• The design and operation of the group ratio rule - The 2015 Action 4 Report set out a common approach to address BEPS involving interest and payments economically equivalent to interest. This included a 'fixed ratio rule' which limits an entity's net interest deductions to a set percentage of its tax-EBITDA and a 'group ratio rule' to allow an entity to claim higher net interest deductions, based on a relevant financial ratio of its worldwide group. The report included a detailed outline of a rule based on the net third party interest/EBITDA ratio of a consolidated financial reporting group, and provided that further work would be conducted in 2016 on elements of the design and operation of the rule. The updated report does not change any of the conclusions agreed in 2015, but provides a further layer of technical detail to assist countries in implementing the group ratio rule in line with the common approach. This emphasises the importance of a consistent approach in providing protection for countries and reducing compliance costs for groups, while including some flexibility for a country to take into account particular features of its tax law and policy.
• Banking and insurance sectors - The 2015 report also identified factors which suggest that the common approach may not be suitable to deal with risks posed by entities in the banking and insurance sectors. The updated report examines regulatory and commercial requirements which constrain the ability of groups to use interest for BEPS purposes, and limits on these constraints. Overall, a number of features reduce the risk of BEPS involving interest posed by banking and insurance groups, but differences exist between countries and sectors and in some countries risks remain. Each country should identify the risks it faces, distinguishing between those posed by banking groups and those posed by insurance groups. Where no material risks are identified, a country may reasonably exempt banking and/or insurance groups from the fixed ratio rule and group ratio rule without the need for additional tax rules. Where BEPS risks are identified, a country should introduce rules appropriate to address these risks, taking into account the regulatory regime and tax system in that country. The updated report considers how these rules may be designed, and includes a summary of selected rules currently applied by countries. In all cases, countries should ensure that the interaction of tax and regulatory rules and the possible impact on groups is fully understood.

Bron: OECD