AS per Thomson Reuters Survey, two-thirds of
corporate tax executives surveyed said that their companies are proactively
preparing for the onslaught of new tax regulations resulting from the Base
Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan.
That’s a 22% increase in the past year. In Thomson Reuters 2015 BEPS Readiness
Survey, 54% of respondents said they were actively preparing for the new reporting
requirements. This year, it’s 66%.
The new survey found European companies are more intensely focused on BEPS
planning than their peers around the world. Three-fourths of respondents from
companies based in Europe said they are proactively preparing for BEPS, up
from 59% last year. In the U.K., it’s 80%. That compares with 71% in Latin
America, 64% in the U.S., and 40% in Asia Pacific.
The disparity may reflect the varied pace at which countries in each region
are implementing BEPS regulations.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) developed
the BEPS Action Plan, at the request of the G20 countries, to help nations
align their corporate tax policies.
In 2015, The OECD issued 15 Action Items to address areas such as the digital
economy, treaty abuse, and transfer pricing documentation. Most survey respondents
(83%) said documentation and country-by-country reporting for transfer pricing,
related to BEPS Action Item 13, has required the biggest operational changes.
This is consistent with last year’s findings. Across all countries, audit exposure
is cited as the biggest issue related to Action 13 compliance.
The research also found significant regional variance in the time tax departments
are investing in BEPS preparation. Respondents from the U.K. are spending the
most time on BEPS preparation, with 28% saying their departments invest more
than 15 hours per week on the project. The U.S. lags behind, with 50% of respondents
saying their departments spend fewer than two hours per week preparing.
Respondents also report making changes to their business operations as a result
of BEPS. Over half have changed their transfer pricing policies and conducted
a review of their business’s value chain and key profit drivers.
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