Wealth taxation to fight global inequality has become an emerging trend in recent years. One of the most prominent models for wealth taxation is Gabriel Zucman’s “Billionaire Tax” that was presented to the G20 Summit in Brazil in 2024 and is currently discussed in many countries including the United States and France. In this seminar, Professor Wolfgang Schön, Director of the Department of Business and Tax Law at the Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance in Munich will discuss the characteristics and merits of the Zucman tax from a conceptual, constitutional and comparative perspective.
This will be followed with a presentation by Professor Li Jinyan from the Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, who will examine why addressing offshore tax structuring remains an intriguing tax law problem for countries with open economies and high-level of taxation. Drawing on insights from Canadian statutory design and international tax policy, her presentation will explore the core paradoxes embedded in the international tax system, such as legal fictions v. economic substance and fiscal realities, the “double-edged sword” of tax policy trade-off, and mobility of capital v. tax sovereignty and enforceability of national tax laws.
SPEAKERS
Professor Wolfgang Schön
Director of the Department of Business and Tax Law
Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance
Wolfgang Schön is the Director of the Department of Business and Tax Law at the Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance in Munich and Honorary Professor at Munich University. Before joining the Max Planck Society in 2002, he studied law in Bonn (1979 – 1984), clerked for the Cologne Court of Appeals (1985 – 1988), earned his doctoral degree in 1985, completed his habilitation in 1991, and held full professorships at the University of Bielefeld (1992 – 1996) and the University of Bonn (1996 – 2002). Wolfgang Schön has been a visiting professor at Tilburg University, Vienna University of Business and Economics, NYU, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, University of British Columbia, the Universities of Antwerp and Liège and Bocconi University (Milan).
He is a Member of the Board of Trustees of the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (Amsterdam) and an International Research Fellow at the Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation. He was Chairman of the Board of the European Association of Tax Law Professors and the Vice-Chair of the Permanent Scientific Committee of the International Fiscal Association. He is currently a Member of the Board of Trustees of Bucerius Law School (Hamburg) and a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Hertie Foundation (Frankfurt).
From 2008 – 2014 he served as Vice President of the Max Planck Society, from 2014 – 2021 as Vice President of the German Research Foundation.
Professor Jinyan Li
Professor of Tax Law
Osgoode Hall Law School, York University
Jinyan Li is Professor of Tax Law and former Interim Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. She is currently the co-director of the LLM Tax program and academic director, Professional Graduate Studies Program.
Professor Li has authored, co-authored and co-edited numerous books, including: Income Tax at 100 Years: Essays and Reflections on the Income War Tax Act (2017); International Taxation in Canada (multiple editions); Principles of Canadian Income Tax Law (multiple editions); International Taxation in the Age of Electronic Commerce: A Comparative Study, and International Taxation in China: A Contextualized Analysis. She is the co-author chapter 13 (Capital Gains) of the Global Tax Treaty Commentaries on IBFD Tax Research Platform. She is the co-editor of Current Tax Readings, Canadian Tax Journal and a member of the editorial board of World Tax Journal. She has organized conferences and symposiums, the most recent of which are a symposium on Pillar Two (2022) and Women with Disabilities: Income Security and Tax Policy (2022).
Her work has been cited by Canadian courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada in Deans Knight Income Corp., Alta Energy and MacDonald.
She has recently served on the Panel of Experts advising the Minister of Finance, Canada on reviewing tax expenditures and a member of the advisory committee to the Minister of National Revenue on the taxation of e-commerce. She has also been a consultant to the Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Auditor General of Canada, and the Department of Justice of Canada.
Professor Li has received numerous awards from external organizations, including: Tax Excellence Award (2021) from the Ontario Bar Association), Lifetime Contribution Award (2017) from the Canadian Tax Foundation, Academic Excellence Award (2007) from the Canadian Association of Law Teachers, and D.J. Sherbaniuk Distinguished Writing Award (1999). She was a York University Research Leader (2017) and recipient of teaching awards (2004 and 2014). She is currently on the Council of IFA Canada and a speaker at Canadian and international conferences.
CHAIR
DETAILS
Date: 15 October 2026, Thursday
Time: 12.15pm to 2pm [Registration commences from 12pm and Lunch will be provided]
Venue: Seminar Room 3-02, Level 3, Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Management University
REGISTRATION
For Public - $50 (subject to prevailing GST)
For SMU Staff and Students - Complimentary
Please click HERE to register.
Registration will close on 8 October 2026, 5pm or when the seminar is fully subscribed.
ORGANISERS
About Singapore Tax Academy Research Initiative (STARI)
The Singapore Tax Academy Research Initiative (STARI) conducts leading tax law research in a rapidly developing international tax landscape, while also building domestic tax research capacity, developing strong academic networks, and bringing the best in international tax thought-leadership to the tax profession in Singapore. In addition to its research activities, STARI provides training in academic research and writing, and works with the world’s best tax law academics to develop tax professionals.
https://ccla.smu.edu.sg/stari
About Tax Academy of Singapore
The Tax Academy of Singapore is a not-for-profit institution set up by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore in collaboration with the international accounting firms – Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Singapore Chartered Tax Professionals, the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants and the Law Society of Singapore.
As a leading hub for tax excellence and a network of networks, Tax Academy collaborates with leaders in the industry, academia and the government to develop and deliver structured tax training programmes, regular seminars and conferences. Through these platforms, tax professionals can stay current with global developments while enhancing their professional competency, knowledge and capabilities. By fostering exchanges between industry experts, academics and government officials from both local and international spheres, Tax Academy cultivates an environment of continuous learning and knowledge sharing.
https://www.taxacademy.sg
