In a difficult transfer pricing case, because of the complexity of the facts to be evaluated, even the best-intentioned taxpayer can make an honest mistake. Moreover, even the best-intentioned tax examiner may draw the wrong conclusion from the facts. Tax administrations are encouraged to take this observation into account in conducting their transfer pricing examinations. This involves two implications. First, tax examiners are encouraged to be flexible in their approach and not demand from taxpayers in their transfer pricing a precision that is unrealistic under all the facts and circumstances. Second, tax examiners are encouraged to take into account the taxpayer’s commercial judgment about the application of the arm’s length principle, so that the transfer pricing analysis is tied to business realities. Therefore, tax examiners should undertake to begin their analyses of transfer pricing from the perspective of the method that the taxpayer has chosen in setting its prices. The guidance provided in Chapter II, Part I dealing with the selection of the most appropriate transfer pricing method also may assist in this regard.
TPG2017 Chapter IV paragraph 4.9
Category: B. Transfer pricing compliance practices, OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines (2017), TPG2017 Chapter IV: Administrative Dispute Resolution | Tag: Audit practices, Different Method, Most appropriate method (MAM), Use same method as taxpayer
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- TPG2022 Chapter IV paragraph 4.10A tax administration should keep in mind in allocating its audit resources the taxpayer’s process of setting prices, for example whether the MNE group operates on a profit centre basis. See paragraph 1.5....
- TPG2022 Chapter IV paragraph 4.8Because transfer pricing is not an exact science, it will not always be possible to determine the single correct arm’s length price; rather, as Chapter III recognises, the correct price may have to be estimated within a range of acceptable figures. Also, the...
- TPG2022 Chapter IV paragraph 4.9In a difficult transfer pricing case, because of the complexity of the facts to be evaluated, even the best-intentioned taxpayer can make an honest mistake. Moreover, even the best-intentioned tax examiner may draw the wrong conclusion from the facts. Tax administrations are encouraged...
- TPG2022 Chapter VI paragraph 6.130Comparability, and the possibility of making comparability adjustments, is especially important in considering potentially comparable intangibles and related royalty rates drawn from commercial databases or proprietary compilations of publicly available licence or similar agreements. The principles of Section A.4.3.1 of Chapter III apply...
- TPG2022 Chapter III paragraph 3.5In practice, this process is not a linear one. Steps 5 to 7 in particular might need to be carried out repeatedly until a satisfactory conclusion is reached, i.e. the most appropriate method is selected, especially because the examination of available sources of...
- TPG2022 Chapter II paragraph 2.3Traditional transaction methods are regarded as the most direct means of establishing whether conditions in the commercial and financial relations between associated enterprises are arm’s length. This is because any difference in the price of a controlled transaction from the price in a...
- TPG2022 Chapter III paragraph 3.2As part of the process of selecting the most appropriate transfer pricing method (see paragraph 2.2) and applying it, the comparability analysis always aims at finding the most reliable comparables. Thus, where it is possible to determine that some uncontrolled transactions have a...
- TPG2022 Chapter VI paragraph 6.204It will often be the case that, notwithstanding the use of intangibles by one or both parties to a controlled sale of goods or provision of services, reliable comparables can be identified. Depending on the specific facts, any of the five OECD transfer...
- 2018: ATO Taxpayer Alert on Mischaracterisation of activities or payments in connection with intangible assets (TA 2018/2)The ATO is currently reviewing international arrangements that mischaracterise intangible assets[1] and/or activities or conditions connected with intangible assets. The concerns include whether intangible assets have been appropriately recognised for Australian tax purposes and whether Australian royalty withholding tax obligations have been met. Arrangements...
- September 2017: Transfer Pricing Risk Assessment in the Mining IndustryThe African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, have developed this toolkit for African tax authorities seeking to assess transfer pricing risk in the mining...
Related Case Law
- Greece vs “Raw Materials Ltd”, December 2023, Tax Court, Case No 2129/2023Following an audit of “Raw Materials Ltd” an assessment was issued by the tax authority regarding pricing of intra-group transactions in FY 2018 and 2019. At issue was the pricing of intra group sales and purschases. A complaint was filed by “Raw Materials...
- Italy vs Ferrari SpA, September 2022, Supreme Court, Case No 26695/2022In February 2016 the Regional Tax Commission rejected an appeal filed by the Revenue Agency against the first instance judgment, which had upheld an appeal brought by Italian car manufacturer, Ferrari S.p.A. against a notice of assessment issued by the Revenue Agency in...
- Kenya vs Oracle Technology Systems (Kenya) Limited, December 2021, Tax Appeals Tribunal, Appeals No 149 of 2019Following an audit of Oracle Technology Systems (Kenya) Limited, a distributor of Oracle products in Kenya, the tax authority issued an assessment for FY2015-2017 relating to controlled transactions. In assessing the income, the tax authority had used a CUP method instead of the...
- India vs Sabic India Pvt Ltd, June 2021, Income Tax Appellate Tribunal – Delhi, ITA No.454/Del/2021Sabic India Pvt Ltd was primarily engaged in providing marketing support services to facilitate the selling of fertilizers and chemicals in India on behalf of the Sabic Group holding company. The Indian company did not hold any title to inventories and all products...