International

The Sixth Circuit’s Whirlpool Opinion—What’s the Impact?
Ruling disregards regulatory manufacturing exception but preserves right to rely on regulations in applying branch rule

The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a majority opinion in Whirlpool Financial Corporation & Consolidated Subsidiaries v. Commissioner1 that disregards the regulatory manufacturing exception to foreign base company sales income (FBCSI). That said, taxpayers still have the right to rely on the regulations in applying the… Read more »

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New Frontiers of Dispute Settlement in a Pillar One World—Part Two
The success of Pillar One largely depends on the effectiveness of dispute settlement disciplines

Part One of this article, which appeared in the March/April 2022 issue of Tax Executive, discussed the evolution of the international tax system leading up to the modern proposal to implement an OECD-championed multilateral tax treaty to bring order to an increasingly complicated and digitized world. The recent impetus to… Read more »

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New Frontiers of Dispute Settlement in a Pillar One World—Part One
We’re witnessing an increased convergence of tax and trade in corporate risk management

Over the past several decades, the seemingly discrete disciplines of international tax and trade have become increasingly aligned as the globalization of corporate supply chains and the proliferation of online sales have accelerated. With this development, relations between the general counsel’s office and corporate tax departments have expanded. Corporate counsel… Read more »

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The Evolving Landscape of Cross-Border Tax Examination
Critical strategies for tax departments to consider and pitfalls to avoid in the complex landscape of foreign tax audits 

Our clients and our practice group members are increasingly occupied (and preoccupied) not only with challenges from the Internal Revenue Service but also with audit and enforcement actions from foreign tax authorities. In a world where many jurisdictions are increasingly hungry for tax revenues, the foreign subsidiaries of large multinationals… Read more »

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Tax Rate Modeling in the New World of US International Tax
Foreign branch versus CFC and the GILTI high-tax exclusion are two essential modeling imperatives

The world is getting smaller and more complex. National economies are more integrated globally, but national deficits and the need for tax revenues are driving unilateral measures. The original objective of the base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project has been described as ensuring that profits are taxed where economic… Read more »

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Searching for Shangri-La: Reflections on the OECD’s Digital Tax Project
Analysis begins and ends with discussion of twin pillars

The goal of rewriting international tax rules to adapt more fully to the digitizing economy has eluded policymakers over the past decade. Efforts to find an acceptable solution at the global level so far have failed to muster consensus as different constituencies have raised perceived shortcomings that have halted progress,… Read more »

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Global Mobility During a Pandemic
Workforce issues take center stage

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted how US businesses operate, causing significant challenges as many seek to adapt to a harsh economic reality that has continued into 2021. As businesses navigate the crisis, they have managed a seismic shift in how American and global workforces operate that has disrupted and redefined… Read more »

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More Transparency in the EU: Questions & Answers on DAC 6
Are you up to date on cross-border arrangements?

The European Union (EU) passed a sixth version of its Directive on Administrative Cooperation in the Field of Taxation, known as DAC 6 (EU Council Directive 2018/822), on May 25, 2018. DAC 6 introduces reporting requirements for professional intermediaries (and, under certain circumstances, taxpayers) relating to their involvement in a… Read more »

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OECD Races Toward Completing Final Report on Digital Economy
But two fundamental “pillars” present structural challenges

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is racing toward meeting an ambitious target by the end of the year that could radically change the way all multinational enterprises (MNEs) are taxed. The target—a final report—was set forth in January 2019 under the cover of addressing the digital economy.1… Read more »

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Unilateral Taxation of the Digital Economy
The fight is not over yet—it’s only beginning

Notwithstanding the recent efforts of the G20/OECD Inclusive Framework on BEPS (hereafter the IF) to develop a uniform, multilateral, and consensus-based solution for taxing the digital economy, legislatures and tax administrations around the world continue to propose and enact a host of largely uncoordinated digital services taxes (DSTs) and other… Read more »

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