International Tax Law Student Essay Writing Competition 2023

TP News is announcing its first annual International Tax Law Student Essay Writing Competition 2023.

We are now inviting original submissions from students enrolled in a full-time undergraduate law course around the world. Co-authorship is possible.

The submission must seek to identify and answer a point of law that involves interpretation of one or more provisions of a tax treaty. The essay should not be descriptive in nature and must show outstanding analysis, while adding to the existing tax treaty jurisprudence.

We will not accept submissions over 3,000 words. We do not accept footnotes or endnotes, use hyperlinks instead.

All submissions will go through two rounds of selection process. Based on an initial screening by TP News team, shortlisted submissions will be sent out for blind peer review. We, therefore, encourage students to avoid mentioning their names/affiliations anywhere in their essays. Please note that all submissions will be put through our standard plagiarism detection process.

The top three entries will be published on TP News.

Submissions must be emailed to us as Microsoft Word documents by 11:59 pm UTC on November 7, 2023. We expect to receive a high number of entries and would be unable to respond individually.

Winners will be announced on our website and social media handles in January 2024.

For questions or clarifications, please contact: editor@transferpricingnews.com

Exercise caution in implementing Pillar One tax proposals: WATAF

West African Tax Administration Forum (WATAF) has issued an advisory asking its members to carry out revenue impact analysis to ensure that the OECD’s proposed Pillar One, Amount A rules deliver positive revenue outcome before committing to its implementation.Continue Reading

South Africa publishes draft tax law on advance pricing agreement

The South African Revenue Service is seeking stakeholders’ comments on a draft tax law implementing a new advance pricing agreement (APA) program.Continue Reading

OECD publishes guidance on global minimum corporate tax rules

OECD publishes guidance on global minimum corporate tax rules

The OECD, on February 2, released technical guidance to assist governments with implementation of the 15 percent global minimum corporate tax rate.Continue Reading

Netherlands opposes UN international tax framework

Netherlands warns against UN international tax cooperation framework

The Dutch State Secretary of Finance, Marnix van Rij, has expressed the government’s concerns regarding the recent UN resolution to establish an international tax cooperation framework.Continue Reading

African Tax Administration Forum responds to ‘historic’ international tax reform

African Tax Administration Forum

The two-pillar package aims to ensure that large multinational enterprises (MNEs) pay tax where they operate and earn profits, while adding much-needed certainty and stability to the international tax system.Continue Reading

Tax administrations discuss transfer pricing issues

The WCO facilitator focused on the Customs valuation treatment of related-party transactions and instruments adopted by the Technical Committee on Customs Valuation. The OECD facilitator elaborated on the arm’s length principle and its application, comparability analysis, and transfer pricing documentation.  Continue Reading

Kenyan Finance Bill 2021 includes key international tax measures

By CPA David Ndiritu Mwangi (Principal Consultant, Hisibati Consulting, Nairobi, Kenya)

The Kenyan government tabled the Finance Bill 2021 in Parliament on 11/05/2021. Unlike the prior year, the bill does not introduce new taxes. However the bill proposes significant changes that will indeed have a far reaching effect on multinational organizations operating in Kenya.Continue Reading

African Tax Administration Form submits revised Pillar One proposals

African Tax Administration Form submits revised Pillar One proposals

The revised proposals respond to both the Inclusive Framework blueprint report released for public consultation in October 2020 and the recent proposals from the US to revise the blueprint proposals.Continue Reading

Significant economic presence: Nigerian perspective

Significant economic presence: Nigerian perspective

By Kelechi Ugbeva (Managing Partner, Blackwood & Stone, Nigeria)

Existing global tax rules such as, the arm’s length principle and principle of physical presence may not be robust enough to accommodate the peculiarity of digital activities and digital taxation. To this end, the OECD has come up with a few proposals on how digital activities may be taxed. Continue Reading

OECD issues further guidance on country-by-country reporting

OECD issues further guidance on CbC reporting

The additional interpretative guidance contains complete set of guidance concerning the interpretation and operation of BEPS Action 13 issued so far.Continue Reading

OECD’s Work on Harmful Tax Practices on Track

OECD’s Work on Harmful Tax Practices on Track

The author is Alex Hunter, Editor, TP News. He oversees and updates the publication and also  regularly writes news stories about transfer pricing and international tax law. Alex is reachable on email (editor@transferpricingnews.com) and by phone (+447808558597). 


The OECD has published a report covering the assessment of 53 preferential tax regimes as part of its work under base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) Action 5, on harmful tax practices.
Continue Reading

Mutual Agreement Procedure Statistics Published for 2017

Mutual Agreement Procedure Statistics Published for 2017

The OECD on October 10 published its 2017 mutual agreement procedure (MAP) statistics covering 85 tax jurisdictions.

According to the 2017 MAP statistics, new transfer pricing MAP cases are up by 25 percent and other MAP cases by 50 percent. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the increase in new MAP cases is due to a range of factors including the effects of the new reporting framework and increased awareness of and expectations from taxpayers about MAP, the OECD noted.Continue Reading

Transfer Pricing Regulations Revised in Nigeria: Some Highlights

Transfer Pricing Regulations Revised in Nigeria: Some Highlights

By Amaka Samuel Onyeani (Senior Manager, Transfer Pricing, Andersen Tax, Nigeria) & Abisola Agboola (Assistant Manager, Transfer Pricing, Andersen Tax, Nigeria)

Nigeria’s Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) recently released the revised Income Tax (Transfer Pricing) Regulations, 2018 (the Transfer Pricing Regulations). The Transfer Pricing Regulations are one of the efforts of the FIRS in improving the administration of transfer pricing in the country, increasing revenue collection via taxes, and protecting Nigeria’s tax base.Continue Reading

OECD Transfer Pricing Profiles for 7 More Countries Published

OECD Transfer Pricing Profiles for 7 More Countries Published

The OECD has published new transfer pricing country profiles for Costa Rica, Greece, Republic of Korea, Panama, Seychelles, South Africa, and Turkey. The OECD has also updated the information contained in Singapore’s profile.Continue Reading

Switzerland Adopts Dispatch on BEPS Convention

Switzerland Adopts Dispatch on BEPS Convention

The author is Alex Hunter, Editor, TP News. He oversees and updates the publication and also  regularly writes news stories about transfer pricing and international tax law. Alex is reachable on email (editor@transferpricingnews.com) and by phone (+447808558597). 


The Swiss Federal Council on Wednesday adopted the dispatch on the OECD’s Multilateral Convention to implement tax treaty-related base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) measures.Continue Reading

Nigeria CbC Reporting Tax Regulations Explained

Nigeria CbC Reporting Tax Regulations Explained

By Josh Bamfo (Partner & Head, Transfer Pricing Services, Andersen Tax, Nigeria)

The Federal Government of Nigeria finally published the much anticipated Income Tax (Country-by-Country Reporting) Regulations, 2018 (the CbC Regulations) on June 19, 2018 (with a commencement date of January 1, 2018). This is in line with Nigeria’s signing of the OECD’s Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement on January 27, 2016, providing for automatic exchange of CbC reports.

As a sequel to my earlier publication on the potential implications of the draft CbC reporting Regulations to affected taxpayers, which was published four months ago, this article presents the key highlights of the CbC reporting Regulations and re-assesses the potential implications based on the content of the final, published version.Continue Reading

South Africa’s 2018 Budget: Unpacking International Tax Measures

South Africa’s 2018 Budget: Unpacking International Tax Measures

By Ahmed Jooma (Independent Tax, Legal, and Public Policy Consultant)

On February 21, 2018, South Africa’s Finance Minister, Malusi Gigaba, presented the country’s National Budget, which will be tougher on the populace than on multinational corporations. Most of the tax changes that will affect cross-border transactions are of a technical nature. A continued focus on base erosion and profit shifting is expected to assist in arresting the deteriorating fiscal environment. This is further exacerbated by pressure to maintain a relatively low corporate tax rate in the face of tax competition.
Continue Reading

Ireland, Ghana Sign New Tax Treaty

Ireland, Ghana Sign New Tax Treaty

Ireland and Ghana signed a new tax treaty on February 7, 2018. The procedures to ratify the treaty are underway.

Ireland is also negotiating and renegotiating existing treaties with foreign jurisdictions.

 According to the tax authority, Ireland’s existing treaty base will also be updated to incorporate provisions set out in the Multilateral Convention to implement tax treaty-related measures to prevent base erosion and profit shifting.

CbC Reporting Regulations in Nigeria: Potential Implications For Taxpayers

Joshua Bamfo of Andersen Tax discusses CbC Reporting Regulations in Nigeria

By Josh Bamfo (Partner & Head, Transfer Pricing Services, Andersen Tax, Nigeria)

Since the signing of the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and its subsequent ratification by the Federal Executive Council in 2016, most Nigerian taxpayers and tax practitioners have been keenly waiting for the implementation of a country-by-country (CbC) reporting requirement, developed under Action 13 of the base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project. Nonetheless, we were still surprised by the FIRS’ communication via its official Twitter handle on 24 January, 2018, that the Income Tax (Country-by-Country Reporting) Regulations, 2018, (CbC Regulations) has now been signed by the Federal Government of Nigeria, and will be gazetted soon.Continue Reading

Panama, Malaysia, Four Others Sign OECD’s BEPS Convention

Tax administration commit to exchanging CbC reports

The author is Alex Hunter, Editor, TP News. He oversees and updates the publication and also  regularly writes news stories about transfer pricing and international tax law. Alex is reachable on email (editor@transferpricingnews.com) and by phone (+447808558597). 


Barbados, Côte d’Ivoire, Jamaica, Malaysia, Panama, and Tunisia have newly signed the base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) Multilateral Convention, the OECD announced on January 24, 2018.Continue Reading

New South Africa Tax Guidance on Prohibition of Deductions for “Tainted” IP

South Africa guidance on prohibition of deductions for tainted intellectual property

The author is Alex Hunter, Editor, TP News. He oversees and updates the publication and also  regularly writes news stories about transfer pricing and international tax law. Alex is reachable on email (editor@transferpricingnews.com) and by phone (+447808558597). 


The South African Revenue Service has issued detailed guidance on the interpretation and application of section 23I of the Income Tax (IT) Act, which relates to the prohibition of deductions for “tainted” intellectual property (IP).Continue Reading