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Abstract:
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Increasing focus on international harmonization of taxes, especially due to globalization,
has caused the European Commission to propose a new regulatory framework in 2011. The
framework has been referred to as “Country by Country” (CBC) and it will affect extraction-
and logging companies. The European Commission proposes the introduction of a
CBC reporting system and on a single project basis.
The framework is to provide greater transparency in taxes paid by the companies in their
countries of operation. The objective of the proposed framework is to respond to international
development and to enhance transparency in laws and regulations as well as to promote
voluntary standards that require or encourage oil, gas and mining companies to disclose
the amounts of taxes they pay in in the different countries. In order to ensure a common
reporting system for the companies, a CBC reporting requirement would be incorporated
into the Transparency Directive including all companies listed in EU regulated markets
regardless of the country within the companies are based. The following types of
payments would be reported; production entitlements, taxes on profits, royalties, dividends,
bonuses for signature, discovery and production, fees for license, rental and entry together
with other considerations for licenses and/or concessions and at last other direct benefits to
the governments concerned.
In an attempt to counteract the possibility for multinational companies to pay too little or
no taxes in Denmark, the Danish government adopted a tax law in 2012. The Bill contains
tax payment information on companies that will be published by the Danish Ministry of
Taxation to the general public.
This thesis will analyze the need for increased tax transparency, and what characterizes
this need for transparency, as well as what future issues and dilemmas associated with the
European Commission Tax regulatory and the revised Danish taxes are. These issues will
be analyzed through three research questions. These research questions focuses on what
characterizes the need for tax transparency, why this need arises, as well as how the regulations
are expected to be received by the individual respondents and stakeholders such as
authorities and non-government organizations. Finally, the focus will be on how tax transparency
works in practice and what challenges can be expected in the future including the
relations to the society. |
