Abstract: The article is devoted to the theory and practice of interpretation of international tax treaties on the example of the OECD Model Convention. The basic principles of interpretation of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, as well as their application in the jurisprudence of the various states are viewed. The author also investigates the applicability of the interpretative documents and supporting materials as suitable sources of the interpretation of tax treaties. A significant part of the article is devoted to the tax authorities and the provisions of the judgments of foreign countries, which represented a particular interpretation of the terms of tax treaties, as well as links to this interpretation, driven by the courts. The study begins with a review of the generally accepted principles of interpretation predusmtrennyh Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties 1969. These principles are considered in relation to the basic rule determining the values of the terms of tax treaties concluded in Article 3 (2) of the OECD Model Convention and the bilateral tax treaties. In this context the author investigates the applicability of the Commentary to the Model Tax Convention as an acceptable source of interpretation. The theoretical conclusions are further reflected in court decisions, which are justified by reference to the sources of interpretation. Generalizing these principles and techniques of interpretation, the author cites many examples of court decisions in different countries in which these principles and methods have been reflected. The result of the study is the lack of consistency and inconsistency of the application of the above principles in the jurisprudence of different countries. The consequence of this is ineradicable conflicts qualification terms of tax agreements, which prevent the uniform application of the taxpayers, tax authorities and courts of different countries.

Abstract: The concept of beneficiary ownership is among the most debatable concepts in the modern theory of international tax law. Initially the term beneficiary owner has appeared in the trust law of the Great Britain in order to distinguish between the person having basic economic profits from property or trust income and a formal owner of property. However, later this concept was transferred into the international tax law, and it became a popular norm against unlawful use of treaties against double taxation (treaty shopping). The third type of concept of beneficiary owner belongs to the spheres of administrative and financial law, and it is connected to the issues of disclosure of a final beneficiary in a corporate structure.  The issue of recognizing a person as a beneficiary owner is a subject to both scientific discussions and serious disputes in the legal practice of the latest decades, including administrative and judicial practice in the states with developed economies. The absence of clear criteria for defining this term and presence of insoluble contradictions in its interpretation make the position of taxpayers involved in international economic activities even more difficult. These contradictions may not be regarded as being resolved at the moment when this article is written even after the additional interpretations by the OECD Tax Committee in 2012. The practical issue of beneficiary ownership of income is especially topical in the corporate structures of multinational corporations when using intermediary companies, having functions of holdings or subholdings, as well as functions of ownership and use of intellectual property, sub-licensing and transit (back-to-back) finaning within the group. The problem of beneficiary ownership also became especialy topical in the Russian Federation lately in the context of state initiatives on de-offshoring and attempts to limit abuse of international tax treaties. This article concerns theoretical aspects of the concept of beneficiary ownership of income for the purpose of application of tax convention. Special attention is paid to the value of this term in the national law of the states as an instrument of fighting against the tax agreements, interpretation of the beneficiary ownership for the purpose of international treaties and its application in the international judicial practice. Currently interpretation and application of the concept of beneficiary ownership in the international taxation is vague and contradictory. These contradictions may not be regarded as being resolved at the moment when this article is written even after the additional interpretations by the OECD Tax Committee in 2012. The author for the first time in the Russian tax literature attempts to generalize the existing views on the issues of application of this concept in the international taxation.
 

Abstract: The article provides detailed analysis of the modern theory of tax residence, which is used by the developed tax systems of the foreign states. This concept is absent in the Russian tax legislation, which is a significant gap in the tax regulation of economic activity and it gives way for tax evasion. The Ministry of Finances of the Russian Federation announced the need to introduce this concept into the Tax Code of the Russian Federation in accordance with its "Key Directions for the Tax Policy in the period from 2013 to 2015". Due to this fact this article is quite topical within the framework of upcoming legislative changes. The article includes not only theoretical bases for the tax residency concept for legal entities, but also analysis of judicial practices of various states, which use it, as well as some critical comments in part of adequacy of its application in the modern high technology international economy at the age of electronic commerce.  The article may be of interest to all those interested in the problems of modern tax policy.