Changes to global tax regulation not only affect what companies have to pay but also shape the structure of their operations, including where they are based or where they store their intellectual property rights.
At the moment, it isn’t clear if the minimum tax would come in at 15% or more, as countries still need to make a final decision on the rate. The U.S., which introduced its own minimum tax of 10.5% in 2017, said it would accept a global minimum levy of at least 15% for participating OECD countries.
National digital-services taxes, which are currently in place in various jurisdictions, present another uncertainty for executives. Many multinationals want to ensure that the OECD deal forces countries to remove their individual levies on revenue from services such as digital advertising. The European Union will delay its proposed digital levy, an EU spokesman said Monday.