The Council Directive 2011/16/EU in the Global Context of Tax Transparency and Automatic Exchange of Information

Summary

List of Abbreviations

Introduction
Chapter 1
The Directive on administrative cooperation in the field of taxation in the global context

• I. Background of administrative cooperation and exchange of information in the EU: Directive 77/799/EEC and its shortcomings
• II. The global economic and political context of the DAC
• III. Interrelation between the DAC and other international instruments for exchange of information

Chapter 2
General Issues of the Directive 2011/16/EU

• I. Purpose
• II. Legal basis
• III. Objective, subjective, temporal and spatial scope
• IV. Organisation issues

Chapter 3
Exchange of information

• I. Exchange of information upon request
• II. Spontaneous exchange of information
• III. Automatic exchange of information in the original version of the DAC

Chapter 4
Other forms of administrative cooperation

• I. Presence in administrative offices and participation of foreign officials in administrative enquiries
• II. Simultaneous controls
• III. Administrative notifications
• IV. Feedback
• V. Sharing of best practices and experience

Chapter 5
Conditions of administrative cooperation, monitoring and evaluation activities, relations with third countries

• I. Secrecy clause and use of the information received
• II. Grounds for refusal of assistance
• III. Most favoured nation clause
• IV. Standard forms, computerised formats, channels of communication and language
• V. Monitoring and evaluation of administrative cooperation
• VI. Relations with third countries

Chapter 6
Evolucion of the DAC towards the global standard of automatic exchange of information

• I. Automatic exchange of financial account information
  • A. Immediate antecedents: FATCA and OECD CRS/CAA
  • B. Purpose, scope and content
  • C. Timeline
  • D. Form of information transmission
  • E. Data protection
  • F. Similarities and differences between DAC 2 and OECD CRS
  • G. Critical evaluation
• II. Automatic exchange of information on cross-border tax rulings and APAs
  • A. Immediate antecedents and purpose
  • B. Scope
  • C. Information subject to communication
  • D. Form of transmission
  • E. Timeline
  • F. Confidentiality and use of information
  • G. Position of taxpayers affected by the AEOI on cross-border tax rulings and APAs
  • H. Similarities and differences between DAC 3 and BEPS Action 5
  • I. Critical evaluation
• III. Automatic exchange of information on country-by-country reports
  • A. Immediate antecedents and purpose
  • B. The obligation to prepare and file CbCRs
  • C. Automatic exchange of CbCRs: Scope, Format, Timeline and Limits
  • D. Towards public disclosure of CbCRs in the EU?
  • E. Similarities and differences between DAC 4 and BEPS Action 13
  • F. Critical evaluation
• IV. Access to anti-money laundering information by tax authorities
  • A. Immediate antecedents and purpose
  • B. Scope .
  • C. Critical evaluation
• V. Automatic exchange of information of reportable cross-border arrangements
  • A. Immediate antecedents and purpose
  • B. Basic elements of the regime 
    • 1. Mandatory disclosure of cross-border arrangements
    •     Persons obliged to disclose
    •     Reportable arrangements (hallmarks)
    •     Content of the information to be disclosed
    •     Additional obligations
    •     Temporal aspects
    •     Place of presentation
    •     Consequences of non-compliance and management of information
    • 2. Automatic exchange of information 
  • C. Privacy, legal professional privilege and right against self-incrimination
  • D. Critical evaluation

Chapter 7
Taxpayers’ rights in cross-border exchange of information procedures

• I. Legal protection of taxpayers under the DAC
• II. Taxpayers’ substantive rights in the ECJ case law
  • A. Privacy and protection of personal data
  • B. The role of proportionality: Digital Rights Ireland, Tele2 and Smaranda Bara cases
• III. Taxpayers’ procedural rights in the ECJ case law .
  • A. Sabou case
  • B. Berlioz case
• IV. Restablishing the balance between taxpayer and tax administration in cross-border EOI procedures: proposals

Bibliography