A Legal Analysis of the Structure of Dispute Resolution Mechanisms of International Tax Agreements

As international trade is expanding, international trade and tax disputes are increasing. Under international tax agreements, there are two mechanisms for the resolution of potential disputes between contracting States. These agreements mostly rely on a form of negotiation known as the “Mutual Agreement Process (MAP)” as the main mechanism for the settlement of disputes. During the last decade, the inclusion of “ad hoc arbitration” as a new dispute resolution mechanism in international tax treaties has become popular to augment the MAP. Iran has long concluded several international tax agreements with several countries for the avoidance of double taxation. Due to Iran’s macroeconomic policy for relying more on tax revenues as an alternative to revenues from the petroleum industry, it is important that the Iranian lawyers seek to focus more on tax law and tax dispute resolution mechanisms. The purpose of this article is to introduce and critically analyse the dispute resolution mechanisms of international tax agreements. In this article, to make some suggestions for the improvement of the dispute resolution system of tax treaties, the strengths and weaknesses of the MAP and ad hoc arbitration, will be scrutinised by adopting a descriptive-analytical approach.