PD:Fiscalitat Internacional

Teaching plan for the course unit

Català

English

General information

Course unit name: International Taxation

Course unit code: 364570

Academic year: 2025-2026

Coordinator: Daniel Vaccaro Perez

Department: Department of Economics

Credits: 6

Single program: S

Estimated learning time

Total number of hours 150

Face-to-face and/or online activities	60
(Work in small groups is completed during at least ten 1-hour sessions on Wednesdays.)

	- Lecture with practical component	Face-to-face and online		30
	- Problem-solving class	Face-to-face and online		30

Supervised project

Independent learning

Competences / Learning outcomes to be gained during study

-	CG9 - Capacity to interpret the evolution of the business environment and adaptations to change.
-	CG8 - Capacity to communicate in English and/or other foreign languages orally and in writing, comprehension skills, and mastery of specialized language.
-	CG1 - Commitment to ethical practice (critical and self-critical skills and attitudes that comply with ethical and deontological principles).
-	CG3 - Capacity for learning and responsibility (capacity for analysis, synthesis, to adopt global perspectove and to apply knowledge in practice).

-	CE10 - Ability to take planning and organizational decisions in an international busniess context.
-	CE6 - Ability to appraise processes and decision-making in the development of international operations.
-	CE9 - Ability to use quantitative methods to solve real problems in different business areas.
-	CE2 - Comprehensive understanding of the international economic, legal and socio-political framework, and ability to use this knowledge to oversee international business decisions.

-	CE1 - Capacity to analyse the international operations of business organizations and interpret their responses to economic, social, cultural and legislative factors in an international setting.
-	CE3 - Understanding of the structure and operation of international markets, to detect the potential implications of increasing internationalization and the new global framework.
-	CE4 - Knowledge of international economic institutions and understanding of their role in the context of international economic relations.

Learning objectives

Referring to knowledge

— Be introduced to the principles of taxation, understanding the regulations governing taxation of individuals and companies.

— Understand the design and structure of income tax systems in general without dealing with any specific tax system in detail.

— Learn the main taxes regarding companies conducting business internationally and their liquidation scheme (PIT, CIT, VAT, Tariffs).

— Know when and how to exercise their options and rights to certain tax schemes, tax credits, adjustments to taxable base, etc.

— Understand the guidelines that rule both inbound and outbound taxation and disclosure requirements.

— Know the principles of international tax planning and tax treaties (OECD Model Tax Convention and EU directives).

Teaching blocks

1. Introduction

1.1. Principles of taxation

— Main taxes in a developed tax system
— Payment scheme
— Tax penalties and tax crime
— Tax audit: proceedings and useful tips

1.2. Personal income tax

— Sources of income
— Allowances and tax credits

1.3. Value added tax

— Fundamental principles
— Payment of domestic transactions
— Payment of international transactions
— The VIES system

1.4. Corporate income tax

— Fundamental principles
— Adjustments
— Tax credits

2. International issues

2.1. Principles of international tax planning

— Residence and source principle
— Double taxation
— Methods to provide double taxation relief
— Taxation of non-residents in Spain
— Tax treaties: goals and current network
— The OECD Model Tax Convention

2.2. EU directives

— Parent-subsidiary directive
— Interest and royalties directive
— Merger directive

2.3. Tariffs and customs procedures

— Description of commodities
— Working out tariffs
— Customs procedures

2.4. Understanding global tax tendencies

— Tax havens
— Aggressive tax planning
— Network of cooperation agreements
— Anti-abuse clauses

Teaching methods and general organization

The methodology combines theoretical and practical activities, reading material with theoretical contents, and individual and group work on cases to be developed and discussed.

There are ten practical problem-solving sessions, which last one hour each. Depending on the size of the group, and only for problem-solving sessions, students may be split in two sub-groups, which would then meet biweekly.

Official assessment of learning outcomes

Students are assessed on a continuous basis as the default option, which is based on:

a) Continuous assessment activities (50% of the final grade):
— Student participation (this may include oral presentations during class hours, if the size of the group allows it) and homework assignments (a maximum of 20%).
— Mid-term exam(s) (at least 30%).

b) A final exam. It may include both open-answer and multiple-choice questions, as well as exercises (50%).

To pass the course, students must obtain a final grade of 5 out of 10 (weighted average score) and a minimum mark of 4 out of 10 in the final exam.

Students who fail to pass the course are entitled to repeat assessment of the final exam. The final grade for continuous assessment students who repeat the final exam follows the same scheme as before, including the relative weights for the continuous assessment activities.

Exams must be written in the language of instruction. Hence, students enrolled in an English-speaking group must complete the exam in English.

Examination-based assessment

The single assessment procedure consists of a final examination worth 100% of the final grade. The exam may include theory questions, case studies and exercises.

To pass the course, students must obtain a final grade of at least 5 out of 10.

The repeat assessment examination follows the same format and rules as the standard examination.

Reading and study resources

Check availability in Cercabib

Book

BURMAN, Leonard, SLEMROD, Joel. Taxes in America : what everyone needs to know. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2013

Catàleg UB

SCHOLES, Myron S. [et al.] Taxes and business strategy : a planning approach. 4th ed. New Jersey : Prentice-Hall International, 2009

Catàleg UB

Legislation

Domestic Laws of the fiscal jurisdiction we are interested in ( Ley General Tributaria, Ley del Impuesto sobre el Valor Añadido, ... Modernised Customs Code in the EU, Laws on Corporate Income Taxation, Contributions Acts, …)

Journal

Memento práctico Ediciones-Francis Lefebvre. Fiscal. Madrid : Ediciones Francis Lefebvre, 1996- ISSN 1137-2036

Web page

Procedural guidelines, practical manuals and handbooks published by Tax Offices ( Agencia Tributaria, Internal Revenue Services,Her Majesty Revenue and Customs, ...) or available in their official websites.