Ética en la interpretación de normas tributarias. El deber del abogado frente al sistema

Se trata de una obra que aborda, a partir de las normas de ética y responsabilidad profesional del abogado vigentes en el Perú, la práctica de los abogados de recomendar o avalar el uso de interpretaciones de normas tributarias respaldadas en escasos o nulos fundamentos de derecho teniendo en cuenta que podría ocurrir que estas interpretaciones no sean detectadas y cuestionadas por la Administración Tributaria

El deber del abogado frente al sistema tributario en la evaluación de interpretaciones agresivas

Recientes escándalos internacionales como el de los Panama Papers e investigaciones a grandes transnacionales como Apple, Google o Starbucks expusieron el uso de estrategias tributarias que desde un sector de la academia se ha sostenido que son “legales, pero inmorales”. En ese contexto, el análisis de la actuación de los abogados ha captado especial atención en el ámbito académico, ya que, ante la indeterminación que existe en el Derecho, los contribuyentes acuden a su asesoramiento para definir cómo aplicar las normas tributarias en casos concretos. El objetivo de este trabajo es verificar si los abogados que recomiendan o avalan el uso de interpretaciones de las normas respaldadas en escasos o nulos fundamentos de derecho incumplen las normas de ética y responsabilidad profesional del abogado vigentes en el Perú, teniendo en cuenta que podría ocurrir que dicho tipo de interpretaciones no sean detectadas y cuestionadas por la Administración Tributaria debido a que esta no puede fiscalizar todas las declaraciones juradas que son presentadas. Para interpretar las normas del Código de Ética del Abogado acudimos principalmente al método de interpretación finalista haciendo para ello un análisis de diversas normas del ordenamiento jurídico peruano y un estudio preliminar de los aportes de la doctrina extranjera con relación a la problemática específica. La conclusión del trabajo es que al aplicar las normas de ética y responsabilidad profesional del abogado se debe considerar que los abogados que asesoran en el cumplimiento de las obligaciones tributarias actúan como guardianes del sistema tributario. Además, teniendo en cuenta dicho rol, concluimos que en cumplimiento de sus deberes de obediencia a la ley, veracidad y buena fe los abogados no solo no deberían recomendar o avalar el uso de interpretaciones agresivas de las normas tributarias, sino que deberían desalentarlo.Recent international scandals such as the Panama Papers and investigations against huge transnational companies such as Apple, Google or Starbucks unveiled the use of tax strategies that some scholars have argued are "legal, but unfair". In such context, the analysis of lawyers’ behavior has called special attention in the academic field because, given the uncertainty existing in tax law, taxpayers seek their advice to define how to apply tax rules in specific cases. The purpose of this study is to analyze whether lawyers who recommend or endorse the use of legal interpretations supported by little or no legal grounds fail to comply with lawyers’ ethics and professional responsibility rules in force in Peru. For such objective, we consider that said kind of legal interpretations could go unnoticed and unchallenged by the Tax Authority because it is not possible that all tax returns submitted by taxpayers be audited. To interpret Peruvian Lawyer's Code of Ethics, we mainly resort to a purposive approach, an analysis of various rules of the Peruvian legal system and a preliminary study of foreign literature in relation to the specific problem. The conclusion of this study is that lawyers who advise on the compliance of tax obligations should be considered gatekeepers of the tax system when applying lawyers’ ethics and professional responsibility rules. Additionally, taking said role into account, we conclude that lawyers should not recommend or endorse the use of aggressive interpretations of tax rules, but they should discourage it in application of their duties of obedience to the law, truthfulness and good faith

ASESOR Y NO DEFENSOR: LA FUNCIÓN DEL ABOGADO QUE ASESORA EN PLANEAMIENTO TRIBUTARIO

El autor sostiene que, en general, los abogados asumen una función social y, por ello, tienen deberes frente a la sociedad y no solo frente a sus clientes. Además, el autor caracteriza los distintos tipos de funciones que asumen los abogados tributaristas e identifica la función de asesor como la principal en el marco del planeamiento tributario. Bajo ese entendido, el autor explica en qué se diferencia la función de asesor de la de defensor y por qué dicha distinción es relevante para efectos del cumplimiento de las normas de responsabilidad profesional del abogado. ABSTRACT The author argues that, in general, lawyers have a social function and, as a consequence, have duties to society and not only to their clients. In addition, the author characterizes the different types of roles assumed by tax lawyers and identifies the role of advisor as the principal in the context of tax planning. Under such understanding, the author explains that the counselor role differs from lawyer role and why such difference is relevant regarding the compliance of lawyer's professional liability standards

Desconociendo la pérdida por enajenación de valores : la regulación en la Ley del Impuesto a la Renta de las operaciones conocidas como wash sales

Con motivo de la última reforma legal en materia tributaria se han incorporado en la Ley del Impuesto a la Renta una serie de disposiciones que incorporan una norma antielusiva que busca combatir las operaciones conocidas internacionalmente como wash sales. El presente trabajo tiene como propósito explicar en qué consisten las operaciones que se busca combatir, los alcances y efectos de la aplicación de las nuevas normas, así como responder a algunas interrogantes que surgen respecto de su interpretación. Se presta especial atención a los supuestos que gatillan la aplicación de la norma y las diferencias que existen entra esta y su similar norteamericana. As a result of the last reform of Peruvian tax legislation, new rules were incorporated into Income Tax Law in order to prevent wash sales. The purpose of this essay is to explain what wash sales are, to describe the scope and effects of the application of the new rules, and to answer some questions about their interpretation. We focus mainly on when Peruvian wash sales rule triggers and the differences between it and the American wash sale rule

Global variation in postoperative mortality and complications after cancer surgery: a multicentre, prospective cohort study in 82 countries

© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licenseBackground: 80% of individuals with cancer will require a surgical procedure, yet little comparative data exist on early outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared postoperative outcomes in breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer surgery in hospitals worldwide, focusing on the effect of disease stage and complications on postoperative mortality. Methods: This was a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of consecutive adult patients undergoing surgery for primary breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer requiring a skin incision done under general or neuraxial anaesthesia. The primary outcome was death or major complication within 30 days of surgery. Multilevel logistic regression determined relationships within three-level nested models of patients within hospitals and countries. Hospital-level infrastructure effects were explored with three-way mediation analyses. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03471494. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and Jan 31, 2019, we enrolled 15 958 patients from 428 hospitals in 82 countries (high income 9106 patients, 31 countries; upper-middle income 2721 patients, 23 countries; or lower-middle income 4131 patients, 28 countries). Patients in LMICs presented with more advanced disease compared with patients in high-income countries. 30-day mortality was higher for gastric cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (adjusted odds ratio 3·72, 95% CI 1·70–8·16) and for colorectal cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (4·59, 2·39–8·80) and upper-middle-income countries (2·06, 1·11–3·83). No difference in 30-day mortality was seen in breast cancer. The proportion of patients who died after a major complication was greatest in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (6·15, 3·26–11·59) and upper-middle-income countries (3·89, 2·08–7·29). Postoperative death after complications was partly explained by patient factors (60%) and partly by hospital or country (40%). The absence of consistently available postoperative care facilities was associated with seven to 10 more deaths per 100 major complications in LMICs. Cancer stage alone explained little of the early variation in mortality or postoperative complications. Interpretation: Higher levels of mortality after cancer surgery in LMICs was not fully explained by later presentation of disease. The capacity to rescue patients from surgical complications is a tangible opportunity for meaningful intervention. Early death after cancer surgery might be reduced by policies focusing on strengthening perioperative care systems to detect and intervene in common complications. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licenseBackground: Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide. Methods: A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study—a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3·85 [95% CI 2·58–5·75]; p<0·0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63·0% vs 82·7%; OR 0·35 [0·23–0·53]; p<0·0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer. Interpretation: Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised. Funding: National Institute for Health and Care Research