The diploma thesis focused on international tax planning and tax optimization. The diploma thesis specifies what is an international tax planning and underlines its importance in these days. On theoretical knowlege the diploma thesis summarizes key factors that should entrepreneurs in international tax planning and optimization to take into account. End of the thesis presents proposal the progress of the process of international tax planning and also on the particular case.

The diploma thesis is focused on issues of the tax havens and their use in international tax optimization. The paper processed knowledge of tax planning and the need to optimize the tax burden of the tax payer, with the help of offshore landscapes. In the first one, there is the theoretical basis and the issue of tax havens and tax planning, which in practical part is followed by ananalysis of selected countries and the design of optimal structure of taxation.

The master´s thesis is focused on the characteristic of tax havens and their possible utilization. On the basis of the literature in the theoretical part there are described the basic assumptions of international tax planning, agreements for the avoidance of double taxation and tax havens. Analytical part describes selected tax havens. The practical part of the thesis deals with the possibilities of tax optimalization through the utilization of tax havens.

The master thesis deals with the issue of taxation in selected tax havens. The thesis first outlines the characteristics of particular tax havens and the basic concepts related to this issue. Afterwards, selected tax havens, their tax system and companies that can be cre-ated there are analysed. Subsequently, on a model example are outlined advantages of taxation in selected tax haven.

Master thesis deals with tax havens and their utilization. In the teoretical part are defined fundaments of the tax havens and their utilization. Next part of thesis is analysis of tax havens in the Middle East. In this part focus is on coutries like Bahrain, Qatar or United Arab Emirates. Based of founded facts are concluded recommendations for concrete company with aim to reduce taxation.

This thesis is focused on corporate structure designs with the use of offshore and onshore centers in the European Union for the optimization of tax on corporate income . The work is divided into theoretical and analytical sections as well as a section with proposals. The theoretical section describes the problems of international tax planning and international taxation, focusing on offshore and onshore financial centers. In the analytical section there are various offshore and onshore financial centers in the European Union identified and outlined with selected analyses in more detail, especially of the corporate taxation. The practical part describes a model of the corporate structure with the use of selected offshore and onshore centers in the European Union and the various options for resolving tax optimization.

Le pétrole, le gaz et les minerais sont des ressources indispensables pour le bon fonctionnement de nos économies et sont très convoitées. Elles sont, en outre, particulièrement propices à l’émergence de flux financiers illicites tels que la corruption, l’évitement fiscal ou encore le blanchiment de capitaux. La prise de conscience relative à l’ampleur des pratiques illicites dans le secteur extractif est relativement récente. Depuis une vingtaine d’années, diverses mesures formant un régime juridique ambitieux ont été adoptées pour endiguer ce phénomène. Malgré l’existence de ce régime juridique, les pratiques illicites perdurent au sein de ce secteur. Les acteurs du secteur extractif, entreprises et agents publics, ont su s’adapter et faire preuve de créativité pour contourner, détourner et manipuler ce régime juridique, afin de préserver leurs avantages et de perpétuer les flux financiers illicites. Ils peuvent également recourir à l’ingénierie juridique et financière qui leur fournit un arsenal d’outils juridiques et mobilise des experts maîtrisant à la perfection l’environnement juridique, politique et financier dans lequel les acteurs du secteur extractif évoluent. Ainsi le droit peut-il être propice aux flux financiers illicites et même au service de ceux-ci tout en voulant les combattre. / Oil, gas and minerals are indispensable resources for our economies and are sought-after. They are particularly prone to illicit financial flows such as corruption, tax avoidance and money laundering. Awareness of the extent of illicit practices in the extractive sector is relatively new. Over the last two decades, various measures have been adopted, forming an ambitious legal framework to combat illicit financial flows in the extractive sector. Despite the existence of this legal framework, illicit practices are still persistent. Stakeholders within the extractive sector such as companies and public officials have been able to adapt and be creative in order to abuse, circumvent and manipulate this legal framework in order to preserve their advantages and perpetuate illicit financial flows. They can also use legal and financial engineering, which provides them with an arsenal of legal tools and mobilizes experts who master the legal, political and financial environment in which companies and public officials evolve. Hence while wanting to combat illicit financial flows, law can find itself propitious to these illicit practices and even to their service.

Abstrakt Title: Advising companies on tax planning Introduction: In Sweden, there is an opportunity for small and medium- sized companies to make use of end-of-year dispositions, which are seen as a legal means of tax planning. When deciding on tax planning, companies can seek the help of an accountant who provides advice on matters relating to corporation tax. The motives of the companies stakeholders are also interesting to take into account when choosing tax planning. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how accountants give advice to small and medium-sized companies in tax planning and what motives the companies have for tax planning. This is to create greater insight and understanding of how companies plan tax based on different accounting theories. Method: The study used a qualitative method. Semi-structured interviews have been conducted with respondents in Kalmar County. The collection was carried out with audit firms and small and medium-sized companies. Result: The accountant acts as a link in tax planning between the company and the owner. Closing dispositions are the SME approach to tax planning. When deciding on tax planning, the owner has the final mandate. / Sammanfattning Titel: Att rådgiva företag vid skatteplanering Inledning: I Sverige finns möjligheten för små och medelstora företag att använda sig av bokslutsdispositioner viket ses som ett lagligt medel vid skatteplanering. Vid beslut om att skatteplanera kan företag ta hjälp av en revisor som ger rådgivning i frågor som berör bolagsskatten. Företagets intressenters motiv är intressanta att ta i beaktning vid valet att skatteplanera. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur revisorer ger rådgivning till små och medelstora företag vid skatteplanering samt vilka motiv företagen har till planering av skatten. Detta är för att skapa en större inblick och förståelse för hur företagen skatteplanerar utifrån olika redovisningsteorier. Metod: Studien har använt en kvalitativ metod. Semi-strukturerade intervjuer har genomförts med informanter i Kalmar län. Insamlingen genomfördes med revisionsbyråer samt små och medelstora företag. Slutsats: Revisorn fungerar som en länk i skatteplaneringen mellan företag och ägare. Bokslutsdispositioner är små och medelstora företags tillvägagångssätt i skatteplanering. Vid beslut om att skatteplanera har ägaren det slutliga mandatet.

This study investigates two specific types of transactions---source of profits and real property gains---in the Hong Kong tax context as well as how the structure of transactions with tax implications affects taxpayers' and stakeholders' decisions in the context of taxation management. Effective tax planning, among other factors, requires the tax planner who makes investment and financing decisions to consider not only explicit taxes but also implicit taxes [Scholes and Wolfson (SW), 1992; 2002]. This study has two main objectives. First, using 73 and 161 published legal case decisions on locality of profits and gains from real property transactions respectively, this study runs binary logit tests to examine the relative significance of the major factors contributing to judicial decisions on locality of profits and gains from real property transactions. As such, it provides business managers with empirical evidence and insightful thoughts on gaining a proper understanding of the structure of business transactions for the purposes of taxation management. Second, it extensively reviews the corporate tax structure in the Asia-Pacific region, international corporate tax research, and the implicit taxes theories, thereby providing the institutional setting for the above empirical work. The empirical results indicate that the factor, "location of services/work rendered" is exceptionally positive and significant to judicial decisions on source of profits; three factors, namely "financial ability of taxpayer", "circumstances leading to disposal", and "stated or actual intention at time of acquisition of subject property" are statistically significant to judicial decisions on gains from real property transactions. The results of both are robust to the two logit models. / Cheung Kowk Chun. / "May 2004." / Adviser: Zhaodong Jiang. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 65-04, Section: A, page: 1438. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-260). / Available also through the Internet via Current research @ Chinese University of Hong Kong under title: Taxation management and the structure of transactions evidences of source of profits and real property gains. An implicit tax perspective (China) / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest dissertations and theses, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

Taxation statutes often provide opportunities for tax avoidance by taxpayers who exploit the provisions of the taxing statute to reduce the tax that they are legally required to pay. It is, however, important to distinguish between the concepts of tax avoidance and tax evasion. The central issue, especially where the contract has no business purpose, is whether it is possible for the substance and legal form of the transaction to differ to such an extent that a court of law will favour the substance rather than the legal format. The debate is whether the courts should be encouraged to continue with their "judge-made" law or whether the tax jurisdictions should be supporting a legislative route as opposed to a judicial one, in their efforts not only to combat tax avoidance but also to preserve taxpayer certainty. The question is whether the Doctrine of "Substance over Form" as applied by the judiciary is effective in combating tax avoidance, or whether a legislated general anti-avoidance provision is required. An intensive literature survey examines the changes which have occurred in the application of judicial tests from the 1930's to date and investigates the different approaches tax jurisdictions follow in order to combat tax avoidance. The effect of the introduction of anti-avoidance provisions in combating tax avoidance is evaluated by making a comparison between the United Kingdom and South Africa. [n the United Kingdom, the courts are relied on to create anti-tax avoidance rules, one of which is the Doctrine of "Substance over Form". The doctrine is very broad and identifies various applications of the doctrine, which have been developed by the courts. In South Africa, the Doctrine of "Substance over Form" has been applied in certain tax cases; however the South African Income Tax Act does include anti-tax avoidance sections aimed at specific tax avoidance schemes, as well as a general anti-tax avoidance measure enacted as section 103. The judicial tests have progressed and changed over time and the introduction of anti-avoidance legislation in the Income Tax Act has had an effect on tax planning opportunities. A distinction needs to be made between fraudulent and bona fide transactions while recognising the taxpayer's right to arrange his or her affairs in a manner which is beneficial to him or her from a tax perspective. Judicial activism and judicial legislation in the United Kingdom has created much uncertainty amongst taxpayers and as a result strongly supports the retention of a general anti-avoidance section within an Income Tax Act. A general anti-avoidance provision, following a legislative route, appears to be more consistent and effective in combating tax avoidance.