreement to exchange Country-by-Country (CbC) reports, thus alleviating any need to provide separate India CbC reports for US taxpayers
  • OECD released a Beneficial Ownership Toolkit (reference attached) to assist developing countries in identification of ultimate beneficial owners

EY’s Global Tax Alert is also attached for reference.

Click to access beneficial-ownership-toolkit.pdf

Click to access 2019G_000806-19Gbl_Report%20on%20recent%20US%20international%20tax%20developments%20-%2022%20March%202019.pdf

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OECD: Treaty abuse peer review report

The OECD recently published its peer review report on treaty shopping re: prevention of treaty abuse under the inclusive framework on BEPS Action 6.  A link to the document is included for reference.

Article 6 targeted treaty abuse; Action 15 introduced the multilateral instrument (MLI) to implement BEPS actions.  The MLI is the mechanism whereby countries are implementing the treaty-shopping minimum standard.

The first Peer Review shows the effectiveness of implementing the minimum standard for treaty abuse.  The intent of Action 6 is to stop treaty shopping in its entirety.

The treaty shopping minimum standard requires countries to include two components in their tax agreements; an express statement on non-taxation and one of three ways to address treaty-shopping.  The provisions require bilateral agreement.  The 2017 OECD Model Tax Convention includes the following express statement: “Intending to conclude a Convention for the elimination of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and on capital without creating opportunities for non-taxation or reduced taxation through tax evasion or avoidance…”

The three methods of addressing treaty shopping include;

  1. Principal Purpose Test (PPT) alone, or
  2. PPT with a simplified or detailed version of the Limitation on Benefits (LOB) rule, or
  3. Detailed LOB rule with a mechanism to deal with conduit arrangements.

As the MLI’s are agreed, it is important to understand the three methods above, and the express statement which includes reference to the elimination of double taxation, a concept which is sometimes ignored in the pursuit of perceived treaty / tax abuse.

 

https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/taxation/prevention-of-treaty-abuse-peer-review-report-on-treaty-shopping_9789264312388-en#page1

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MLI: A New Year

As time for implementation of the Multilateral Instrument (“MLI”) draws near, it may be time to refresh the history and current status of this instrument.

Reference links are provided for The Multilateral Convention, Guidance for the Development of Synthesised Texts published by the OECD in November 2018,  and Status of the Parties to a MLI as of December 21, 2018.  An extract from the

An extract from the Synthesized Texts is provided as context:

This Guidance has been prepared to provide suggestions to Parties to the MLI for the development of documents they could produce to help users of the MLI to understand its effects on tax agreements it covers and modifies (the “Covered Tax Agreements”). The objective is to present in a single document and for each covered tax agreement: the text of a Covered Tax Agreement, including the text of relevant amending instruments; the elements of the MLI that have an effect on the Covered Tax Agreement as a result of the interaction of the MLI positions of its Contracting Jurisdictions; and information on the dates on which the provisions of the MLI have effect in each Contracting Jurisdiction for the Covered Tax Agreement. Such documents would be referred to as “synthesised texts”.

To ensure clarity and transparency for the application of the MLI, Parties that intend to develop documents setting out the impact of the MLI on their Covered Tax Agreements should be as consistent as possible. This Guidance sets out a suggested approach for the development of synthesised texts. The Guidance also suggests sample language that could be included in the synthesised texts. At this stage, the sample language includes: a sample general disclaimer on the synthesised texts; a sample disclaimer on the entry into effect of the provisions of the MLI; for each MLI Article, “sample boxes” of the provisions of the MLI that could modify the covered tax agreements; and sample footnote texts on the entry into effect of the provisions of the MLI.

As the New Year draws near from a personal perspective, it is also a New Year for birth of the MLI and its impact on worldwide tax treaties.

 

Click to access multilateral-convention-to-implement-tax-treaty-related-measures-to-prevent-BEPS.pdf

Click to access beps-mli-signatories-and-parties.pdf

Click to access beps-mli-guidance-for-the-development-of-synthesised-texts.pdf

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OECD update: CbC reporting

OECD has updated guidelines for several aspects of Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting, including:

  • Dividends included in pre-tax book income
  • Definition of revenues and taxes paid
  • Aggregate data in one jurisdiction/eliminations
  • Accumulated earnings/loss
  • Treatment of major shareholdings / ownership by multiple groups
  • Short accounting periods
  • Parent surrogate filing

As the 2017 CbC report is almost due for US calendar-year taxpayers, it is imperative to review the OECD guidelines to ensure year-to-year consistency, with relevant statements attached for transparency.

A link to the guidelines is attached for reference.

Click to access guidance-on-the-implementation-of-country-by-country-reporting-beps-action-13.pdf

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OECD peer reports: Valuable insights

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on 30 August released a fourth round of stage 1 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action 14 peer reports on improving tax dispute resolution mechanisms. The reports assess each country’s efforts to implement the Action 14 minimum standard.

Valuable insights from these reports can be gained, especially if a taxpayer is under audit where some of these questions/uncertainties may arise.  The peer reports are performed on a desk audit basis, with other parties comments considered by OECD.

Some insights are APA rollbacks, granting of MAP in all/certain transfer pricing cases, etc.  Reference links are provided.

Reports covering Australia, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Malta, Mexico, New Zealand and Portugalwere published.

http://www.oecd.org/tax/beps/oecd-releases-fourth-round-of-beps-action-14-peer-review-reports-on-improving-tax-dispute-resolution-mechanisms.htm

 

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OECD: Financial instruments draft

Under the mandate of the Report on Actions 8-10 of the BEPS Action Plan (“Aligning Transfer Pricing Outcomes with Value Creation”), Working Party No. 6 (“WP6”) has produced a non-consensus discussion draft on financial transactions.

Comments are due by September 7, 2018.  The treasury function, guarantees, intra-group loans, cash pooling transactions and captive insurance are the broad agendas discussed.

The guidance is not intended to prevent countries from implementing approaches to address capital structure and interest deductibility under domestic legislation, nor does it seek to mandate accurate delineation under Chapter I as the only approach for determining whether purported debt should be respected as debt.

As this guidance is critical for establishing if an instrument is true debt, as well as transfer pricing implications for financial relationships, this discussion draft is critical to review and provide relevant comments.

The OECD’s discussion draft is referenced herein for review.

 

Click to access BEPS-actions-8-10-transfer-pricing-financial-transactions-discussion-draft-2018.pdf

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OECD / UN

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OECD: New guidance on profit-split and hard-to-value intangibles

The OECD published the final report on revised guidance to apply the transactional profit split method, as part of BEPS Action 10.  This guidance provides the final text, based on comments received.

Additionally, OECD published final guidance for tax administrations for determining the proper approach to apply for hard-to-value intangibles.  This text is included as an annex to Chapter VI of the Transfer Pricing Guidelines.  This approach should promote consistency and, hopefully, minimize double taxation.

The text of these reports are provided for reference, as they are a must read for transfer pricing professionals.

Click to access revised-guidance-on-the-application-of-the-transactional-profit-split-method-beps-action-10.pdf

Click to access guidance-for-tax-administrations-on-the-application-of-the-approach-to-hard-to-value-intangibles-BEPS-action-8.pdf

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OECD TP Guidelines: TEI’s comments

Tax Executives Institute (TEI) recently submitted a letter in response to requested comments by the OECD re: revisions to its transfer pricing guidelines.  The submission is well drafted and articulate, generally urging OECD to improve current practices rather than adopting new complex mechanisms.

An example of several suggestions is provided:

TEI suggests a number of elements should be included in future guidance to improve transfer pricing compliance practices. First, tax authorities should share their risk assessments with taxpayers so taxpayers can improve their compliance processes where appropriate, or engage in a discussion with tax authorities regarding their view of the taxpayer’s compliance risk. Second, to avoid transfer pricing disputes, Chapter IV should urge tax authorities to focus audit activity on transactions that are more likely to be tax motivated (i.e., between high and low tax jurisdictions), rather than simple intercompany transactions where the taxpayer makes reasonable efforts to price the transactions and where the possibility of a tax motivation is remote. For example, head office cost allocations between countries with relatively comparable tax rates should be viewed as low risk. Finally, the OECD should encourage countries to consider halting interest and penalties if dispute resolution takes longer than two years and if the country does not have a mandatory arbitration procedure.

 

TEI’s submission should be read in its entirety to further understand the direction of OECD and possible remedies in the complex world of transfer pricing.

Click to access TEI%20Comments%20-%20OECD%20TPG%20-%20Chapter%20IV%20and%20VII%20-%20FINAL%20to%20OECD%2019%20June%202018.pdf

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US/EU/OECD tax developments

EY’s Global Tax Alert details several important global developments worth watching:

  • Phase 2 US tax reform – individual taxes, what else?
  • OECD’s first peer review reporting on BEPS Action 13: TP Documentation and County-by-Country (CbC) reporting (attached herein for reference)
  • EU Directive on cross-border reportable arrangements, reporting to commence in 2020 although effective date will be June/July 2018.  

The reportable arrangements are a must read for international tax colleagues to understand the impact of arrangements planned for currently that may become a transparent arrangement to be reported in the EU.

The OECD CbC report is also helpful to understand the trend that CbC reports will generate ongoing, and the viewpoint of the countries that administer this process.

The OECD BEPS Actions, including CbC reporting, significantly impact international tax compliance burdens and challenges going forward.  Additionally, US tax reform still has experts deliberating their practical application, notwithstanding future legislation.

Click to access 2018G_03277-181Gbl_Report%20on%20recent%20US%20international%20tax%20developments%20-%201%20June%202018.pdf

https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/taxation/country-by-country-reporting-compilation-of-peer-review-reports-phase-1_9789264300057-en#page1

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OECD, Tax Risk Management

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OECD: TP disputes, intra-group services

The OECD is considering starting two new projects to revise the guidance in Chapter IV (administrative approaches) and Chapter VII (intra-group services) of the Transfer Pricing Guidelines.

OECD has issued scoping papers for public comments addressing transfer pricing disputes and intra-group services, provided for reference herein in addition to Deloitte’s Global TP Alert with insightful comments.

Comments on both subjects are due by June 20, 2018.  Both topics are significant, thus a review of the scoping paper focus is recommended, with an opportunity to provide comments.

Click to access dttl-tax-global-transfer-pricing-alert-18-013-11-may-2018.pdf

Click to access scoping-of-future-revision-of-chapterIV-of-the-transfer-pricing-guidelines.pdf

http://www.oecd.org/tax/transfer-pricing/scoping-of-future-revision-of-chapterVII-of-the-transfer-pricing-guidelines.pdf OEC

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OECD: PE guidance

The OECD has published additional guidance on attributing profits to a Permanent Establishment (PE).

The main takeaway from the guidance is the excerpts as follows: The proposed analysis of the examples included in the Report is governed by the authorized OECD approach (AOA) contained in the 2010 version of Article 7. However, the Report is not intended to extend the application of the AOA to countries that have not adopted that approach in their treaties or domestic legislation. 

Approx. 13 treaties have this provision, although countries may try to adopt such guidance notwithstanding their legal incapacity to enforce such mechanism.

EY’s Global Tax Alert highlights this significant development, as PE will almost certainly lead to double taxation assuming that Competent Authority will not be filed for or given.

Click to access 2018G_01843-181Gbl_OECD%20guidance%20on%20attribution%20of%20profits%20to%20PE%20under%20BEPS%20Action%207.pdf

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US news: Phase 2 tax bill?

The latest US / OECD developments are detailed in the referenced EY Global Tax Alert, highlighting  a potential second tax bill (apart from technical corrections), status on the “Blue Book: by the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, Q&A IRS release re: Section 965 including how to pay the first estimate and report on the US federal income tax return, anti-corporate inversion regulations, and OECD’s Interim Report of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), titled “Tax Challenges Arising from Digitalisation.”  Additionally, OECD released the third batch of peer reports – Certainly an exciting and challenging time!

There are still many areas of debate and room for reasonable interpretation on major aspects of the US Tax Act, especially as the 2018 provisions of BEAT, FDII and GILTI are not encased within the one-year measurement period of SAB 118.  For companies subject to Q1 reporting, these uncertainties should be aligned with the auditor to avoid last-minute debates for material items.   

Click to access 2018G_01558-181Gbl_Report%20on%20recent%20US%20international%20tax%20developments%20-%2016%20March%202018.pdf

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OECD, Tax Risk Management

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OECD: Model CRS disclosures

The Model Mandatory Disclosure Rules for CRS Avoidance Arrangements and Opaque Offshore Structures contained in the referenced report were approved by the Committee of Fiscal Affairs (CFA) on 8 March 2018.  These represent Best Practices.

15 July 2014 the OECD published the Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information in Tax Matters, also known as the Common Reporting Standard or CRS. Since then 102 jurisdictions have committed to its implementation in time to commence exchanges in 2017 or 2018.

The report includes CRS disclosure rules and related penalty requirements.

One of the most discussed aspects of the new report is the following:

  • Rule 2.7: Disclosure of Arrangements entered into after 29 October 2014 and

    before the effective date of these rules

    1. (a)  A Promoter shall disclose a CRS Avoidance Arrangement within 180 days of the effective date of these rules where:
      1. (i)  that Arrangement was implemented on or after 29 October 2014 but before the effective date of these rules; and
      2. (ii)  that person was a Promoter in respect of that Arrangement;

      irrespective of whether that person provides Relevant Services in respect of that Arrangement after the effective date.

Most importantly, “jurisdictions implementing these model rules would need to take into account domestic specificities in their own CRS Legislation and the interaction of these model rules with existing anti-avoidance rules.”

The hallmark for a CRS Avoidance Arrangement captures any Arrangement where it is reasonable to conclude that it has been designed to circumvent, or has been marketed as or has the effect of circumventing CRS Legislation.

To the extent such rules may be applicable, this new report should be reviewed in its entirety to understand potential disclosure requirements in a timely manner.

 

Click to access model-mandatory-disclosure-rules-for-crs-avoidance-arrangements-and-opaque-offshore-structures.pdf

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US developments: Will FDII survive?

EY’s Global Tax Alert summarizes recent US developments, including (expected) pushback by the EU from the Tax Act’s FDII legislation.  The pushback is based upon WTO rules and OECD’s Article 24 on non-discrimination.

One elemental argument against the Foreign Derived Intangible Income (FDII) legislation is that it violates the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

“The tax press is reporting that the EU has requested that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Forum on Harmful Tax Practices conduct a “fast track” review of certain of the TCJA’s provisions. The request reportedly came after a meeting of EU Finance Ministers in which the Ministers discussed how to react to the tax reform law and whether to take action in the WTO.  According to the report, a recent EU document states that the new base erosion and anti-abuse tax may contravene the OECD Model Tax Convention’s Article 24 on non-discrimination.”

To the extent that the FDII is found to violate the WTO rules, the timing for this benefit is a short-term (i.e. 3-5 years) period.  Accordingly, relevant restructuring may avail this benefit in the next few years with a long-term strategy based on its revocation.  

Click to access 2018G_01364-181Gbl_Report%20on%20recent%20US%20international%20tax%20developments%20-%209%20March%202018.pdf

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OECD, Tax Risk Management

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Offshore indirect transfers: TEI’s comments

On October 19, 2017, Tax Executives Institute (TEI) filed a letter with the Platform for Collaboration on Tax, a joint initiative of the World Bank, OECD, International Monetary Fund, and United Nations, regarding the Platform’s draft toolkit on the taxation of offshore indirect transfers.  TEI’s comments focused on the need for the Platform’s toolkit to educate and provide options to nations considering taxing offshore indirect transfers, rather than prescribing a preferred approach, among other things.

The Platform for Collaboration on Tax (the Platform), a joint initiative of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, International Monetary Fund, United Nations, and World Bank, released a document entitled The Taxation of Offshore Indirect Transfers – A Toolkit (the Draft Toolkit or Toolkit) on 1 August 2017. The Draft Toolkit was designed to help developing countries address the complexities of taxing offshore indirect transfers of assets, which the Platform states is a practice by which some multinational corporations try to minimize their tax liability.

The toolkit and TEI’s submission paper are referenced herein for review

Highlights of TEI’s comments include the following points:

  • There should be symmetry and neutrality as compared to direct asset transfers
  • Status of toolkit is unclear, and is not a source of authoritative guidance
  • The goal of the draft toolkit is unclear
  • A capital gains tax can distort economic transactions
  • Gains and losses should be the subject of the toolkit
  • Most indirect transfers are made for economic, not tax, reasons
  • The general treaty definition of immovable property seems to have been abandoned with no reason

The toolkit can be applauded for launching a multi-organizational approach with some good ideas, although such ideas should be further challenged and developed prior to an overall vision and detailed rules promulgated

 

Click to access discussion-draft-toolkit-taxation-of-offshore-indirect-transfers.pdf

 

Click to access TEI-Comments-Offshore-Indirect-Transfers-Oct192017.pdf

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