Five Core Problems in the Attribution of Profits to Permanent Establishments

Download or read book Five Core Problems in the Attribution of Profits to Permanent Establishments written by R.S. Collier and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The rules regulating the attribution of profit to permanent establishments (PEs) are a fundamental feature of the existing international tax system yet are beset by a multitude of problems. This article identifies five "core" problems with these rules: (1) the absence of a single standard for PE profit attribution; (2) conceptual and practical problems arising in the application of the Authorised OECD Approach (AOA); (3) new pressures arising as a result of the changes made to the PE threshold rules by the BEPS Project; (4) the failure to deal with the uncertainties between the transfer pricing rules and the PE attribution rules in the aftermath of BEPS; and (5) a raft of new challenges arising from the work on the digitalization of the economy. To a large degree, these issues are symptomatic of the problems faced by the international tax system as a whole. This article analyses the source, nature and impact of these core problems, before concluding with some brief thoughts on potential solutions.