International Tax Policy : The Counter-Story Presented by the BRICS

This chapter focuses on the international tax policy directions of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS). The BRICS countries present something of a counter-story to the narrative that international tax law has harmonized. These five countries, major economic and trade players in the world but not members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), have developed their international tax policy with an eye to the approach suggested by the OECD, but not necessarily in conformity with its strictures. This chapter explores the international tax policy directions of the BRICS jurisdictions under the familiar, broad heads of international tax policy: jurisdiction to tax, double tax relief, anti-avoidance measures, and exchange of information. A complete review of the international tax policy directions of any one of these jurisdictions on its own could easily become a book. As a result, the chapter focuses on providing a general and comparative overview centred on income taxation