pravoПравоприменениеLaw Enforcement Review2542-15142658-4050Dostoevsky Omsk State University10.52468/2542-1514.2023.7(2).43-52pravo-791Research ArticleПРИМЕНЕНИЕ НОРМ ПРАВА ОРГАНАМИ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОЙ ВЛАСТИTHE LAW ENFORCEMENT BY PUBLIC AUTHORITIESСоотношение конфиденциальности и налоговой прозрачности при правовом регулировании автоматического обмена информацией о финансовых счетах в СШАBalance of confidentiality and tax transparency in legal regulation of automatic exchange of financial account information in the United StatesТолстопятенкоГ. П.TolstopyatenkoG. P.

Толстопятенко Геннадий Петрович – доктор юридических наук, профессор, профессор кафедры административного и финансового права, первый проректор

119454, г. Москва, пр. Вернадского, 76

Gennadi P. Tolstopyatenko – Doctor of Law, Professor; Professor, Department of Administrative and Financial Law, First Vice-rector

76, Vernadskogo pr., Moscow, 119454

g.tolstopyatenko@inno.mgimo.ruhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9593-7645АгеевС. С.AgeevS. S.

Агеев Станислав Сергеевич – кандидат юридических наук, доцент кафедры административного и финансового права

119454, г. Москва, пр. Вернадского, 76

Stanislav S. Ageev – PhD in Law, Assistant Professor, Department of Administrative and Financial Law

76, Vernadskogo pr., Moscow, 119454

stas555ag@mail.ruМосковский государственный институт международных отношений (университет) Министерства иностранных дел Российской ФедерацииРоссияMGIMO UniversityRussian Federation202322062023724352Copyright © Толстопятенко Г.П., Агеев С.С., 20232023Толстопятенко Г.П., Агеев С.С.Tolstopyatenko G.P., Ageev S.S.Данная работа распространяется под лицензией Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.https://enforcement.omsu.ru/jour/article/view/791

Исследуется проблема соотношения частного и публичного интереса при автоматическом обмене информацией о финансовых счетах, т. е. проблема баланса между стремлением государств к репатриации выведенных за рубеж активов и желанием налогоплательщиков сохранить в тайне информацию о своей финансовой деятельности. Посредством анализа регулирования в США выявляются лакуны в законодательстве о бенефициарном собственнике, которые в совокупности с особенностями межправительственных соглашений США, имплементирующих FATCA, могут быть использованы иностранными инвесторами в целях ухода от правил Общего стандарта отчетности. В результате граждане США и иностранные инвесторы при автоматическом обмене информацией о финансовых счетах оказываются в разном правовом положении.

The subject of research, relevance. Exchange of information is an important measure of administrative cooperation between and among tax authorities aimed at the fight with tax evasion. Tax evasion is a problem that has gone beyond national borders, thus individual states can’t cope with it alone. In the light of this problem tax authorities develop new forms of administrative cooperation such as automatic exchange of information. While developing new forms, states should remember about the balance of private and public interest. In the context of automatic exchange of information this problem looks like a problem of finding a balance between confidentiality and tax transparency.

The purpose

The purpose. The article discusses the problem of finding a balance between confidentiality and tax transparency on the example of the United States. The choice of the United States may be explained by its national approach to such a balance that differs from the approach of other states that have implemented the Common Reporting Standard and Mandatory Disclosure Rules.

The aim of the article is to show what peculiarities in national and international regulation in the United States influence their unique approach and what is the effect of this approach on the global system of automatic exchange of information and the rights of the US taxpayers.

The methodological basis

The methodological basis. The following scientific methods were used: comparative-legal, formal-juridical and historic-legal. The research was conducted in compliance with the principles of independence and verification of the results.

The main results, scope of application. The conclusion of this article is that the balance of private and public interest in the context of automatic exchange of information is reached by the United States through confidentiality provisions exclusively. They use their national state legislation on beneficial ownership and the lack of reciprocity in intergovernmental agreements implementing FATCA to attract foreign investors (non-resident aliens) wishing to avoid reporting under the Common Reporting Standard. Meanwhile, the United States acquire full information on the financial accounts of their citizens and resident aliens who are beneficial owners of such accounts held in foreign financial institutions. Such a state of affairs is dangerous for the effectiveness of the global system of automatic exchange of information. Moreover, it impairs the rights of Accidental Americans who permanently reside in foreign states and have no connection with the United States except for their citizenship but still have reporting obligations before the US Internal Revenue Service.

Conclusions

Conclusions. Automatic exchange of information should be developed in compliance with the principle of balance between tax transparency and confidentiality. States should follow one and the same approach to providing such a balance. At the same time the taxpayers’ rights, in particular the rights of Accidental Americans, should be protected and they can’t be outweighed by the need of administrative cooperation between or among tax authorities.

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The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest present.