Cross-border Tax Talks

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Phil Ramstetter, a Chicago-based International Tax Partner at PwC and Pillar Two subject matter specialist. Phil previously served as a tax policy consultant at Business at OECD (BIAC). Doug and Phil discuss the evolving Pillar Two landscape, including the OECD’s 2026 guidance, BIAC’s role in shaping workable rules, and the side-by-side and UPE safe harbors. They examine UTPR allocation and GIR validation problems arising from differences in domestic laws, alongside new guidance on explicitly conditional taxes and mismatched QDMTT fiscal years. The conversation also covers revised GIR and XML reporting, continuing QDMTT compliance for US-parented groups, upcoming guidance on related benefits and integrity measures, and why greater taxpayer input, prospective rulemaking, and filing standardization are essential to meaningful simplification.

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Chris Desmond, leader of PwC US’s Global Trade Services practice and, as Doug puts it, a 'reformed Transfer Pricing Partner.' Doug and Chris, recording at PwC’s 2026 Global Transfer Pricing, Trade, and Indirect Taxes Conference in Chicago, discuss the progress of IEEPA tariff refunds and the related accounting, legal-entity, and transfer pricing decisions; continuing US tariff authority and trade tensions involving China, the European Union, Canada, and Mexico; and selective supply-chain reshoring. They also examine pharmaceutical tariff developments, White House deals, customs valuation and reconciliation, first-sale planning, and heightened audit exposure. The conversation closes with AI’s potential and limitations in trade compliance and three priorities for tax leaders: aligning customs and tax data, coordinating transfer pricing adjustments, and scenario planning. 

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Wade Sutton, International Tax Leader of PwC’s Washington National Tax Services practice and guest host of Cross-border Tax Talks. After Wade reflects on his previous experience at the US Treasury Department, he and Doug discuss four proposed regulation packages under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3): expense allocation for net CFC tested income (NCTI) and foreign-derived deduction-eligible income (FDDEI), FDDEI eligibility changes, CFC pro rata share rules, and repeal of the one-month deferral election. They examine foreign tax credit limitations, overall domestic loss exposure, M&A drafting and tax-year elections, and transition relief. The conversation also covers reconciliation prospects, regulatory comment periods, Loper Bright’s influence on Treasury’s approach, and anticipated guidance on foreign sales branches and foreign-controlled CFCs.

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Laura Williams, an international tax partner in PwC’s Washington National Tax Services office and former branch chief in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel. Doug and Laura discuss the role of Treasury regulations, Section 7805(a), and the post-Loper Bright limits on agency deference and delegated authority. They explain why TCJA’s mismatched effective dates created a ‘donut hole’ and examine three recent regulation-validity decisions: Varian Medical Systems, Keysight Technologies, and Siemens Medical Solutions. These cases concern the Section 78 gross-up, GILTI deductions, extraordinary dispositions, and the Section 245A dividends-received deduction. The conversation also addresses judicial precedent, protective refund claims, return and financial-statement positions, possible government appeals, and the IRS’s potential use of economic substance and other alternative arguments when challenged regulations do not survive. 

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Laura Valestin, an international tax partner in PwC’s Washington National Tax Services office, who specializes in the taxation of financial transactions, including foreign currency. Doug and Laura discuss the proposed Section 987 regulations governing the new CFC election, beginning with the rule’s scope, history, and common QBU fact patterns. They explain how the election can turn off future Section 987 gain-or-loss computations, while preserving translation and basis-tracking requirements, and examine consistency across commonly controlled CFCs, partnership applications, inbound transactions, and the loss of future Section 987 losses. They also cover the 120-month amortization of pre-election amounts, the $50 million asset threshold, election timing and filing mechanics, reliance on the proposed rules, the November 12 comment deadline, and why detailed modeling is essential before making an effectively irrevocable choice. 

Wade Sutton, PwC’s International Tax Leader for the Washington National Tax Services Office, fills in as host while Doug is away on assignment. Wade welcomes Will Morris, PwC’s global tax policy lead and former chair of the AmCham EU Tax Committee. In this episode, Wade and Will discuss the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR). They cover its state-aid origins, reach into M&A and public procurement, and early enforcement record. The episode examines the European Commission’s recent assessment, possible reductions in reporting burdens, and the three-step analysis from foreign financial contribution (FFC) to subsidy to market distortion. The conversation also covers tax incentives and credits, Inflation Reduction Act and Pillar Two interactions, data-collection challenges, geopolitical considerations, standstill risks, and practical steps before an EU transaction or procurement bid.

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Pat Coughlin, a Chicago-based tax director in PwC’s Quantitative Solutions and Technologies Practice within International Tax Services and a former Notre Dame running back. Doug and Pat discuss the June 30, 2026, Pillar Two compliance post-mortem, including PwC’s experience filing more than 50,000 returns with a success rate above 99%. They dive into how business rules and filing capabilities were built across dozens of jurisdictions, what late portals and conflicting validations revealed about the system, why the OECD and local tax authorities should act quickly on timely-filed GIR relief, a longer 2025 filing deadline, clearer amended-return mechanics, and broader simplification. They close with practical advice for 2025: start now, focus on calculations, and narrow review to the sections that matter most.  

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Shin Yamaguchi, a tax partner at PwC Japan, the Japanese inbound tax leader, and host of the English-language podcast Dial in Japan. Doug and Shin discuss Japan’s current inbound and outbound investment environment, the role of supply-chain diversification and energy security in Japanese outbound strategy, and why Japan remains an active market for inbound acquisitions and carve-outs. They also explore Japan’s Pillar Two implementation timeline, readiness for compliance, the interaction between Pillar Two and Japan’s CFC rules, practical administrative and substantive challenges for Japanese-parented groups, tariff-related uncertainty for US investment, and the tax controversy environment in Japan, including the continued focus on transfer pricing. 

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Paulson Tseng, PwC Taiwan’s International Tax Services and Transfer Pricing Leader, the firm’s Human Capital Leader, and host of the Finance and Tax Cafe podcast.

Doug and Paulson discuss Taiwan’s corporate tax framework, including the 20% corporate rate, foreign tax credit limits, withholding tax friction for services, and CFC rules; how inbound investment remains strong in semiconductors and R&D while outbound models are shifting toward more diversified, multi-nodal footprints; Taiwan’s current Pillar Two posture, top-up tax exposure, and readiness challenges around data, education, and compliance; whether Pillar Two is already changing business behavior; tax controversy themes in Taiwan, especially transfer pricing, withholding tax, and risk-based audits; and Paulson’s own podcast and its broader finance, economic, and workplace-stress topics.

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Dr. Alexis Crow, partner and Chief Economist for PwC US. Prior to joining PwC, Alexis taught at the London School of Economics. Doug and Alexis discuss the macroeconomic and geopolitical implications of the Iran conflict, including energy-market scarring, oil-price scenarios, fiscal supports, inflation pressures, and central-bank constraints. They also examine the durability of US growth, AI-driven investment, consumer demand, and private credit risk; then move through global trade developments and regional dynamics across Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe, and North America. The conversation closes with the “re-industrial era,” energy addition, automation, workforce skills, and financial-stability risks that may be underappreciated.