Cross-border Tax Talks

Doug McHoney (PwC's US International Tax Services (ITS) Leader) and Rob Ozmun (State and Local Tax (SALT) Partner in PwC's Washington National Tax Services office) peel the onion on how state and local tax issues can impact cross-border planning, and vice versa. Doug and Rob set the table with a brief primer on state and local corporate tax, then devour topics including: state conformity to the Internal Revenue Code; how different states have handled federal developments regarding subpart F income, global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI), the Section 965 'toll charge,' and the Section 250 deduction; how businesses are analyzing the dividends received deduction (DRD) under Section 245A and the GILTI high-tax exception at the state level; important state and local considerations related to the business interest expense deduction rules under Section 163(j); how states have reacted to the CARES Act; how states have implemented (or declined to implement) the base-erosion and anti-abuse tax (BEAT); and key considerations for taxpayers. Come hungry for knowledge, leave satiated.

Doug McHoney (PwC's US International Tax Services (ITS) Leader) and Nita Asher (ITS Partner in PwC's Washington National Tax Services office) cover some of President Biden's campaign tax proposals. Doug and Nita discuss: the current state of Congress and the White House; President Biden's campaign proposals to increase the corporate and global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) tax rates, move the GILTI determination to a country-by-country basis, eliminate the exemption for qualified business asset investment (QBAI), amend the base erosion and anti-abuse (BEAT) tax, and implement a minimum tax on global book income; how President Biden's proposals interact with the OECD's ongoing base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project; the budget reconciliation process in the Senate and the likelihood of Congress enacting President Biden's proposals; what the regulatory landscape may look like under the Biden administration; and why taxpayers should engage with policymakers in a timely manner.

Doug McHoney (PwC's US International Tax Services (ITS) Leader) and Alex Voloshko (PwC's Value Chain Transformation Leader and ITS Partner in PwC's Washington National Tax Services office) discuss key considerations for value chains in 2021. Doug and Alex define 'value chain,' and how it includes the 'supply chain,' the 'demand chain,' and more; how value chains impact tax and transfer pricing; how supply chains were disrupted in 2020 and the outlook for supply chains in the new year; the plethora of factors that go into value and supply chain planning, including cost structure, access to qualified labor and production capabilities, regulatory considerations, and tax costs; the growing pressure on companies to 'near shore' and diversify their value chains; important trends for multinational entities, including increased scrutiny from tax authorities and increased transparency; the increasing importance of managing growth in a strategic manner; and recent trends concerning permanent establishments (PE).

Doug McHoney (PwC's US International Tax Services (ITS) Leader) and Dr. Arne Schnitger (Head of PwC Germany's National Tax Office) discuss withholding taxation in Germany pursuant to Section 49 of Germany's tax code. Doug and Arne discuss: the background of Germany's Section 49 withholding tax and the circumstances under which Section 49 applies; the recent Circular issued by the German authorities discussing the application of Section 49; potential legal challenges to Section 49 taxation, including constitutionality and estoppel; the definition of 'German-registered IP' and 'EU-registered IP', and how tax advisers determine which royalties are subject to tax under Section 49; the interplay between withholding taxation and treaty jurisdictions; the importance of exemption certificates for prospective payments; what companies should do regarding historic liabilities; potential penalties for failure to file and/or remit tax as required by Section 49; and final pieces of advice for multinational taxpayers impacted by Section 49. [NOTE: The majority of this episode was recorded prior to the German Ministry of Finance's release of draft, proposed legislation (in German) regarding the effective repeal of Section 49(1) on an extraterritorial basis as it applies to IP registered in Germany. During the final five minutes of this podcast, Doug and Arne discuss key takeaways from this draft legislation.]

Doug McHoney (PwC's US International Tax Services Leader) and Rohit Kumar (co-leader of PwC's Washington National Tax Services practice) discuss the past, present, and future of tax extenders.  Doug and Rohit discuss: Rohit's experience as Domestic Policy Director and Deputy Chief of Staff for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; what tax extenders are and why they exist; the importance of the ten-year congressional budget window; the political calculus involved in determining whether certain tax provisions are temporary or permanent; the background and history of the controlled foreign corporation (CFC) look-through rule; potential alternatives to the tax extender regime; and the necessity for bipartisanship due to the upcoming 'fiscal cliff' at the end of 2025, caused by the potential expiration of a multitude of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TJCA) provisions.

Doug McHoney (PwC's US International Tax Services (ITS) Leader) and Craig Stronberg (leader of Macro Capability for PwC Intelligence) discuss key macroeconomic considerations after November's elections. Doug and Craig discuss: the global implications of President-elect Biden's upcoming administration; the potential for tax reform in 2021 and beyond; the future of trade and diplomacy with China, including potential changes to supply chains, onshoring, and digital currencies; trends in 'protectionism' both inside and outside the US; key advice Craig has for executives and multinational corporations in light of the current geopolitical uncertainties; and Craig's experience working to protect the Olympic games.

Doug McHoney (PwC's US International Tax Services (ITS) Leader) and Pat Brown (PwC's International Tax Policy Leader) discuss the OECD's recently released blueprints on Pillars One and Two. Doug and Pat discuss: Pat becoming the most frequent Cross-border Tax Talks guest (four) and the sizing for Pat's 'Five-Timers' jacket when he next appears (spoiler: 42 Long); the background of the OECD's base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project and the progression from 'BEPS 1.0' to 'BEPS 2.0'; the background of Pillar One, including a discussion of 'Amount A' and 'Amount B'; the background of Pillar Two, including a discussion of the 'undertaxed payments rule' and the 'income inclusion rule'; highlights from the OECD's Blueprint on Pillar One, including the concept of 'consumer-facing businesses'; highlights from the OECD's Blueprint on Pillar Two, including the OECD's 'jurisdictional-blending' approach and the 'income-inclusion' regime; and what the future looks like for BEPS 2.0 implementation in 2021 and beyond.

Doug McHoney (PwC's US International Tax Services (ITS) Leader) and Mike Urse (ITS Partner in PwC's Washington National Tax Services practice) discuss the recently released final and proposed foreign tax credit (FTC) regulations. Doug and Mike (who participated in our inaugural CBTT podcast over two years ago) go deep on interest, stewardship, and research and development (R&D) expense apportionment under the final FTC regulations; the importance in modeling potential retroactivity of the R&D regulations; the intricacies in allocating and apportioning foreign taxes; foreign tax redeterminations under Section 905(c); the 'disregarded payment rule' under the proposed regulations; how to determine if a tax is 'creditable' and the new concept of 'jurisdictional nexus' in the proposed regulations; the revocation of the 'contested tax doctrine,' and additional proposed changes to the research and expenditure (R&E) allocation rules. Mike leaves listeners with a nice summary of the highlights and key takeaways from these regulations.

Doug McHoney (PwC's US International Tax Services (ITS) Leader) and Mazhar Wani (PwC's FinTech Tax Leader) discuss PwC's Annual Global Crypto Tax Report and recent developments concerning digital assets. Doug and Mazhar discuss: what 'digital assets' are; the OECD's recent report, 'Taxing Virtual Currencies,' and how it compares with PwC's Annual Global Crypto Tax Report; the distinctions between cryptocurrencies and digital assets; the increase in guidance concerning digital assets and potential incentives for jurisdictions to lead in the digital asset space; how regulators around the world are treating the taxation of digital assets; the importance of classifying digital assets as 'property' or 'currency,' and distinctions between the two classifications; what 'staking' is and recent global trends regarding 'staking'; what 'decentralized finance' (DeFi) is and the future of DeFi; trends in the indirect tax space concerning digital assets; and recommendations for taxpayers looking to enter the digital asset space.

Doug McHoney (PwC's US International Tax Services (ITS) Leader) and Aaron Junge (ITS Partner in PwC's Washington National Tax Services practice) discuss the recently-released final and proposed dividends received deduction (DRD) regulations under Section 245A. Doug and Aaron discuss: Aaron's background as Tax Counsel for the Committee on Ways and Means in the US House of Representatives and how this experience proves valuable in the private sector; the background and architecture of Section 245A; important topics included in the final and proposed DRD regulations including hybrid dividends, extraordinary dispositions (ED), and extraordinary reductions (ER); topics not fully contemplated in the final and proposed regulations, including certain mechanical rules of the DRD; how the ED rules interplay with the global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) and Section 965 'toll charge' rules; notable changes from the 2019 temporary DRD regulations to the 2020 final DRD regulations, including changes to the treatment of sales of intellectual property (IP) and mitigating the circumstances in which the DRD rules produce double-taxation; what an ER is and how the final regulations clarify the year-end close election; and major takeaways from the proposed regulations, including coordination of the ED rules and application of the disqualified basis rules.