Policy Forum: Much Ado About Doing Not Much: Some Reflections on the Jurisdiction To Tax Business Transactions

Most states aim to tax in one way or another the outputs, products, or profits of business activity conducted within their jurisdiction. The scope to tax is limited, however, when the business is based abroad and trades only with persons in the state in question. A starting point in such situations is to consider whether the state can claim jurisdiction over a foreign business to enforce its claims. The next question is whether the subject matter of the tax charge—the tax base—is amenable to the state's jurisdiction. In this respect, different considerations apply in imposing a consumption tax, such as value-added tax (VAT), as compared with a business profits tax. This article looks first at the common-law jurisdictional basis adopted by the English courts before considering the test developed by the UK courts in the 19th and early 20th centuries to determine whether the profits of a business based abroad nevertheless fall within the United Kingdom's taxing jurisdiction. The UK approach to taxing the profits of UK business activity by a foreign business is then contrasted with the approach adopted for VAT as applied, in particular, to the remote supply of digital services from abroad. The United Kingdom's rules currently derive from EU directives, and it remains open whether they will diverge over time following Brexit.