Bridging the divide: a special report on BEPS and IP

International Tax Review is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Garden, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Bridging the divide: a special report on BEPS and IP

johannes-plenio-ideas.jpg

ITR looks at the disconnect between many tax and IP professionals and how this holds companies back from meeting the challenge of BEPS.

Businesses around the world are grappling with the long-term tax and transfer pricing implications of BEPS for intellectual property. This is a serious problem for companies where tax and IP teams have been working in silos.

The OECD’s BEPS project, which was launched in 2015, has created more tax compliance challenges for intellectual property. But some tax and IP professionals are discovering late in the game that they have to work together.

BEPS may be old news to many tax experts, but the project is still being rolled out in many countries and its full impact is now being felt outside tax departments. The time to bridge the divide between tax and IP teams is long overdue.

With exclusive insight from heads of tax and IP directors at multinational companies and law firms, this special report looks at how tax and IP professionals can:

· Close the gap between tax and IP teams;

· Meet the IP challenges of BEPS; and

· Prevent costly tax disputes.

Here, we have the two-part report plus a preview feature, by Special Projects Editor Josh White, and an opinion article by our Editor-in-Chief Ed Conlon:

· Preview: BEPS is catching out IP – not just tax – teams

· Bridging the divide, part one

· Bridging the divide, part two

· Bridging the divide, part three

ITR will continue to follow the impact of BEPS on IP, which is such a key area for taxpayers today.

This is the first of a series of special reports on the most important issues in international tax. If you want to stay ahead of the game, sign up for a free trial to ITR.

more across site & shared bottom lb ros

More from across our site

As pillar two reshapes global tax competition, the UK faces a crucial challenge: how to remain attractive to multinationals without sacrificing tax revenues
Pillar two may be raising less than expected, but professor René Matteotti says the regime is still changing multinational tax behaviour
Multinationals importing goods into Brazil may need to align TP files and customs documentation more closely as authorities gain new tools to challenge related-party transactions
The private equity-backed deal hands Grant Thornton immediate and impressive US scale, but World Tax data suggests the firm still has work to do to gain recognition
From Instagram content to £100m transactions, the founder of Thomas & Co International discusses building a modern tax and accounting firm for business founders
Growing GAAR scrutiny is driving taxpayers to look beyond legal form and demonstrate the commercial rationale underpinning tax-efficient structures
Pillar two has been clients’ ‘biggest headache’ but also a driver of growth for MHA, which believes it has the edge over its big four rivals
Public country-by-country reporting is exposing multinational tax data to investors, journalists and competitors, creating fresh risks for businesses
Pillar two compliance is creating unprecedented data demands for multinational tax departments, making closer collaboration with FP&A teams essential for accurate reporting and audit readiness
Among the arrivals is Andrew Howell, who leaves scandal-hit PwC Australia after representing PepsiCo in a high-profile TP dispute
Gift this article