Cross-border Tax Talks

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Beth Bell, a Principal in PwC’s Washington National Tax Services Policy Office. She previously served as a Senior Advisor to the US Treasury Department, Tax Counsel for the US House Committee on Ways and Means, and Policy Director and Tax Counsel in the United States Senate. Doug and Beth discuss the OECD’s January 2026 side‑by‑side package: why consensus formed, how the side‑by‑side and UPE safe harbors operate, and why QDMTTs are taking center stage. They cover the simplified ETR safe harbor, the one‑year extension of the transitional CbCR safe harbor, elections and 2024–2025 compliance, enacted‑law accounting effects, the key footnote on UTPR allocation, and the new qualified tax incentives safe harbor, including both expenditure-based and production‑based credits, plus implications for inbound investment and the 2029 stocktake. 

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Hanan Abboud, a Dubai‑based International Tax and M&A partner who leads PwC’s Pillar Two efforts across the Middle East. Doug and Hanan discuss the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) region’s corporate tax landscape, including country differences, Zakat as a covered tax, and the prevalence of withholding and treaty networks. They then map Middle East Pillar Two adoption: Bahrain’s QDMTT, Kuwait’s QDMTT, Oman’s IIR, Qatar’s DMTT plus IIR, the UAE’s QDMTT, and Saudi Arabia’s lack of announcements. They dive into filing timelines, estimated payments, the evolving incentive landscape, the intersection with free zones, as well as practical pain points: data, provisioning, governance, and allocating top‑up taxes. 

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Beth Bell, a principal in PwC’s Washington National Tax Services Policy group. Beth previously served as a senior advisor at the U.S. Treasury Department, tax counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee, and policy director and tax counsel in the U.S. Senate. Doug and Beth discuss contrasts between Senate personal offices and House committee roles; Ways and Means’ tax jurisdiction; and Beth’s experience moving from Congress to Treasury. Next, they jump into how DST disputes led to Pillar One and ultimately the emergence of Pillar Two; Build Back Better legislation; the Pillar Two model rules; U.S. credit design under Pillar Two; and the new administration’s response to Pillar Two. 

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by returning guest Tadd Fowler, Senior Vice President, Treasurer, and Global Taxes at the Procter & Gamble company. Doug and Tadd discuss US tax policy after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the OB3 package’s priorities and fixes (including interest expense apportionment, GILTI and FDII changes, and maintaining competitiveness), and why certainty still depends on ongoing policymaker education. They examine the OECD Pillar Two ‘side‑by‑side’ concept, the daunting Pillar Two compliance overlay on US rules, and P&G’s own Pillar Two posture. They also cover operating‑model design, incentives and foreign direct investment, how AI augments rather than replaces decisions, and the tax team’s priorities—business partnership, compliance productivity, people and capabilities, and advancing tax certainty through transparency and cooperative programs.  

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Matt Ryan, PwC UK’s International Tax and Treasury Network Leader and the UK’s Pillar Two lead. Recording in Barcelona at PwC’s Global Tax Symposium, they take stock of Pillar Two implementation and the much‑watched ‘side‑by‑side’ agreement. Doug and Matt discuss policymakers’ evolving openness to net CFC tested income (NCTI) coexistence, the UK’s 2027 legislative path with potential effect from 2026, the UTPR safe harbor expiration, practical frictions around POPE reporting, M&A data gaps, and the lack of a global dispute mechanism. They also examine transitional versus permanent safe harbors, potential consequences if Section 899 re‑emerges—including expanded BEAT exposure—and quick UK updates on the 25% corporate rate and the digital services tax.  

Wade Sutton (PwC’s WNTS International Tax Services Leader) guest hosts the podcast and is joined by Rob Ozmun, a State and Local Tax Partner, and Monic Kechik, PwC’s WNTS Federal Tax Services Leader. Together they discuss the OB3 ‘curveballs’ to the federal changes: Section 163(j) - ATI addbacks of depreciation and amortization; Section 174A - domestic expensing; Section 168(k) - the return to 100% bonus depreciation; and Section 168(n) - qualified production property (QPP). They explore how accelerated deductions can trigger BEAT and CAMT via ordering‑rule dynamics and book‑tax timing, creating cash‑vs‑ETR trade‑offs that can be addressed with capitalization provisions. They also examine state conformity models, rapid decoupling (e.g., D.C.), and wrinkles such as California’s departures and R&D credits.

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Will Morris, PwC’s Global Tax Policy Leader, from PwC’s Global Transfer Pricing, Customs, and Indirect Tax Conference in Prague. Doug and Will discuss how trade policy now shapes tax outcomes, the G7 ‘side‑by‑side’ debate for Pillar Two, and why geopolitics complicates an Inclusive Framework deal. They explore the EU’s ‘simplification’ agenda (FTT/DEBRA/Unshell pullbacks), overlapping anti‑abuse regimes post-Pillar Two, and whether real simplification is politically feasible. The conversation turns to Digital Services Taxes amid Pillar One uncertainty, potential US responses (including Section 301 and talk of Section 899), and the rise of Significant Economic Presence rules. They close with the UN’s emerging convention, source‑based taxation of services, and the limits of AI and automation when dealing with unstructured taxpayer data.  

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Chris Desmond, a Principal in PwC’s Customs & Trade Practice. Chris leads PwC US’s Global Trade Services. Doug and Chris, while at PwC’s Global Transfer Pricing, Customs, and Indirect Tax Conference in Prague, discuss the Supreme Court’s expedited review of IEEPA‑based tariffs, possible outcomes, and the implications of an estimated ~$108B refund exposure across multiple industries (See our PwC Insight: IEEPA Tarrif: Understanding the Potential outcomes ahead of the Supreme Court’s Ruling for more details). They cover how persistent tariffs elevate customs to the C‑suite and require close integration with transfer pricing and Pillar Two modeling. They also discuss practical mitigations including first sale for export, duty drawback, Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) reclassification and origin analysis, transfer‑pricing alignment, and use of foreign‑trade zones -- paired with rigorous controls as US government scrutiny intensifies. The episode closes with sector‑specific developments and a data‑driven playbook.  

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Pieter Dere, a partner in PwC Belgium’s International Tax Services practice who leads Belgium’s Pillar Two initiative and co‑hosts the Tax Bites Podcast. Doug and Pieter recorded in Prague at PwC’s Global Transfer Pricing, Customs, and Indirect Tax Conference. They discuss Belgium’s Pillar Two compliance landscape: 2024 applicability of QDMTT/IIR/UTPR, a late‑November 2025 filing cycle; the new e‑platform and XML‑only submissions; transitional safe harbors and JV scope; the ‘general representative’ and joint and several liability; DAC 9 and the OECD MCAA; uncertainty around a G7 side‑by‑side and implications for US‑parented groups; estimated payments; Belgian litigation targeting UTPR; and practical steps to be ready now. 

Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Sarah Hickey, a PwC Australia International Tax Partner and the Australian tax desk leader in New York City. Doug and Sarah discuss Australia’s corporate tax landscape (30% headline rate; new thin-cap at 30% of tax EBITDA with a retrospective integrity rule on related‑party debt), investment incentives, the two‑speed CFC regime and “use it or lose it” foreign tax credits, and dividend, interest, and royalty withholding. They cover the diverted profits tax (40% rate; 12‑month evidence window), Pillar Two timing, public CbCR and short‑form restructure disclosures due by end‑2025, and indirect taxes including non‑resident CGT and stamp duty. Finally, they unpack the High Court’s Pepsi decision—no royalty derivation by the US, a 4–3 win on royalties and DPT—and why contract wording anchors royalty analyses.