If a legal transaction results in an undesirable tax burden due to overlooked tax consequences, the question arises whether, and to what extent, these consequences can subsequently be corrected. Katharina Göpfarth examines the legal instruments for eliminating unwanted tax consequences within the conflict between private and tax law. Central to her analysis is the finding that the removal of tax consequences is achieved primarily through civil law mechanisms and that it produces ambivalent effects. On the one hand, it can offer taxpayers compensation for the lack of certainty in tax planning; on the other hand, it creates improper incentives for risk-free tax avoidance. Based on a comparative study of Germany, England, and Canada, the author demonstrates how courts incorporate tax policy considerations into the application of private law instruments and what consequences this entails for legal doctrine and legal policy.
