Login | Register
 
 
 
 

Transfer Pricing

 

The Arm’s Length Principle

 
When the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published its first major work on the topic of transfer pricing in 1979, it made reference to what had become the pivotal point around which all transfer pricing discussion revolves, namely the arm’s length principle.

All definitions of the arm’s length principle aim at determining the “fair” or “uncontrolled market” price.

For example, Black’s Law Dictionary makes reference to:

“a transaction negotiated by unrelated parties, each acting in his or her own self-interest”;
“the basis for a fair market determination”;
“a transaction in good faith in the course of business by parties with independent interests”.
 

Payments to a Related Party in a Low-Tax Jurisdiction

 
The perception exists, at the level of the Revenue, that transactions involving related offshore entities are often motivated by tax, rather than strictly commercial, reasons. The OECD International Transfer Pricing Guidelines emphasize that taxpayers should be aware that Revenue Services worldwide may pay closer attention to a transaction involving an entity resident in a country with lower tax rates than in the home country.
 
Prev - The Context of the Problem
 
 
 
 
 
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Contact Us