Course Section | Columbia Law School

Section Description Provided by Instructor

Understanding how the United States taxes international transactions is critically important for practicing lawyers, policymakers and businesses. Businesses -- and the lawyers who advise them -- increasingly must take the US international tax system into account in planning investments and operations. Moreover, US international tax rules are now the focus of intense attention from policymakers, who debate reforms to protect the competitive position of US businesses while preventing erosion of the US tax base. This course will introduce the basic principles of the current US system for taxing US persons on income earned outside the United States and for taxing income earned in the United States by foreign persons. Students will learn not only key blackletter law rules but, from the instructor's experience, how they apply in practice. Students will also develop an understanding of the policy considerations that have shaped current law and will shape future reforms.

Some prior tax experience is recommended