The taxation of multinational corporate groups has become a major concern in the academic and political debate on the future of international taxation. In particular the arm’s length standard for the determination of transfer prices is under increasing pressure. Many countries and international bodies are now taking a closer look at the use of transfer prices for profit shifting and are exploring alternative mechanisms such as formulary apportionment for the allocation of taxing rights. With regard to this topic, this volume is the first to offer a concise analysis of transfer pricing in the international tax arena from an interdisciplinary legal and economic point of view. Fundamentals such as the efficient allocation of resources within multi-unit firms and distortions between different goals of transfer pricing as well as different aspects of it in tax and corporate law, the traditional OECD approach and practical aspects concerning intangibles, capital and risk allocation are covered by outstanding authors.

The arm's length principle serves as the domestic and international standard to evaluate transfer prices between members of multinational enterprises for tax purposes. The OECD has adopted the arm's length principle in Article 9 of its Model Income Tax Convention in order to ensure that transfer prices between members of multinational enterprises correspond to those that would have been agreed between independent enterprises under comparable circumstances. The arm's length principle provides the legal framework for governments to have their fair share of taxes, and for enterprises to avoid double taxation on their profits. This timely book contains a comparative analysis of the legal basis for the arm's length principle and the contents of the arm's length rules in US tax law as well as in the OECD Model Tax Convention and Transfer Pricing Guidelines. It includes a thorough review of international case law on transfer pricing from the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. The book ends with an analysis of the issues associated with the application of the arm's length principle for multinational enterprises in a global economy.

"In this valuable work Professor Abdallah lays out the factors a good international transfer pricing system should have. . . . A multinational enterprise must reach a number of business decisions involving transfer pricing, such as where to manufacture a specific product, levels of capital investment, and profit planning by location. Rather than shooting from the hip' and trying to solve problems one at a time, Professor Abdallah says, companies should develop a comprehensive policy to resolve the inevitable problems. In short, transfer pricing problems are here and will continue to be here. While there is no single answer, a written policy approach is best. Anyone responsible for international transfer pricing will be helped immeasurably by referring to this valuable book." Management Accounting

For centuries, trade has endured stumbling blocks, mistakes, and moments of inspiration. It has contributed to the modern, globalized world in which we live, and the increasing economic, social, and political importance of trade has spawned a phenomenon called the multinational organization. However, these organizations have a national home to where profits will ultimately have to come, and in their effort to maximize the amount repatriated, they often engage in internal-pricing practices, known more commonly as transfer pricing This book reminds us all of the important issues of transfer pricing, and how easy it is to create friction between all of the interested parties. This book also goes on to provide an insight into how such conflicts can be assuaged or avoided altogether, and explains how transfer pricing may become a managerial tool by establishing a common language that may be used as one driver for creating added value throughout the organization. Transfer pricing is not simply about maximizing income. It is a much more important strategic management issue that, treated unwisely or with ignorance, is likely to lead to an incongruity in the added value of an organization’s products and services as well as its crucial return on capital employed.

International taxation is a vital issue for a growing number of business and individuals across the world. The need to understand how the international system of taxation works is therefore a subject of importance to many people. The International Taxation System provides this understanding by bringing together experts from the most important fields in the subject who have each authored chapters especially for this book. They each provide brief, structured and easy to understand explanations of the key concepts edited together into one volume to provide a unique, very readable, guide to the field. While this text is aimed at masters or advanced undergraduate level students, it will also be of interest to those requiring a professional understanding of the topic. Each chapter introduces a different aspect of the international taxation system, explains the important issues to be understood in each case and provides suggestions for discussion and further reading.

A comprehensive guide to corporate practices in internal control and tax compliance. Included are case studies of how firms in a variety of industries approach transfer pricing.

For corporate managers, maximization of the profits and the market value of the firm is a prime objective. The logical working out of this principle in multinational enterprises has led to an intense focus on transfer pricing between related companies, principally on account of the very attractive tax advantages made possible. Inevitably, numerous countries have established transfer pricing legislation designed to combat the distortions and manipulations that are inherent in such transactions. This important book, one of the first in-depth analysis of the current worldwide working of transfer pricing in intra-group financing and its resonance in law, presents the relevant issues related to loans, financial guarantees, and cash pooling; analyses an innovative possible approach to these issues; and describes new methodologies that can be implemented in practice in order to make intra-group financing more compliant with efficient corporate financing decisions and the generally accepted OECD arm’s length principle. Comparing the tax measures implemented in the corporate tax law systems of forty countries, this study investigates such aspects of intra-group financing as the following: – corporate finance theories, studies, and surveys regarding financing decisions; – application of the arm’s length principle to limit the deductibility of interest expenses; – impact of the OECD’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project; – transfer pricing issues related to intra-group financing; – credit risk in corporate finance; – rationales utilized by credit rating agencies; and – the assessment of arm’s length nature of intra-group financing. The author describes ways in which the application of the arm’s length principle can be strengthened and how the related risk of distortion and manipulation can be minimized. The solutions and methodologies proposed are applicable to any business sector. Given that determination of the arm’s length nature of transactions between related companies is one of the most difficult tasks currently faced by taxpayers and tax administrations around the world, this thorough assessment and analysis will prove extraordinarily useful for in-house and advisory practitioners, corporate officers, academics, international organizations, and government officials charged with finding effective responses to the serious issues raised. In addition to its well-researched analysis, the book’s comparative overview of how loans, financial guarantees, and cash pooling are currently addressed by OECD Member States and by their national courts is of great practical value in business decision making.