Resolving Transfer Pricing Disputes

Via a global analysis of more than 180 transfer pricing cases from 20 representative jurisdictions, Resolving Transfer Pricing Disputes explains how the law on transfer pricing operates in practice and examines how disputes between taxpayers and tax administrations are dealt with around the world. It has been designed to be an essential complement to the OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and Tax Administrations, which focus on transfer pricing issues but do not refer to specific transfer pricing disputes. All of the transfer pricing cases discussed in the book are linked to the relevant paragraphs of the OECD Guidelines by means of a 'Golden Bridge', namely a table listing the cases according to the paragraphs of the Guidelines to which they refer. It therefore provides examples of the application of the Arm's Length Principle in many settings on all continents.

This book addresses the complexity, valuation and administrative nuances, and cultural impacts of resolving this significant cross-border issue when tax disputes arise. In recent years, transfer pricing has become in financial terms the most important tax issue faced by multinational companies and tax authorities worldwide. In times of economic downturn, as experienced in recent years, when tax authorities are challenged for revenue, the handling of these issues requires great care, skill, creativity and a true awareness of the ramifications confronting each tax jurisdiction. This book sets out in detail not only the general laws in each tax jurisdiction impacted by the multinational companies' transfer pricing practices, but also the ancillary concerns of how the issue is interpreted locally as well as related to the OECD Guidelines; the varied approaches to administrative resolution of these issues, including specific alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and the effective uses of advance pricing agreements; correlative adjustment procedures in the event of transfer pricing adjustments; cross-border exchange of information concerns; and how to proceed to litigation if all else fails administratively. It is here that the book delves into the specific procedures for litigation in each country which must be evaluated as part of the overall strategy for controversy resolution. Unfortunately, today litigation is on the rise in numerous jurisdictions and the presumption of an administrative resolution is no longer correct. An additional feature of this book is how practical anecdotes are intertwined into the analysis to give the reader a sense of pragmatism for these issues. To this point, there are the various case studies which highlight the technicalities of the local rules, customs, and practices.

Consists of the first three chapters of the 2011 edition which have been updated based on information available up to 15 September, 1 August, and 31 July 2014, respectively.

Transfer pricing is one of the most litigious areas of taxation. This article discusses transfer pricing litigation trends in India and various dispute resolution mechanisms available to taxpayers for resolving transfer pricing disputes. In addition, analyses of statistical data relating to results achieved by various dispute resolution mechanisms are also presented.

This report addresses the practical administration of transfer pricing programmes by tax administrations.

In this article, the author considers the use of alternative forms of dispute resolution to resolve tax treaty disputes, focusing on the potential benefits of and obstacles to using mandatory binding arbitration to resolve transfer pricing disputes, including those that may arise under the OECD's Unified Approach for allocating profits in the digital economy.

We discuss the dispute resolution procedures employed by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to resolve and avoid transfer pricing disputes. The IRS has enforced transfer pricing rules for decades and its experience can act as a guide for the KSA to consider the procedures to manage transfer pricing disputes. In addition, the article would help foreign investors and companies understand the KSA's tax dispute environment, especially concerning transfer pricing, and procedures to resolve or avoid transfer pricing disputes in the KSA.

This book addresses the complexity, valuation and administrative nuances, and cultural impacts of resolving this significant cross-border issue when tax disputes arise. In recent years, transfer pricing has become in financial terms the most important tax issue faced by multinational companies and tax authorities worldwide. In times of economic downturn, as experienced in recent years, when tax authorities are challenged for revenue, the handling of these issues requires great care, skill, creativity and a true awareness of the ramifications confronting each tax jurisdiction. This book sets out in detail not only the general laws in each tax jurisdiction impacted by the multinational companies' transfer pricing practices, but also the ancillary concerns of how the issue is interpreted locally as well as related to the OECD Guidelines; the varied approaches to administrative resolution of these issues, including specific alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and the effective uses of advance pricing agreements; correlative adjustment procedures in the event of transfer pricing adjustments; cross-border exchange of information concerns; and how to proceed to litigation if all else fails administratively. It is here that the book delves into the specific procedures for litigation in each country which must be evaluated as part of the overall strategy for controversy resolution. Unfortunately, today litigation is on the rise in numerous jurisdictions and the presumption of an administrative resolution is no longer correct. An additional feature of this book is how practical anecdotes are intertwined into the analysis to give the reader a sense of pragmatism for these issues. To this point, there are the various case studies which highlight the technicalities of the local rules, customs, and practices.

Transfer pricing is one of the most relevant and challenging topics in international taxation. Over the last century, nearly every country in the world introduced transfer pricing rules into their domestic legislation. Indeed, it was estimated that profit shifting generated by the improper application of transfer pricing rules has resulted in global tax losses worth USD 500 billion for governments – 20% of all corporate tax revenues. It is thus imperative that all tax professionals thoroughly understand the nature of transfer pricing and how the growing body of applicable rules works in practice. In this crucially significant volume, stakeholders from government, multinational companies, international organisations, advisory groups and academia offer deeply informed perspectives, both general and specific, on the practical application of transfer pricing rules, taking into consideration all the most recent developments. With approximately 160 practical examples and 90 relevant international judicial precedents, the presentation proceeds from general to more specialised topics. Such aspects of the subject as the following are thoroughly analysed: what is transfer pricing and the purpose of transfer pricing rules; the arm’s length principle and its application; the consequences of a transaction not being in accordance with the arm’s length principle; the transfer pricing methods; the mechanisms to avoid and resolve disputes; the transfer pricing documentation; the attribution of profits to permanent establishments; the transfer pricing aspects of specific transactions, such as services, financing, intangibles and business restructurings. The application of transfer pricing legislation is arguably the most difficult task that taxpayers and tax authorities around the world must face. With this authoritative source of practical guidance, government officials, tax lawyers, in-house tax counsel, academics, advisory firms, the business community and other stakeholders worldwide will have all the detail they need to move forward in tackling this thorny aspect of the current tax environment.

As part of an increased openness to international investment and the resulting need to address international tax issues, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) recently adopted transfer pricing regulations consistent with global norms. Due to the newness of these regulations in the KSA tax system and the general difficulty of resolving transfer pricing disputes, the KSA continues to review the experience of other countries with transfer pricing rules, enforcement and disputes.This is the first of three papers that will examine the current and anticipated problems with the application of transfer pricing rules and explore potential methods to improve the transfer pricing dispute process in the KSA. This paper will explore the context and motivation for the adoption of transfer pricing rules by the KSA, the rules themselves, and the general enforcement approach. The second and third papers will focus on the experiences of the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) of the United States (“U.S.”) resolving and avoiding transfer pricing disputes and transfer pricing penalties and compliance incentives regarding transfer pricing documentation to see what procedures the KSA should consider adopting.