The Concept of ‘Permanent Establishment’ at the Spanish Courts: Special Reference to the Roche and Dell Cases

Abstract

An accurate definition of the concept of permanent establishment is crucial to the application of the distributive rules provided by the Double Taxation Treaty, particularly, on business profits. In Spain, the cases of Roche and Dell have been very much talked about since the decisions of the Courts brought about a construction of the figure of permanent establishment far from the prevailing orthodox approach to the Commentaries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Model Tax Convention. The purpose of this broad interpretation of the concept of permanent establishment seems, then, clear: to avoid, with varying degrees of success, that multinational companies carrying on sizable business activity in Spain fail to pay taxes by means of a fabricated business structure scheme. This article shall, therefore, analyse this concept in the light of the Court’s decisions in the above mentioned cases.