In a global economy where multinational enterprises (MNEs) play a prominent role, governments need to ensure that the taxable profits of MNEs are not artificially shifted out of their jurisdiction and that the tax base reported by MNEs in their country reflects the economic activity undertaken therein. For taxpayers, it is essential to limit the risks of economic double taxation.
This consolidated version of the OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines includes the revised guidance on safe harbours adopted in 2013, as well as the recent amendments made by the Reports on Actions 8-10 and 13 of the BEPS Actions Plan and conforming changes to Chapter IX.
This report contains revised standards for transfer pricing documentation incorporating a master file, local file, and a template for country-by-country reporting of revenues, profits, taxes paid and certain measures of economic activity. The revised standardised approach and will require taxpayers to articulate consistent transfer pricing positions and will provide tax administrations with useful information to assess transfer pricing and other BEPS risks, make determinations about where audit resources can most effectively be deployed, and, in the event audits are called for, provide information to commence and target audit enquiries. Country-by-country reports will be disseminated through an automatic government-to-government exchange mechanism. The implementation package included in this report sets out guidance to ensure that the reports are provided in a timely manner, that confidentiality is preserved and that the information is used appropriately, by incorporating model legislation and model Competent Authority Agreements forming the basis for government-to-government exchanges of the reports
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 an area of tax law that has significantly expanded over the last decades. With the globalisation of business activities, the threat of international double taxation, and the need for States to monitor transfer prices to avoid the illegitimate erosion of their tax base, transfer pricing has become a key question for multinational enterprises and tax administrations. The book provides a general overview on the fundamentals of transfer pricing from an OECD perspective. The book also illustrates the fundamentals of transfer pricing with concrete examples based on the structures often used by multinational enterprises when entering into cross-border intercompany transactions. This book is primarily addressed to students reading international tax courses, but may also be of use to tax professionals in matters pertaining to transfer pricing.
The Manual is a response to the need, often expressed by developing countries, for clearer guidance on the policy and administrative aspects of applying transfer pricing (profit shifting) analysis to some of the transactions of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in particular.
