This monograph looks at how tax is intertwined with constitutional law and the state in the UK. It looks at a variety of topics including tax devolution, scrutiny and reform of tax legislation, the protection of taxpayers and the domestic legal processing of international rules and problems. Tax Law, State-Building and the Constitution presents and interrogates five key claims. First, there is a clear overlap between the concerns of tax and constitutional lawyers. Secondly, the tax system is being deeply affected by the fast pace of constitutional change. Thirdly, decisions taken in the tax field are likely to have a reverse influence on the evolution of the constitution. Fourthly, these relationships are heavily context-dependent, with tax making all the difference to some ongoing constitutional controversies whilst having very little to do with others. Fifthly, by acknowledging tax as an important moving part within the contemporary constitution we might understand both tax and constitutional law a little better. The book therefore contributes to deeper theoretical debates on the identity of tax law as a discipline, the relevance of tax to public lawyers, the meaning of state-building in the recent history of a developed country and the importance of public finances to a wider sense of 'what is going on'. These are questions that ought to command the attention of tax and constitutional law academics as well as policy makers and reformers. Runner-up of the 2022 SLS Peter Birks Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship.

This monograph looks at how tax is intertwined with constitutional law and the state in the UK. It looks at a variety of topics including tax devolution, scrutiny and reform of tax legislation, the protection of taxpayers and the domestic legal processing of international rules and problems. Tax Law, State-Building and the Constitution presents and interrogates five key claims. First, there is a clear overlap between the concerns of tax and constitutional lawyers. Secondly, the tax system is being deeply affected by the fast pace of constitutional change. Thirdly, decisions taken in the tax field are likely to have a reverse influence on the evolution of the constitution. Fourthly, these relationships are heavily context-dependent, with tax making all the difference to some ongoing constitutional controversies whilst having very little to do with others. Fifthly, by acknowledging tax as an important moving part within the contemporary constitution we might understand both tax and constitutional law a little better. The book therefore contributes to deeper theoretical debates on the identity of tax law as a discipline, the relevance of tax to public lawyers, the meaning of state-building in the recent history of a developed country and the importance of public finances to a wider sense of 'what is going on'. These are questions that ought to command the attention of tax and constitutional law academics as well as policy makers and reformers. Runner-up of the 2022 SLS Peter Birks Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship.

These are papers from the 10th Cambridge Tax Law History Conference, which took place in July 2020. The papers fall within the following basic themes: - UK tax administration issues - UK tax reforms in the 20th century - History of tax in the UK - The UK's first double tax treaty - The 1982 Australia-US tax treaty - The legacy of colonial influence - Reform of Dutch excises, and - Canadian tax avoidance.

These are the papers from the ninth Cambridge Tax Law History Conference, held in July 2018. In the usual manner, these papers have been selected from an oversupply of proposals for their interest and relevance, and scrutinised and edited to the highest standard for inclusion in this prestigious series. The papers fall within five basic themes. Four papers focus on tax theory: Bentham; social contract and tax governance; Schumpeter's 'thunder of history'; and the resurgence of the benefits theory. Three involve the history of UK specific interpretational issues: management expenses; anti-avoidance jurisprudence; and identification of professionals. A further three concern specific forms of UK tax on road travel, land and capital gains. One paper considers the formation of HMRC and another explains aspects of nineteenth-century taxation by reference to Jane Austen characters. Four consider aspects of international taxation: development of EU corporate tax policy; history of Dutch tax planning; the important 1942 Canada-US tax treaty; and the 1928 UN model tax treaties on tax evasion. Also included are papers on the effects of WWI on New Zealand income tax and development of anti-tax avoidance rules in China.

This book examines the relationship between tax law and crisis. In times of environmental, financial, and public health breakdown, policymakers look to tax for solutions. Yet these crises also constrain the ways in which tax liabilities can be imposed and administered, and limit the revenues that can be collected. What should governments do in these circumstances and what are the wider consequences for states, societies, and institutions such as the EU? The book shows how crises place strain on the basic functions of tax, including revenue-raising, institution-building, regulation, redistribution, and the structuring of society. These strains bear more heavily on some sections of business and society than others. This makes the tax consequences of crisis unpredictable. It also means that the best choice of legal response is not merely a technical matter. Instead, it engages deeper attitudes towards crisis relief, change, social values, and democratic control. These issues are highlighted by COVID-19 but are of utmost lasting importance. The book takes a comprehensive approach and looks in more depth at the systemic roles that crises play in contemporary tax systems. It features an impressive cast of leading researchers across multiple jurisdictions and is essential for policymakers and scholars alike.

These are papers from the 10th Cambridge Tax Law History Conference, which took place in July 2020. The papers fall within the following basic themes: - UK tax administration issues - UK tax reforms in the 20th century - History of tax in the UK - The UK's first double tax treaty - The 1982 Australia-US tax treaty - The legacy of colonial influence - Reform of Dutch excises, and - Canadian tax avoidance.

In an important addition to the series, this book tells the story of 20 leading revenue law cases. It goes well beyond technical analysis to explore questions of philosophical depth, historical context and constitutional significance. The editors have assembled a stellar team of tax scholars, including historians as well as lawyers, practitioners as well as academics, to provide a wide range of fresh perspectives on familiar and unfamiliar decisions. The whole collection is prefaced by the editors' extended introduction on the peculiar significance of case-law in revenue matters. This publication is a thought provoking and engaging showcase of tax writing that is accessible equally to specialists and non-specialists.

This book is a continuation of the prestigious series which is drawn from the papers of the biennial Cambridge Tax Law History Conference. The authors are a mix of academics and senior tax professionals from the judiciary and practice with representatives from 9 countries. The series continues to investigate current tax policy debates in an historical context. The papers fall within 3 basic categories: 1. UK and Irish tax, looking at a variety of topics such as tax administration, cases and judges (Whitney, Singer, Viscount Radcliffe), the taxation of royal forests, the taxation of spirits, and income tax transition in the Irish Free State; 2. International taxation, with chapters on the role of international organisations (OECD, League of Nations) and on South Africa’s early attempts to address double taxation (tax treaties); and 3. Non-UK tax systems, including chapters on the legacy of colonial influence (Dutch East Indies), early developments in China, New Zealand, and the USA, an influential Canadian report (Carter Commission), development of the GAAR in Scandanavia, and the receipt of Roman tax law in Europe.

Most people would agree that tax systems ought to be 'just', and perhaps a great deal more just than they are at present. What is more difficult is to agree on what tax justice is. This book considers a range of different approaches to, and ideas about the nature of tax justice and covers areas such as: - imbalances in international tax arrangements that deprive developing countries of revenues from natural resources and allow wealthy taxpayers to use tax havens; - protests against governments and large business; - attempts to influence policy through more technical means such as the OECD's Base Erosion and Profits Shifting project; - interpersonal matters, such as the ways in which tax systems disadvantage women and minorities; - the application of wider philosophical or economic theories to tax systems. The purpose of the book is not to iron out these underlying differences into a grand theory, but rather to gain a more precise understanding of how and why we disagree about tax justice. In doing so the editors are assisted by a stellar cast of contributors from four continents, with a wide variety of views and experiences but a common interest in this central question of how to agree and disagree about tax justice. This is, of course, not only an intellectual exercise but also a necessary precursor to achieving real-world change.

These are the papers from the ninth Cambridge Tax Law History Conference, held in July 2018. In the usual manner, these papers have been selected from an oversupply of proposals for their interest and relevance, and scrutinised and edited to the highest standard for inclusion in this prestigious series. The papers fall within five basic themes. Four papers focus on tax theory: Bentham; social contract and tax governance; Schumpeter's 'thunder of history'; and the resurgence of the benefits theory. Three involve the history of UK specific interpretational issues: management expenses; anti-avoidance jurisprudence; and identification of professionals. A further three concern specific forms of UK tax on road travel, land and capital gains. One paper considers the formation of HMRC and another explains aspects of nineteenth-century taxation by reference to Jane Austen characters. Four consider aspects of international taxation: development of EU corporate tax policy; history of Dutch tax planning; the important 1942 Canada-US tax treaty; and the 1928 UN model tax treaties on tax evasion. Also included are papers on the effects of WWI on New Zealand income tax and development of anti-tax avoidance rules in China.

Most people would agree that tax systems ought to be 'just', and perhaps a great deal more just than they are at present. What is more difficult is to agree on what tax justice is. This book considers a range of different approaches to, and ideas about the nature of tax justice and covers areas such as: - imbalances in international tax arrangements that deprive developing countries of revenues from natural resources and allow wealthy taxpayers to use tax havens; - protests against governments and large business; - attempts to influence policy through more technical means such as the OECD's Base Erosion and Profits Shifting project; - interpersonal matters, such as the ways in which tax systems disadvantage women and minorities; - the application of wider philosophical or economic theories to tax systems. The purpose of the book is not to iron out these underlying differences into a grand theory, but rather to gain a more precise understanding of how and why we disagree about tax justice. In doing so the editors are assisted by a stellar cast of contributors from four continents, with a wide variety of views and experiences but a common interest in this central question of how to agree and disagree about tax justice. This is, of course, not only an intellectual exercise but also a necessary precursor to achieving real-world change.

In an important addition to the series, this book tells the story of 20 leading revenue law cases. It goes well beyond technical analysis to explore questions of philosophical depth, historical context and constitutional significance. The editors have assembled a stellar team of tax scholars, including historians as well as lawyers, practitioners as well as academics, to provide a wide range of fresh perspectives on familiar and unfamiliar decisions. The whole collection is prefaced by the editors' extended introduction on the peculiar significance of case-law in revenue matters. This publication is a thought provoking and engaging showcase of tax writing that is accessible equally to specialists and non-specialists.

These are the papers from the 8th Cambridge Tax Law History Conference held in July 2016. In the usual manner, these papers have been selected from an oversupply of proposals for their interest and relevance, and scrutinised and edited to the highest standard for inclusion in this prestigious series. The papers fall within five basic themes: Two papers focus on tax theory; one on John Locke and another on the impact of English tax literature in the Netherlands in the nineteenth century. Five deal with the history of UK specific interpretational issues in varying contexts - an ancient exemption, insurance companies, special contribution, the profits tax GAAR and capital gains tax. Two more papers consider aspects of HMRC operations. Another three focus on facets of international taxation, including treaties between the UK and European countries, treaties between the UK and developing countries and the UN model tax treaties of 1928. The book also incorporates a range of interesting topics from other countries, including the introduction of income tax in Ireland and in Chile, post-war income taxation in Australia, early interpretation of 'income' in New Zealand and a discussion of some early indirect taxes in India and China.

These are the papers from the 2014 Cambridge Tax Law History Conference revised and reviewed for publication. The papers fall within six basic themes. Two papers focus on colonialism and empire dealing with early taxation in colonial New Zealand and New South Wales. Two papers deal with fiscal federalism; one on Australia in the first half of the twentieth century and the other with goods and services taxation in China. Another two papers are international in character; one considers development of the first Australia-United States tax treaty and the other development of the first League of Nations model tax treaties. Four papers focus on UK income tax; one on source, another on retention at source, a third on the use of finance bills and the fourth on establishment of the Board of Referees. Three papers deal with tax and status; one with the tax profession, another with the medical profession and a third with aristocrats. The final three papers deal with tax theorists, one with David Hume, another focused on capital transfer tax scholarship and a final paper on the tax state in the global era.