Corporate Taxation, BEPS and the Swiss Corporate Tax Reform III

Corporate taxation has rapidly moved up policymakers agendas in the last years. Securing government revenue based on corporate income in a manner that is considered fair and minimizes economic distortions as well as administrative costs is a complex task – especially so in a world of increasing capital mobility and trade flows. How to define the corporate tax base,where to tax profits, and to what extent international coordination is required, are examples of the challenging questions posed in this context.

With their joint “Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS)” project, the OECD and G20 have taken a leading role in addressing these issues. The BEPS package, endorsed by G20 leaders in November 2015, comprises 15 actions to foster international tax policy coordination on topics such as tax challenges of the digital economy, interest deductions and other financial payments, as well as transfer pricing and corporate disclosure requirements.

Against this background, this roundtable will focus on the role of corporate taxation in international tax policy, the impact that BEPS is likely to have in this field, the consistency and speed with which countries are expected to implement the BEPS package, and the implications of soft law initiatives such as BEPS on international tax competition and the sovereignty of countries. In that context, the discussion will also address the alignment of the Swiss Corporate Tax Reform III with the BEPS agenda and its long term economic and political consequences.