The thesis deals with international cooperation in the fight against tax evasion in the field of direct taxation at the level of OECD and EU. First, the thesis explains why international tax evasion occurs, what the most common forms of tax evasion are and also how multinational companies use international, sometimes even aggressive, tax planning to reduce the tax burden. The next section specifies diverse measures already adopted within the OECD and the EU and also those that are still in preparation. Any action taken at the international level is put into context with what the Czech Republic has already introduced. Mutual exchange of information between countries is one of the most important tools in the fight against tax evasion. That is why an analysis of spontaneous exchange of information and on request between CZ and other cooperating countries was carried out in the last part of the thesis. The analysis was carried out on the basis of publicly available data from Annual Reports of Financial Administration of the Czech Republic and also on the basis of data which were received from the Department of international tax cooperation - direct taxes of General Financial Directorate.

This master thesis deals with the characteristics of tax havens, approach beneficiary companies and way of their use and potential abuse. The first part defines basic terms, which are tax havens are closely linked. The second part is devoted to the characterization chosen tax havens in different areas of model-based taxation example of two types of companies. The third part contains the suggestions and recommendations for setting up a company in a tax haven.

This work entails a study of some of the schemes that are employed by country residents when companies and trusts are used as vehicles for investing in offshore tax-haven and low tax jurisdictions so as to avoid taxes. The study also entails a critical analysis of the effectiveness of the some of the laws in South Africa that curb such offshore tax avoidance schemes. Similar laws in the United Kingdom and in the United States are analysed in order to come up with some recommendations that could be considered for possible reform of the relevant South African laws where they are found wanting. Since offshore tax avoidance is an international issue, the effectiveness of the recommendations of some international organisations in preventing the depletion of countries' tax bases are also analysed. / JURISPRUDENCE / LLD

Magistro darbo objektas - Lietuvos Respublikos norminiuose mokesčių teisės aktuose įtvirtintos prieš mokesčių vengimą nukreiptos normos: jų doktrininis aiškinimas bei analizė, jų taikymas mokestinius ginčus nagrinėjančių institucijų praktikoje. Pagrindinis dėmesys skiriamas turinio viršenybės prieš formą principui, kaip bendrajai prieš mokesčių vengimą nukreiptai normai ir specialiosioms antivengiminėms priemonėms – pajamų arba išmokų apibūdinimo iš naujo (plonos kapitalizacijos – angl. thin capitalization) taisyklėms, kontroliuojamųjų užsienio vienetų apmokestinimo taisyklėms, sandorių kainodaros (angl. transfer pricing) taisyklėms, ūkinių operacijų, atliekamų su tikslinėse teritorijose registruotais asmenimis, apmokestinimas. Darbo tikslai - išanalizuoti antivengiminių priemonių teisinį reglamentavimą bei atskleisti jo praktinio taikymo problemas. Darbo uždaviniai: atskleisti turinio viršenybės prieš formą principo įtvirtinimo įstatyme istorinę raidą; išanalizuoti jį įtvirtinančias teisės normas, atskleisti mokesčių vengimo kaip teisės pažeidimo sudėties analizę, o taip pat pateikti turinio viršenybės prieš formą principo taikymo tvarką mokesčių administratoriui apskaičiuojant mokėtinus mokesčius; išnagrinėti Lietuvos Respublikos mokesčių teisės aktuose įtvirtintas specialiąsias antivengimines normas, identifikuoti jas, suformuluoti ir išanalizuoti atskirų priemonių, nukreiptų prieš mokesčių vengimą, sampratą, pasitelkiant teisinį reglamentavimą, atskleisti jų turinį... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The object of the master thesis – norms, which are embeded in Lithuanian Republic tax laws and which are against tax avoidance: their doctrinal explanation and analysis, their practical appliance in a light of institutions, which solve taxing disputes. Main consideration is paid to substance over form principle, which is a general anti-avoidance rule and to specific anti-avoidance rules – thin capitalization rules, controlled foreign corporations imposition rules, transfer pricing rules, transactions with organizations, which operate in tax-heavens, imposition. The two objectives of this dissertation are as follows: to analyse anti-avoidance measures embeded in tax laws and unfold their practical implication problems. In order to reach the goal, further tasks were set: to unfold substance over form principles historical embedment evolution in laws; to analyse law rules, which embed this principle, to unfold tax avoidance composition as violation of law analysis and also to present the order of substance over form principle application, when tax authority has to impose a tax; to study special anti-avoidance rules, which are infixed in Lithuanian Republic tax laws, identify these rules, formulate and analyse seperate definitions of measures pointed against tax avoidance, conception, by employing law rules, to unfold their substance; to estimate relationship between general and specific anti-avoidance rules; to analyse and structure practice of institutions, which solve taxing... [to full text]

This work entails a study of some of the schemes that are employed by country residents when companies and trusts are used as vehicles for investing in offshore tax-haven and low tax jurisdictions so as to avoid taxes. The study also entails a critical analysis of the effectiveness of the some of the laws in South Africa that curb such offshore tax avoidance schemes. Similar laws in the United Kingdom and in the United States are analysed in order to come up with some recommendations that could be considered for possible reform of the relevant South African laws where they are found wanting. Since offshore tax avoidance is an international issue, the effectiveness of the recommendations of some international organisations in preventing the depletion of countries' tax bases are also analysed. / JURISPRUDENCE / LLD

Abstract in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / In 2016, Zimbabwe introduced specific transfer pricing legislation to prevent abusive tax strategies by taxpayers. This study uses a qualitative interpretive inquiry to assess the adequacy of the new transfer pricing regime. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in that it explores transfer pricing as a tax avoidance tool, a concept that is at its nascent stage in academic taxation literature. Furthermore, it addresses a methodological gap by employing a qualitative inquiry in an area that is predominated by quantitative research. Indepth interviews and document review were used to gather data, and deductive content analysis was employed with the aid of ATLAS.ti 8™. This study confirms previous findings that tax consultants play a significant role in the compliance decisions of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) through the examination of the exploitative strategies practiced by these MNEs. The comparison of the OECD and UN transfer pricing guidelines in search for the applicability of international guidelines to Zimbabwe’s specific needs helped uncover the contemporary dilemmas in global standards versus domestic standards. This study responds to the knowledge gap regarding the transfer pricing phenomenon in Zimbabwe through the lenses of an under-explored three-layered rationality concept; legal, implementation and exploitative rationality. The argument maintained in this study is that this rationality trichotomy is a useful lens to understand transfer pricing as a tax avoidance tool, and that international standards are not universal and so each country’s unique situation should be addressed at a domestic level. / Zimbabwe het in 2016 bepaalde oordragprysingswetgewing ingestel om onregmatige belastingstrategieë deur belastingbetalers te voorkom. Hierdie studie het ’n kwalitatief-interpretatiewe ondersoek gebruik om die toereikendheid van die nuwe oordragprysingsregime te assesseer. Die studie lewer ’n bydrae tot die kennismateriaal omdat dit oordragprysing as ’n belastingvermydingsinstrument ondersoek, ’n konsep wat in sy kinderskoene in akademiese belastingliteratuur staan. Dit verken ook ’n metodologiese gaping deur ’n kwalitatiewe ondersoek te gebruik op ’n gebied wat deur kwantitatiewe navorsing oorheers word. Omvattende onderhoude en dokumentbeoordelings is gebruik om data in te samel en deduktiewe inhoudsontleding is met behulp van ATLAS.ti 8™ gedoen. Hierdie studie bevestig vorige bevindinge dat belastingkonsultante ’n baie belangrike rol speel by die nakomingsbesluite van multinasionale ondernemings (MNO’s), gebaseer op die ondersoek van die uitbuitende strategieë wat deur hierdie MNO’s beoefen word. ’n Vergelyking van die Organisasie vir Ekonomiese Samewerking en Ontwikkeling (OESO) en die Verenigde Nasies (VN) se oordragprysingsriglyne om die toepaslikheid van internasionale riglyne ten opsigte van Zimbabwe se bepaalde behoeftes te bepaal, het gehelp om die eietydse dilemmas van globale standaarde versus huishoudelike standaarde bloot te lê. Hierdie studie stem ooreen met die kennisgaping rakende die oordragprysingsverskynsel in Zimbabwe deur deur die lens van ’n onderontgindedrielaag-rasionaliteitskonsep, naamlik wetlike, implementerings- en uitbuitende rasionaliteit, te kyk. Die studie voer aan dat hierdie rasionaliteitsdrieledigheid ’n nuttige manier is om oordragprysing as ’n belastingvermydingsinstrumente te verstaan, dat internasionale standaarde nie universeel is nie en dat elke land se unieke situasie derhalwe op ’n huishoudelike vlak aangespreek moet word. / Ngonyaka we-2016, izwe laseZimbabwe lithula imithetho ebhekene ngqo nokwedluliselwa kwezezimali zentengiselwano ukuvimbela ukusetshenziswa ngendlela esakuhlukumeza amasu ezentela ngabakhokhintela. Lolu cwaningo lusetshenziselwa uphenyo olukhombisa ukuhumusha okuphathelene nobungaki bento ukuze luhlolisise ukudluliselwa kwesikhathi sokuphatha esisha ekudlulisweni kokubekwa kwamanani emali. Ucwaningo lunomethelela olwazini olufanele ngokuthi lihlola ukubekwa kwamanani njengethuluzi eligwema ukukhokhwa kwentela, njengomqondo osesesigabeni sokuqala ukukhula ezifundweni zemibhalo yezentela. Ngaphezu kwalokho, sikhuluma ngegebe elikhombisa indlela yokwenza izinto ngokusebenzisa uphenyo olukhombisa ubungako bento endaweni egxile ocwaningweni olubheke obungako bento. Ukuthola ulwazi ngalokhu kuye kwasetshenziswa izinhlolokhono ezijulile kanye nokubuyekezwa kwemiqulu yamabhuku, kanye nokusetshenziswa kokuhlaziya okuqukethwe okuphunguliwe ngokubambisana nosizo le-ATLAS.ti 8™. Lolu cwaningo luqinisekisa okutholakale ngaphambilini okubonisa ukuthi abeluleki bezentela badlala indima ebalulekile ezinqumweni zokuthobela imithetho yezinkampani zamazwe angaphandle ngokusekelwe ekuhlolweni kokuxhashazwa kwamasu enziwa yizo izinkampani zamazwe angaphandle. Ukuqhathaniswa kwe-OECD kanye ne-UN mayelana nokudlulisela imihlahlandlela yamanani ekufuneni ukusebenza kwemihlahlandlela yeziqondiso zomhlaba wonke ngokwezidingo zaseZimbabwe kusize ekwembuleni izinkinga zesikhathi esizayo emazingeni omhlaba ngokuhambisana namazinga ezindinganiso zomhlaba jikelele ngokuhambisana namazinga asekhaya. Lesi sifundo siphendula igebe lolwazi elimayelana nokwedluliselwa kwesimo sokubekwa kwenani lemali kwezezintengiselwano eZimbabwe ngokusetshenziswa kokubhekwa komqondo onezigaba ezintathu ongaphansi kwesilanganiso sokuhlola, okungumthetho, ukwenziwa kwakhona kanye nokuxhashazwa kwemiqondo. Lolu cwaningo luphikisana nokuthi lomqondo ongunxantathu yinto ebhekwe ngamehlo abomvu futhi ebalulekile ekuqondeni ukudluliselwa kokubekwa kwesimo sezemali njengethuluzi lokugwema ukukhokhwa kwentela, okusho ukuthi amazinga omhlaba awasiyo into efanayo nokuthi izwe ngalinye linesimo salo esingafanani nelinye okwenza ukuthi isimo ngasinye sibhekwe ngokwesimo sezinga lasekhaya. / Financial Accounting / D. Phil. (Accounting Sciences)