The BEPS Project has led to unprecedented changes in international taxation rules. In this respect, the recent changes made to the definition of permanent establishment (PE) under BEPS Action 7 target aggressive tax structures used by multinationals enterprises (MNEs). Due to the narrow scope of Article 5(5) and 5(6), taxpayers easily managed to escape the existing definition of PE with the use of tax avoidance strategies, such as commissionaire arrangements. Therefore, some revisions of Action 7 particularly concern the PE threshold provided by Article 5(5) with respect to commissionaire arrangements. The revisions have also arisen questions as to whether the profit attribution rules in connection with the newly proposed PEs will be affected by the BEPS suggestions. In this regard, the Report on BEPS Action 7 had noted the importance of additional guidance for the attribution of profits to the post-BEPS PEs resulting from the changes. Finally, the Additional Guidance on the Attribution of Profits to Permanent Establishments which deals with the attribution of profits to the newly proposed PEs under Action 7 has been released on 22 March 2018. The revised concept of PE ultimately has implications for the application of the Authorized OECD Approach (AOA) for the attribution of profits to PEs. This thesis will analyze the functional and factual analysis performed within the first step of the AOA for the attribution of profits to PEs which arise from commissionaire arrangements under Action 7. The analysis will be based on the general principles of the AOA and the high-level principles provided by the Additional Guidance, with the specific reference to the BEPS work on risk assumption under Actions 8-10. The thesis will also touch upon the PE threshold proposed by Action 7 that concerns commissionaire arrangements.

Den internationella skattelagstiftningen har inte följt globaliseringens snabba utveckling, där det idag saknas regler vilka till fullo reglerar multinationella koncerners vinstallokering. Idag är flertalet nationers skattebaser därmed urholkade, då företag kan allokera vinster till nationer med låg eller ingen beskattning. På grund av detta är aggressiv skatteplanering ett globalt utbrett problem, vilket OECD ämnar motverka genom att införa ett nytt skatteregelverk kallat Base Erosion Profit Shifting (BEPS). Regelverket består av 15 åtgärdspunkter och företag står nu inför en stor förändring där det internationella skatteklimatet kommer omkullkastas.  Denna uppsats åsyftar att studera vilken inverkan införandet av BEPS åtgärdspunkt 7 kan komma att få på svenska multinationella företags bolagsstruktur och lönsamhet. Syftet är vidare att ge vägledning till företag inför den kommande implementeringen av BEPS åtgärdspunkt 7.  För att uppfylla uppsatsens syfte har vi genomfört en kvalitativ studie, där vi med utgångspunkt i en hermeneutisk undersökningsmetod har haft en abduktiv ansats. Vi har genomfört semistrukturerade intervjuer med fyra svenska börsnoterade företag med internationellt utbredd verksamhet.  Uppsatsen finner teoretisk och empirisk styrka i att BEPS åtgärdspunkt 7 kan komma att få viss inverkan på såväl företags bolagsstruktur som lönsamhet. Förändringar i företags bolagsstruktur i form av omstrukturering kommer främst uppkomma om dubbelbeskattning uppstår och lönsamheten då riskerar att påverkas kraftigt negativt. Vidare kommer företags kostnader att öka på grund av ökade administrativa uppgifter, ökade resurskrav samt fler dispyter och revisioner, vilket kommer att ha en viss negativ inverkan på lönsamheten. / The international tax law has for decades been lagging behind the rapid pace of the globalization, consequently not being able to regulate multinational corporates’ behaviour regarding allocation of profits. This asymmetry has eroded states’ tax bases since multinational corporations has been permitted to allocate profits in any given nation, whereby tax planning has developed a widespread problem within the global business-arena. In order to curb the situation OECD has formulated a new tax regime named Base Erosion Profit Shifting (BEPS), which includes 15 action points with the main purpose to create equality regarding tax collection. Corporations are now facing an immense alteration whereby the global tax-climate is changing. The main purpose of this study is to analyse the impact of the implementation of BEPS Action 7 regarding corporate structure and profitability of Swedish multinational corporations. Furthermore, the study aims to provide guidelines for companies for the forthcoming implementation of BEPS Action 7. In order to fulfil the purpose of the essay we have conducted a qualitative study, which is based on a hermeneutic examination method with an abductive approach. Furthermore, the qualitative study has been conducted by semi-structured interviews with four Swedish listed corporations that have a distinct international connection.  The main findings’ regarding BEPS Action 7 is that the implementation can have a certain impact on both corporate structure as well as profitability. Changes within the corporate structure will mainly occur if there is situations of double taxation or if the profitability of the corporation gets negatively affected. Furthermore, the study implies that costs will increase as a consequence of Action 7 due to increased onus regarding administrative tasks, increased resource requirements and more disputes and audits arising as a result of the implementation.