Date
| ACTION | DESCRIPTION | DEADLINE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Address the Tax Challenges of the Digital Economy | Identify the main difficulties that the digital economy poses for the application of existing international tax rules and develop detailed options to address these difficulties, taking a holistic approach and considering both direct and indirect taxation. Issues to be examined include, but are not limited to, the ability of a company to have a significant digital presence in the economy of another country without being liable to taxation due to the lack of nexus under current international rules, the attribution of value created from the generation of marketable location-relevant data through the use of digital products and services, the characterisation of income derived from new business models, the application of related source rules, and how to ensure the effective collection of VAT/GST with respect to the cross-border supply of digital goods and services. Such work will require a thorough analysis of the various business models in this sector. | September 2014 | |
| 2. Neutralise the Effects of Hybrid Mismatch Arrangements | Develop model treaty provisions and recommendations regarding the design of domestic rules to neutralise the effect (for example, double non-taxation, double deduction, long-term deferral) of hybrid instruments and entities. This may include: (i) changes to the OECD Model to ensure that hybrid instruments and entities (as well as dual resident entities) are not used to obtain the benefits of treaties unduly; (ii) domestic law provisions that prevent exemption or non-recognition for payments that are deductible by the payor; (iii) domestic law provisions that deny a deduction for a payment that is not includible in income by the recipient (or subject to taxation under CFC or similar rules); (iv) domestic law provisions that deny a deduction for a payment that is also deductible in another jurisdiction; and (v) where necessary, guidance on coordination or tie-breaker rules if more than one country seeks to apply such rules to a transaction or structure. Special attention should be given to the interaction between possible changes to domestic law and the provisions of the OECD Model Tax Convention. This work will be coordinated with the work on interest expense deduction limitations, the work on CFC rules, and the work on treaty shopping. | September 2014 | |
| 3. Strengthen CFC Rules | Develop recommendations regarding the design of controlled foreign corporation rules. This work will be coordinated with other work as necessary. | September 2015 | |
| 4. Limit Base Erosion via Interest Deductions and Other Financial Payments | Develop recommendations regarding best practices in the design of rules to prevent base erosion through the use of interest expense, for example through the use of related-party and third-party debt to achieve excessive interest deductions or to finance the production of exempt or deferred income. The work will evaluate the effectiveness of different types of limitations. In connection with and in support of the foregoing work, transfer pricing guidance will also be developed regarding the pricing of related party financial transactions, including financial and performance guarantees, derivatives (including internal derivatives used in intra-bank dealings), and captive and other insurance arrangements. The work will be coordinated with the work on hybrids and CFC rules. | December 2015 | |
| 5. Counter Harmful Tax Practices More Effectively, Taking into Account Transparency and Substance | Revamp the work on harmful tax practices with a priority on improving transparency, including compulsory spontaneous exchange on rulings related to preferential regimes, and on requiring substantial activity for any preferential regime. It will take a holistic approach to evaluate preferential tax regimes in the BEPS context. It will engage with non-OECD members on the basis of the existing framework and consider revisions or additions to the existing framework. | December 2015 | |
| 6. Prevent Treaty Abuse | Develop model treaty provisions and recommendations regarding the design of domestic rules to prevent the granting of treaty benefits in inappropriate circumstances. Work will also be done to clarify that tax treaties are not intended to be used to generate double non-taxation and to identify the tax policy considerations that, in general, countries should consider before deciding to enter into a tax treaty with another country. The work will be coordinated with the work on hybrids. | September 2014 | |
| 7. Prevent the artificial avoidance of PE status | Develop changes to the definition of PE to prevent the artificial avoidance of PE status in relation to BEPS, including through the use of commissionaire arrangements and the specific activity exemptions. Work on these issues will also address related profit attribution issues. | September 2015 | |
| 8. Assure that Transfer Pricing Outcomes are in Line With Value Creation/ Intangibles |
Develop rules to prevent profit shifting by moving intangibles among group members. This will involve: (i) adopting a broad and clearly delineated definition of intangibles; (ii) ensuring that profits are appropriately allocated in accordance with (rather than divorced from) value creation; (iii) developing special rules for transfers of hard-to-value intangibles; and (iv) updating the guidance on cost contribution arrangements. | September 2015 | |
| 9. Assure that Transfer Pricing Outcomes are in Line With Value Creation/ Risks and Capital |
Develop rules to prevent profit shifting by transferring risks among, or allocating excessive capital to, group members. This will involve adopting transfer pricing rules or special measures to ensure that inappropriate returns will not accrue to an entity solely because it has contractually assumed risks or has provided capital. The rules to be developed will also require alignment of returns with value creation. This work will be coordinated with the work on interest expense deductions and other financial payments. | September 2015 | |
| 10. Assure that Transfer Pricing Outcomes are in Line With Value Creation/ Other High-risk transactions |
Develop rules to prevent profit shifting by engaging in transactions which would not, or would only very rarely, occur between third parties. This will involve adopting transfer pricing rules or special measures to: (i) clarify the circumstances in which transactions can be recharacterised; (ii) clarify the application of transfer pricing methods, in particular profit splits, in the context of global value chains; and (iii) provide protection against common types of base eroding payments, such as management fees and head office expenses. | September 2015 | |
| 11. Establish methodologies to collect and analyse data on BEPS and the Actions to Address It | Develop recommendations regarding indicators of the scale of BEPS and ensure that tools are available to monitor and evaluate the actions taken to address BEPS on an ongoing basis. This will involve assessing a range of existing data sources, identifying new types of data that should be collected, and developing methodologies based on both aggregate (for example FDI and balance of payments data) and micro-level data (for example from financial statements and tax returns), taking into consideration the administrative costs for tax administrations and businesses. |
September 2015 | |
| 12. Require taxpayers to disclose their aggressive tax planning arrangements | Develop recommendations regarding the design of mandatory disclosure rules for aggressive or abusive transactions, arrangements, or structures, taking into consideration the administrative costs for tax administrations and businesses and drawing on experiences of the increasing number of countries that have such rules. The work will use a modular design allowing for maximum consistency but allowing for country specific needs and risks. One focus will be international tax schemes, where the work will explore using a wide definition of 'tax benefit' in order to capture such transactions. The work will be co-ordinated with the work on co-operative compliance. It will also involve designing and putting in place enhanced models of information sharing for international tax schemes between tax administrations. | September 2015 | |
| 13. Re-examine Transfer Pricing Documentation | Develop rules regarding transfer pricing documentation to enhance transparency for tax administration, taking into consideration the compliance costs for business. The rules to be developed may include a requirement that MNE's provide all governments with needed information on their global allocation of the income, economic activity and taxes paid among countries. | September 2014 | |
| 14. Make dispute resolution mechanisms more effective | Develop solutions to address obstacles that prevent countries from solving treaty-related disputes under MAP, including the absence of arbitration provisions in most treaties and the fact that access to MAP and arbitration may be denied in certain cases. | September 2015 | |
| 15. Develop a Multilateral Instrument | Analyse the tax and public international law issues related to the development of a multilateral instrument to enable jurisdictions that wish to do so to implement measures developed in the course of the work on BEPS and amend bilateral tax treaties. On the basis of this analysis, interested Parties will develop a multilateral instrument designed to provide an innovative approach to international tax matters, reflecting the rapidly evolving nature of the global economy and the need to adapt quickly to it. | December 2015 | |