Tag: Treaty Abuse

The EU Anti Tax Avoidance Package - Anti Tax Avoidance Directives (ATAD I & II) and Other Measures

The EU Anti Tax Avoidance Package – Anti Tax Avoidance Directives (ATAD I & II) and Other Measures

/ Agressive tax planning, Agressive Tax Planning Indicator, ATAD, ATAP, ATP, CbCR, CFC, Country-by-Country Reporting, European Union, Exit taxation, GAAR, General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR), Hybrid Mismatch, Interest limitation, Transfer Pricing Guidelines, Transfer Pricing News, Treaty Abuse
Anti Tax Avoidance measures are now beeing implemented across the EU with effect as of 1 January 2019. The EU Anti Tax Avoidance Package (ATAP) was issued by the European Commission in 2016 to counter tax avoidance behavior of MNEs in the EU and to align tax payments with value creation. The package includes the Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive, an amending Directive as regards hybrid mismatches with third countries, and four Other measures. ATAD I The Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (ATAD), COUNCIL DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/1164 of 12 July 2016, introduces five anti-abuse measures, against tax avoidance practices that directly affect the functioning of the internal market. 1) Interest Limitation Rule  – Reduce profitshifting via exessive interest payments (Article 4) 2) Exit Taxation – Prevent tax motivated movement of valuable business assets (eg. intangibles) across borders (Article 5) 3) General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) – Discourage Artificial Arrangements (Article 6) 4) Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) – Reduce profits shifting to low tax jurisdictions (Article 7, 8) 5) Hybrid Mismatch Rule – ... Continue to full case

Korea vs Company A, November 29, 2018, Supreme Court Case no. 2018Du38376

/ Beneficial owner, Dividends, Double tax treaty, Korea, Specific Anti-Avoidance Rules (SAAR), Treaty Abuse
The issue in this case was the meaning of and standard for determining what constitutes “beneficial owner” as prescribed by Article 10(2)(a) of the Convention between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of the Hungarian People’s Republic for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income. Whether a tax treaty may be deemed inapplicable in the event that treaty abuse is acknowledged according to the principle of substantial taxation under the Framework Act on National Taxes even if constituting a beneficial owner of dividend income (affirmative) In a case where: (a) Company A, in paying dividends on six occasions to Hungary-based Company B that owns 50% of its shares, paid the withheld corporate tax based on the limited tax rate of 5% as prescribed by Article 10(2)(a) of the Convention between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of the Hungarian People’s Republic for ... Continue to full case

Korea vs CJ E&M Co., Ltd., November 2018, Supreme Court Case no. 2018Du38376

/ Beneficial owner, Conduit company, Double tax treaty, General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR), Korea, Royalty, Treaty Abuse, Treaty shopping, Viacom
In 2011, a Korean company, CJ E&M Co., Ltd concluded a license agreement relating to the domestic distribution of Paramount films, etc. with Hungary-based entity Viacom International Hungary Kft (hereinafter “VIH”), which is affiliated with the global entertainment content group Viacom that owns the film producing company Paramount and music channel MTV. From around that time to December 2013, the Plaintiff paid VIH royalties amounting to roughly KRW 13.5 billion (hereinafter “pertinent royalty income”). CJ E&M Co., Ltd did not withhold the corporate tax regarding the pertinent royalty income according to Article 12(1) of the Convention between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of the Hungarian People’s Republic for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income (hereinafter “Korea-Hungary Tax Treaty”). The Hungarian company was interposed between the Korean entertainment company and a Dutch company which previously licensed the rights to the Korean entertainment company. The Korean ... Continue to full case