AstraZeneca’s Ian Brimicombe addresses BEPS and US inversion transactions

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

AstraZeneca’s Ian Brimicombe addresses BEPS and US inversion transactions

Ian Brimicombe, VP of corporate finance at AstraZeneca, discusses the struggle between regional and global compliance in an interview with TPWeek, and provides his views on topical transfer pricing issues.

Brimicombe has expressed his views on some of the most important transfer pricing issues in the headlines, including concerns over BEPS and country-by-country reporting and the increasing amount of US companies attempting inversion transactions in the UK.

Brimicombe has also spoken in detail with TPWeek about the makeup of AstraZeneca’s tax department, day-to-day transfer pricing issues and the company’s strategy for mitigating tax disputes.

The interview reveals the inner workings of the AstraZeneca tax department including its organisational structure, key objectives and tax dispute strategies.

“Our key objective is to implement domestic and international rules in a compliant way. On occasion it can be a challenge to secure agreements between governments as to how to allocate profits between the various activities located around the world,” Brimicombe said.

Brimicombe also addresses the issue of commercial sensitivity in relation to BEPS documentation requirements and gives an insight into what he thinks has motivated US companies’ desires to relocate to the UK.

“There is a clear tax motivation in such “inversion” transactions. If you look at the US tax system right now, for US based MNCs investing outside the US, there is a classic arrangement that permits minimal tax on overseas profits and deferral of US tax provided these profits remain offshore from the US.”

The full interview will be available on TPWeek.

Register for a free trial on TPWeek to read Ian Brimicombe’s comments in full.

more across site & shared bottom lb ros

More from across our site

The profession is fundamentally restructuring itself around what tax and accounting work should be, a Thomson Reuters leader told ITR
The big four firm is consolidating 16 entities across the region to create a single 6,000-partner behemoth
Brazil’s tax reform unifies consumption taxes to simplify rules, centralise administration and reduce legal uncertainty
The ever-expansive firm has once again attracted a former ‘big four’ talent to lead the new offering
The amended double taxation avoidance agreement removes France’s most favoured nation status for tax treaty benefits
The levies extended beyond the president’s ‘legitimate reach’, the Supreme Court ruled
While Brazil’s consumption tax overhaul led to a short-term spike in tax advisory demand, we are now in a period of ‘normalisation’ marked by decreased recruitment
The expanded firm will comprise roughly 8,500 employees, including 550 partners; in other news, Paul Hastings and Macfarlanes made senior tax hires
Meanwhile, one expert highlights the importance of separating Venezuela’s tax authority from direct political control after ‘lost decades and isolation’
With PMK 108, Indonesia has upgraded its tax transparency regime for the digital era, focusing on data quality, governance, and cross border exchange rather than expanding regulatory reach
Gift this article