This network aims at initiating and coordinating both comparative education in taxation, through the organisation of activities such as winter courses and guest lectures, and comparative research in the field, by means of joint research projects, international conferences and exchange of researchers between various countries. --

This book covers the Tax Treaties which The People’s Republic of China has signed with various nations of the European Region. This book is a collection of the treaties, supplementary materials, and selected implementing circulars. It is edited and ordered according to geographical/economic criteria and accompanied with integrated with tables, domestic tax systems reports, and accompanying circulars and treaty model texts. This book has never been compiled for Chinese tax treaties before, providing a new resource for firms and researchers to access the materials with ease. This book has the potential to be a part of a volume on China double tax treaties, and the book will encompass the entirety of China’s Global Tax treaties. The intended readership of this book will be primarily professionals who are working in both the international accounting and legal industries. These readers frequently reference the treaties through the course of their normal business for the purpose of forming optimum tax structures and corporate structuring. However, it is also foreseeable that this book will be of interest to academic researchers in multiple fields from geo-politics, accounting, legal to economics.

The book is the result of a joint research project on the tax treaties concluded between the People’s Republic of China and European countries. Each chapter carefully analyses the extent to which Chinese tax treaties follow the OECD Model Tax Convention on Income and Capital and the UN Income and Capital Model Convention. The focus is on the different policy decisions underlying the various provisions. Additionally, the contributions analyse the extent to which Chinese tax treaty policy differs with respect to EU and non-EU Member States. They also highlight relevant policy changes over time. The fact that each contribution is the product of the collaboration between European and Chinese researchers and includes the results of the International Conference on Europe - China Tax Treaties Research, held in March 2009 in Beijing, serves to enrich its analysis. Among the topics covered are the following: • Treaty Entitlement (Articles 1, 4 and 24 OECD Model) • Business Profits (Articles 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 14 OECD Model) • Passive Income (Articles 10, 11, and 12 OECD Model) • Capital Gains (Article 13 OECD Model) • Employment Income (Articles 15, 16, 18, 19, and 20 OECD Model) • Artistes and Sportsmen (Article 17 OECD Model) • Methods to Avoid Double Taxation (Article 23 OECD Model) • Non-Discrimination (Article 24 OECD Model) • Mutual Agreement, Exchange of Information and Mutual Assistance in the Collection of Taxes (Articles 25, 26 and 27 OECD Model)

Should the income of a corporate group be taxed differently solely because the traditional structure of the income tax system considers each company individually? Taxation affects business decisions, including location, the form in which business is carried out, and the efficient allocation of company resources. Disparities – differences arising from the interaction of different tax systems – and obstacles – distortions created by domestic legislation arising from differences between domestic and cross-border situations – both become more acute when a business chooses to set up or acquire other companies, thus forming a group, usually operating in multiple jurisdictions. Responding to such ever more common developments, this book is the first in-depth analysis of how tax treaties and EU law influence group taxation regimes. Among the issues and topics covered are the following: – analysis of the different tax group regimes adopted by different countries; – advantages and disadvantages of a variety of models; – application of the non-discrimination provision of Article 24 of the OECD Model Tax Convention to group taxation regimes; – application of the fundamental freedoms of the TFEU to group taxation regimes following the three-step approach adopted by the EU Court of Justice; – uncertainty raised by the landmark Marks & Spencer case, its interpretation and consequences to other group taxations regimes; – interrelations between tax treaties and EU Law in the context of tax groups; and – per-element approach. The analysis considers concrete examples as well as relevant case law. With its analysis of the standards required by the two sets of norms (tax treaties and EU law) and their interaction, particularly in terms of non-discrimination, this book sheds clear light on ways to overcome the disparities and obstacles inherent in group taxation regimes. As a thorough survey of the extent to which the interpretation of tax treaties and EU law affect group taxation regimes, this book has no peers. All taxation professionals, whether working in EU Member States or in EU trading partners, will appreciate its invaluable insights and guidance.

EU investment in China has increased dramatically since the early 1990s and is poised to increase further in light of Chinas recent accession to the World Trade Organisation. This book explores and critically appraises the existing legal framework governing EU-China investment relations,particularly EU investment in China. The current legal framework is composed of Chinese law, EU law and applicable international law, but the Chinese law is unsystematic and hard to discover and the EU has acquired only shared external investment competence which is vaguely defined. The applicable international treaties are incomplete, incoherent, or either too general or too specialised. Besides this, the international fora to settle investment disputes are still not readily available. Furthermore while law has played a very important role in decision-making by EU investors, the Chinese legal system is generally perceived as ineffective and lacking in effective enforcement of court and arbitration decisions. What the book demonstrates is that the time is ripe for a new international legal framework for foreign investment in China, and that as EU-China economic and political relations continue to improve, construction of such a framework is not only necessary, but also possible.

Reform and governance are of vital interest to both the People’s Republic of China and the European Union (EU). China is facing demographic and environmental challenges and has been experiencing a rapid economic transition. The social tensions arising from these challenges call for a governance system that will allow the Chinese leadership to alleviate social tensions without putting at risk their leadership. A society which is becoming more diverse and facing problems of a global scale that also cause turmoil at the grass roots may be difficult to govern top-down. Notwithstanding the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) grip on Chinese society, there may be ways to integrate public opinion and civil society organisations in governmental decision-making through reforms that do not challenge the current leadership. The EU, on the other hand, faces the same global challenges with a very different and complex governance system. EU foreign and security policy, thus including EU policy towards China, are governed by the EU’s foreign policy principles, which contain, among others, the promotion of democracy, the rule of law and the universality and indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms. How successful can the EU be in advancing these principles when engaging with China, while respecting the Chinese political system? How can the EU and China find common grounds in their governance systems so as to enhance their strategic partnership in order to tackle global issues that need a coordinated approach?

With the ongoing expansion of outbound foreign direct investment (FDI) in the countries representing the BRICS economic bloc (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) – and with all of them at the same time listed among the top seven countries plagued by tax evasion and avoidance in the guise of illicit out ows – the ve governments, both individually and through cooperative initiatives, have devised new international tax strategies that are proving to be of great interest and value to other countries, both developing and developed. The core of these strategies addresses the necessity of stemming the out ow of revenue while strongly supporting FDI, both inbound and outbound while complying with international obligations including those arising from human rights laws. This book is the rst in-depth commentary on this new and evolving area of international tax law. The detailed analysis covers the entire eld of BRICS international tax law, considering topics such as the following: – information exchange procedures and pitfalls; – response to the OECD’s Base Erosion and Pro t-Sharing (BEPS) initiative; – role of bilateral and multilateral double taxation conventions including the Multilateral Instrument and the Bilateral Investment Treaties; – thin capitalization; – transfer pricing; – controlled foreign corporation rules; – shortcomings related to authorities’ limited manpower; – international audit and investigation procedures; – the BRICS approach to residence and mandatory and binding arbitration; and – the BRICS approach to shaping the developing world’s international tax system. Notably, the author personally conducted interviews with senior international representatives of the BRICS tax authorities, as well as with leading BRICS academics and practitioners. Tax cases, together with human rights and investment cases and administrative guidelines in all ve countries are also included in the analysis. The study concludes with recommendations for improving each of the ve countries’ tax law and procedures, especially in the area of dispute resolution. The author’s goal is to extend the existing body of knowledge of the BRICS’ international tax laws in order to assist in developing an understanding of the BRICS approach to dealing with evasion and avoidance: an approach which facilitates both outbound and inbound FDI, simpli es tax authority administration and establishes a basis for resolving international disputes which is compatible with sovereignty. In achieving this objective, the author has produced a major work that is of immeasurable value to tax advisers, government and governance of cials, academics and researchers both in developing international taxation strategies and in helping to resolve disputes with tax authorities.

Insurance constitutes a significant part of the financial services sector and is one of the foundations of modern economy and society. In the design of tax laws, however, whether and how to tax insurance is a complex issue that has become particularly controversial in the area of value-added tax (VAT). In the European Union, as in most of the world, insurance is exempt from VAT, but New Zealand and Australia do not follow this practice. Given that New Zealand’s simple, comprehensive goods and services tax (GST) – called ‘the world’s purest value-added tax’ – and its modified Australian version do not appear to suffer from the shortcomings in efficiency and effectiveness that plague European VAT, a comparison of the two systems is in order. This book is not only the first comparative in-depth study of the treatment of insurance in the two systems, but also the first comprehensive legal research devoted to the treatment of insurance in EU VAT published in English. Among the underlying issues and topics treated by the two systems covered are the following: – who has a right to deduct input VAT in relation to supplies inherent in insurance arrangements and to what extent; – what constitutes a supply of insurance and consideration for such a supply; – what transactions fall within the scope of the VAT Directive’s exemption for insurance; and – drawing a line between insurance and saving. The analysis is grounded in a methodology in which concepts of European VAT are compared with concepts performing the same function in the Australian and New Zealand GST laws. The author concludes with proposals for reform in EU VAT in the light of experience in these two major non-EU countries. Given that it has been proven that exemptions from VAT (such as insurance) cause a significant number of economic distortions and inefficiencies, this study represents a major contribution to a topical debate in European VAT law. It will be welcomed by taxation authorities, interested policymakers, practitioners, and scholars not only in Europe but worldwide.