This book is the first to present a general overview of the tax treatments of various financial instruments in four important EC member states: France, Germany, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. International tax specialists from these countries have planned and drafted this text in accordance with the comparative and pragmatic idea underlying the Series on International Taxation. For a long time now, enterprises have been using various financial instruments to finance their operations and to reinvest their liquid assets. The variety of these instruments has increased over the past 15 years through the development of both hybrid and risk-covering instruments. This publication clearly states the most important tax differences and indicates those areas where EC harmonization is imperative. Furthermore, it allows the reader to examine financial instruments, not only in terms of their independent functions, but also their functions in the context of different tax systems. Audience: Ideal for consultants and students in international tax law.