The history of PATA and its effect on advance pricing arrangements and mutual agreement procedures

In its 25 years of existence, the Pacific Association of Tax Administrators (PATA) has attempted to protect tax revenues and combat tax evasion techniques (including transfer pricing) by transnational corporations (TNCs). To that end, the tax authorities of its four member countries (Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States) have met at least annually to exchange information and identify specific deterrents to tax evasion activities that could be implemented quickly. Recently, PATA has released several documents to assist both tax authorities and TNCs in the area of advance pricing agreements, mutual agreement procedures, and transfer-pricing documentation. The study looks at the PATA's influence on tax authorities and TNC behavior in these and other areas.     

浅议涉外税务审计工作

涉外税务审计是税务机关的一项重要税收管理工作。本文阐述了审计人员在审计过程中必须正确处理目的与手段、管理与服务、效率与程序之间的关系。同时建议应从提高对涉外税务审计工作的认知度,提高税务审计人员的专业素质,提高税务审计的信息化水平和完善涉外税务审计制度四个方面来完善我国涉外税务审计工作。     

地方税制的国际经验与借鉴

本文通过对美、德、日、法四国的地方税制进行比较分析,归纳出四国地方税制的特征,并在此基础上提出了对我国地方税制改革的建议:建立分级地方税制;选择财产税为地方税主体税种;采用集权为主的税权模式。     

中国-东盟税收协调问题研究

本文认为,中国—东盟的经济一体化发展虽然尚处于自由贸易区建设的低级阶段,但随着一体化步伐的加快,中国与东盟之间生产要素的流动将日趋频繁,因国内税制的差异而造成的税收障碍也将日益突出。为此,以消除税收障碍为重点的税收协调必不可免。秉承循序渐进的协调原则,东盟各成员国应该规范、完善现行税制,拓宽税收协定网络,加强国际税收合作;而中国则应致力于深化税制改革,完善国际税收制度。     

借鉴国外经验完善我国外国税收抵免制度

本文从消除国际双重征税的方法、外国税收抵免的条件、外国税收抵免的限额等角度对中美外国税收抵免制度进行了详细比较,并指出了我国外国税收抵免制度存在的缺陷,认为应借鉴国外经验对我国的外国税收抵免制度加以完善。     

对跨国独立劳务所得认定的探讨

跨国独立劳务所得的认定在理论和实践中存在很多争议。本文结合《联合国税收协定范本》和《OECD税收协定范本》对此问题的不同规定,就我国在具体税收实践中对这一问题应如何认定进行了探讨。     

国际投资协定框架下的税收问题研究

作为典型的“国家管理权”行为,东道国的税收措施可享有主权豁免。在通常情况下,与税收有关的投资争议不具可仲裁性。然而,晚近的缔约和法律实践却表明,在国际投资领域,东道国税收主权的绝对豁免已被突破,私人可以依据国际投资协定的有关规定将东道国的税收措施诉至国际仲裁庭。为此,需要引入专门的“税收条款”,将可仲裁的税收事项限定于一定范围之内,以平衡东道国与外国投资者之间的利益。此类条款的引入也符合中国身兼投资输入大国和投资输出大国的发展中国家的综合利益。     

Do tax sparing agreements contribute to the attraction of FDI in developing countries?

Measuring the effects of taxation on FDI in developing countries requires consideration of the tax sparing provision. This provision signed between developed and developing countries protects host country fiscal incentives for FDI. This paper estimates the impact of tax sparing provisions on Japanese outbound FDI between 1989 and 2000. We find evidence that the tax sparing provision influences positively the location of Japanese FDI, even after having taken into account reversal causality. JEL Classification F23 · H25 · H32 We Thank Michael Devereux, Edward Graham, Robert Lipsey, David Margolis, Claudia Rivas, Deborah Swenson, anonymous referees and seminar participants at the Franco-Korean conference in Seoul, and at the Western Economic Association conference in Vancouver for helpful discussions.     

争取修订避免双重征税协定的国际范本

避免双重征税协定的两个国际范本,特别是经合组织范本,强调居民税收管辖权,其所确定的国际税收规则不利于发展中国家,有失公平合理,亟需修改.本文认为,我国作为最大的发展中国家,有责任与广大发展中国家联合在一起,争取全面修订两个国际税收协定范本,重构国际税收规则,并提出了修订的具体建议.     

Structuring a tax efficient international operation

International taxation is rapidly increasing in importance in the U.S. business environment. As a student preparing for a career in public accounting or industry, it is vital that you have familiarity with key international tax issues. In this case, you will participate in a detailed tax-planning exercise involving a multinational corporation that is restructuring its tax operations. In the process, you will be exposed to a wide-ranging array of real-world tax issues: tax theory, source of income, transfer pricing, foreign tax credits, the foreign earned income exclusion and Subpart F income. The case also incorporates questions designed to help you explore the financial accounting implications of tax planning. The case consists of three tax modules and each module emphasizes two to three specific tax issues. Two of the modules also contain a subset of tax-related financial accounting questions. To complete the case successfully, you will be required to understand basic international tax theory, to engage in the tax research process and to apply your theoretical knowledge in analyzing complex business scenarios.     

Redistribution, production inefficiency and decentralized efficiency

This paper analyzes the role of production distortion in income redistribution in an international trade model. In particular, it examines the role of the Stolper and Samuelson effect on efficient income redistribution. It first shows that production inefficiency can be part of a Pareto-efficient tax system for a small country when there is an asymmetric information problem between the government and individuals. Second, the paper shows that such production inefficiency is not only Pareto-improving for a small country, but is also essential in achieving worldwide tax-constrained Pareto-efficient allocation. These two results suggest important implications for commercial policies. The original version of this paper was circulated in 1996 as No. 391 of the Discussion Paper Series of Research Seminars in International Economics at the University of Michigan (http://www.fordschool.umich.edu/rsie/workingpapers/wp.html), with the title “Tariffs and production subsidies as devices to relax the incentive problem of a progressive income tax system”. Since the distribution of the working paper version, this paper has been cited and used in several papers, such as Guesnerie (2001) and Spector (2001). I hope that this updated version of the paper is useful for researchers.     

浅谈"两法合并"后的涉外税收征管

"两法合并"以后,涉外税收将继续存在。本文针对当前涉外税收的两种片面认识以及目前涉外税收管理的突出问题,提出了"两法合并"后加强涉外税收征管的若干建议。     

宪政税收——一个从宪法视角分析税收的框架

宪政税收是宪法上对税收核心规则或最高原则的创设与运用之政法过程的制度性规范,这一过程要求税收的每一个核心要素都受制于宪政税收。理论上,一个符合中国现实的宪政税收模型是人民代表的一致同意。因为国家和人民的基本关系其实是税收关系,所以必须在宪法上界定国家与人民的权力与权利、责任与义务并使其基本关系宪法化。实践上,应以宪政税收为基本出发点,修改宪法的涉税条款,不必出台税收基本法,并以宪法理念或精神指导税收法律体系或制度的构建。     

基层税务机关纳税服务存在的问题与优化对策

纳税服务是近年来税务机关工作的重点,本文通过分析基层实际情况,指出纳税服务存在的问题,并提出了如何优化的对策。     

Optimal commodity taxation with duty-free shopping

International travellers are frequently offered the opportunity to purchase a certain quantity of goods duty-free. Individuals differ in their opportunities to benefit from duty-free shopping, and we focus on the implications of these differences for optimal commodity taxation within a version of the optimal tax model of Mirrlees (Review of Economic Studies, 38, 175–208, 1971). We show how duty-free alters the constraints on the use of commodity taxes to reduce the distortionary costs of income taxation or to reflect externalities. Beyond characterising optimal taxes in the duty-free regime, we discuss conditions under which allowing duty-free would increase or reduce social welfare.      

The Property Tax as a Tax on Value: Deadweight Loss

Consider an atomistic developer who decides when and at what density to develop his land, under a property value tax system characterized by three time-invariant tax rates: τ_V, the tax rate on pre-development land value; τ_S, the tax rate on post-development residual site value; and τ_K, the tax rate on structure value. Arnott (2005) identified the subset of property value tax systems that are neutral. This paper investigates the relative efficiency of four idealized, non-neutral property value tax systems [(i) “Canadian' property tax system: τ_V = 0, τ _S = τ_K; (ii) simple property tax system: τ_V = τ _S = τ_K; (iii) residual site value tax system: τ_K = 0,τ _V = τ_S; (iv) two-rate property tax system: τ_V = τ _S > τ_K > 0] under the assumption of a constant rental growth rate. JEL Code: H2     

Taxation of Interest Income

Why is interest income taxed so much more heavily than other forms of capital income? This differential tax treatment has generated substantial tax arbitrage, resulting in lower tax revenue, efficiency costs, and apparently net gains to rich borrowers and net losses to poor lenders, together suggesting that this tax treatment makes no sense on welfare grounds. In examining this argument more formally, this paper reveals two omitted considerations that can help explain the existing tax treatment. First, the forecasted increase in the market interest rate results in a redistribution from rich borrowers to poor lenders. Yet this redistribution comes at no marginal efficiency cost, starting from a situation with no distortions to portfolio choice, so at the margin dominates further redistribution through the income tax. In addition, information about an individual's portfolio choice reveals information about her earnings ability, even controlling for observed labor income, if those who are more able tend to be less risk averse. By making use of this extra information about earnings ability, the tax system can be better tailored to redistribute from able to less able, for any given efficiency cost.