Unique economic conditions arising from COVID-19 and government responses to the pandemic have led to practical challenges for the application of the arm’s length principle. For taxpayers applying transfer pricing rules for the financial years impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and for tax administrations that will be evaluating this application, there is an urgent need to address these practical questions. The OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and Tax Administrations 2017 (“OECD TPG”) are intended to help tax administrations and multinational enterprises (“MNEs”) find mutually satisfactory solutions to transfer pricing cases and should continue to be relied upon when performing a transfer pricing analysis, including under the possibly unique circumstances introduced by the pandemic. Accordingly, guidance have been issued focusing on how the arm’s length principle and the OECD TPG apply to issues that may arise or be exacerbated in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than on developing specialised guidance beyond what is currently addressed in the OECD TPG. The guidance focuses on four priority issues: (i) comparability analysis; (ii) losses and the allocation of COVID-19 specific costs; (iii) government assistance programmes; and (iv) advance pricing agreements (“APAs”); where it is recognised that the additional practical challenges posed by COVID-19 are most significant.   ...

When performing transfer pricing analyses, the activities performed by an entity may lead it to be characterised as “limited-risk” where it has a relatively lower level of functions and risks. 20 Though the term “limited-risk” is commonly used, since the term is not defined in the OECD TPG, the functions performed, assets used and risks assumed by “limited-risk” entities vary, and therefore it is not possible to establish a general rule that entities so-described should or should not incur losses. It should also be noted that neither the mere labelling of activities as “limited-risk” nor the fact that an entity receives a fixed remuneration means by itself that an entity operates on a limited risk basis in a controlled transaction.21 Further, no supposition should be made regarding the most appropriate transfer pricing method to apply in any set of circumstances without first undertaking a full and accurate delineation of the transaction, which then will help inform the choice of method made when performing the appropriate comparability analysis. 20 Paragraph 9.2 of Chapter IX of the OECD TPG. 21  Paragraph 1.81 of Chapter I of the OECD TPG ...

First, it is important to emphasise that the allocation of risks between the parties to an arrangement affects how profits or losses resulting from the transaction are allocated at arm’s length through the pricing of the transaction.18 Hence, the existing guidance on the analysis of risks in commercial or financial relations will be particularly relevant for determining how losses are allocated between associated parties. 18 Paragraph 1.58 of Chapter I of the OECD TPG ...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many MNE groups have incurred losses due to a decrease in demand, inability to obtain or supply products or services or as a result of exceptional, non-recurring operating costs.17 The allocation of losses between associated entities can give rise to dispute and hence is an issue that requires consideration given the probable increase in the frequency and magnitude of losses in the current economic environment. When considering the issue of losses and the allocation of COVID-19 specific costs, three issues warrant specific discussion. 17 For example, this might include expenditure on personal protective equipment, on IT infrastructure required to implement a “test and trace” system, measures to reconfigure office space to implement physical distancing requirements, or on other health-related safety equipment ...