Blog

The EdgarStat Blog explores issues in transfer pricing and application of the transactional net margin method (TNMM or CPM in the US) and other enterprise profit-based methods. Blog writings reflect the position of the authors and are not the opinion of EdgarStat.

Transfer Pricing for Manufacturing Affiliates in the Czech Republic
September 05, 2023 by Harold McClure

Determining arm's length remuneration for a Czech manufacturing affiliate under different transfer pricing models.

Topics: Return on Assets Contract Manufacturer Royalty Rates Tax Controversy TNMM/CPM

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Abuse of TNMM in Benchmarking of LATAM Electronics Distributor
June 06, 2023 by Harold McClure

Panama’s Administrative Tax Court ruled in favor of the tax authority Dirección General de Ingresos (DGI) in a January 19, 2023 decision involving remuneration for a related-party wholesale distributor of electronics determined using Transactional Net Margin Method (TMMM; CPM in the US). In earlier discussions, we noted how DGI benchmarked the return for a limited-function wholesale distributor of petroleum and the return for a high-function distributor of pharmaceuticals.

Topics: Limited Risk Distributor Asset Intensity Adjustment TNMM/CPM

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Nestle Portugal: Issues with Comparables' Royalty Bases
May 15, 2023 by Harold McClure

This litigation raised an oft-seen issue as to the correct definition of “sales” for transfer pricing approaches that rely on the Comparable Uncontrolled Transaction (Price) method.

Topics: Intangibles Comparable Uncontrolled Transaction (Price) Method Portugal Royalty Base Royalty Rates

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ATO Prevails in Challenging the Procurement Transfer Pricing for Ampol
April 17, 2023 by Harold McClure

On February 20, 2023 Ampol Limited settled its procurement hub transfer pricing dispute with the Australian Tax Office (ATO). Procurement affiliates have been a point of emphasis for the ATO in recent years, and have been gaining the attention of other tax authorities, including the US IRS.

Topics: Australia Australian Tax Office Singapore Procurement Hub Tax Controversy TNMM/CPM

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McDonald's France Intercompany Royalty: CUT v. CPM on Steroids
March 22, 2023 by Harold McClure

A 2008 restructuring transferred the European rights to the McDonald’s intangibles to McD Europe Franchising Sàrl, a Luxembourg-resident subsidiary with branches in both Switzerland and the U.S. While this migration of intangible assets created substantial controversy in Europe, the real transfer pricing concern would be an IRS issue and not an issue for the French Tax Authority (FTA) if the royalty rate remained at 5%.

Topics: Intangibles Europe Best Method Royalty Rates Tax Controversy TNMM/CPM

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Intercompany Loans Involving Chinese and South Korean Affiliates
February 17, 2023 by Harold McClure

The tax authorities in China and in South Korea have issued different safe harbors with respect to the interest rates on intercompany loans. Safe harbor rates are often in conflict with what would represent an arm’s length rate. Our discussion poses a hypothetical intercompany loan from a South Korean parent corporation to its Chinese manufacturing affiliate to highlight how the arm’s length interest rate depends on the contractual terms of the loans including date, term, and currency and the credit rating of the borrowing affiliate.

Topics: Credit Rating Interest Rates Intercompany Financing Arm's Length Interest Rates

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Valuation of Software: CA Software Israel Ltd
January 20, 2023 by Harold McClure

The Israel Tax Authority prevailed in Israel vs CA Software Israel Ltd (October 2022, Tel Aviv District Court, Case No 61226-06-17), which involved the valuation of transferred software. While the taxpayer’s experts tried to justify the lower valuation arguing that the economic useful life of the transferred intangibles was very short.

Topics: Discounted Cash Flow Intangibles Valuation of Intangibles Tax Controversy

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Valuing Brands Using a Discounted Cash Flow Approach
November 30, 2022 by Harold McClure

There are several approaches to accounting for ongoing marketing expenses necessary to maintain a brand in a discounted cash flow valuation.

Topics: Intangibles France Valuation of Intangibles

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Dutch Tax Authority Wins Challenge of British American Tobacco's Intercompany Financing
November 10, 2022 by Harold McClure

The Dutch tax authority prevailed in its challenge of several British American Tobacco intercompany financing transactions.

Topics: Intercompany Guarantee Fees Intercompany Loans Intercompany Financing Arm's Length Interest Rates

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Intercompany Management Fees: CUP v. CPM (TNMM)
October 19, 2022 by Harold McClure

Transfer pricing practitioners in the US as well as in other nations often face the dilemma that clients wish to establish intercompany management fees as a percentage of revenues while tax authorities may test the implied cost plus from any intercompany management policy.

Topics: Intercompany Services Management Fees CUP State Transfer Pricing TNMM/CPM

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Intercompany Royalties: Does the Realistic Alternatives Principle Endorse CPM?
September 27, 2022 by Harold McClure

Licensees bear significant commercial risk when they use valuable intangible assets owned by another entity. As such, any method that affords them with an expected return to its tangible assets that is only as high as the overall enterprise’s cost of capital is inconsistent with sound economics.

Topics: Intangibles Medtronic Royalty Rates Tax Controversy US Transfer Pricing Section 482 TNMM/CPM

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Fixed-Rate Intercompany Loans and Currency Denomination
September 12, 2022 by Harold McClure

Harold McClure expounds on the issue of currency denomination in intercompany financing, addressing currency adjustments in longer-term fixed interest rates, past controversies, and regulatory guidance.

Topics: Financial Transactions OECD United Nations Adjustments Intercompany Financing Arm's Length Interest Rates

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Medtronic Litigation: Unspecified Methods vs. Traditional Methods
September 02, 2022 by Harold McClure

This discussion presents a simplified illustration of the issues with respect to the unspecified method applied in Medtronic III in contrast to the IRS' extreme CPM approach and a traditional RPSM approach based on sound financial economics.

Topics: Residual Profit Split Method Unspecified Method US Internal Revenue Service Intangibles Tax Policy Medtronic Tax Controversy US Transfer Pricing Section 482 TNMM/CPM

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Transfer Pricing Issues in Italian Imports of Russian Natural Gas
August 16, 2022 by Harold McClure

Italy’s Supreme Court remanded May 17, 2022 a case in which Regional Tax Commission of Lombardy challenged the transfer pricing between Promgas Spa and Gazprom Export, finding alleged deficiency in the tax authority’s application of the Transactional Net Margin Method (TNMM).

Topics: Resale Price Method CUP Oil and Gas Transfer Pricing TNMM/CPM

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Speculation as to the Transfer Pricing Battle Between Western Digital and the IRS
July 11, 2022 by Harold McClure

A discussion of the possible issues in the recently settled transfer pricing dispute between Western Digital Corp. and the United States IRS.

Topics: Intangibles United States Asia-Pacific Transfer Pricing

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Super Royalties in Transfer Pricing: Going Beyond "Economics 101"
May 24, 2022 by Harold McClure

Use of the CPM/TNMM to determine royalty rates for valuable intangibles in transfer pricing is incompatible with basic financial economics.

Topics: DEMPE OECD Guidelines US Internal Revenue Service Intangibles Tax Policy Royalty Rates TNMM/CPM

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Danish Tax Authority Rejects Application of Return on Assets
January 13, 2022 by Harold McClure

There are often legitimate concerns with using book value versus market value of assets in applying a Return on Assets approach in transfer pricing. While employing a Return on Costs approach may be a reliable alternative, it must also account for comparability differences in asset intensity.

Topics: Financial Economics Benchmarking CAPM Asset Intensity Adjustment Return on Assets Contract Manufacturer

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RPM vs. TNMM: Benchmarking a LATAM Pharmaceutical Distributor
October 20, 2021 by Harold McClure

To determine whether the usual financial ratios provide insights into what would represent an arm's length range, any analysis of controlled healthcare distributors must account for the underlying facts surrounding the functions and expenses occurred by the distribution affiliate.

Topics: Pharmaceutical Industry Benchmarking Resale Price Method Tax Controversy TNMM/CPM

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Benchmarking Intercompany Loans: Market Conditions Matter
September 08, 2021 by Harold McClure

Interests fluctuate based on market conditions, and analysts must consider whether the market conditions surrounding their data are comparable to those of the tested intercompany transaction when benchmarking an arm's length interest rate in transfer pricing.

Topics: CUFT Interest Rates Intercompany Financing

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Mechanical Applications of the Comparable Profits Method are Unreliable
July 15, 2021 by Harold McClure

Applied properly, the Comparable Profits Method (CPM) can be a useful approach for well-defined transfer pricing issues, such as the appropriate profitability of a sales affiliate. Unfortunately, CPM is often applied mechanically without regard for economic principles and functional comparability.

Topics: Benchmarking Tax Policy State Transfer Pricing TNMM/CPM Profit Indicators

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Brazil's Alignment with OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines: The Marcopolo Case
June 23, 2021 by Harold McClure

Brazil’s unique transfer pricing rules have allowed multinationals to shift income to tax havens in certain situations. We explore through the lens of the Macopolo case how Brazil could benefit from adoption of the arm's length standard.

Topics: Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Brazil OECD Guidelines Tax Policy Tax Controversy TNMM/CPM

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Intercompany Financing: Engie State Aid Case and Perrigo’s Battle with the IRS
May 31, 2021 by Harold McClure

Harold McClure explores intercompany financing issues through the lens of a recent case before the EU General Court and an upcoming battle between Perrigo and the IRS.

Topics: Interest Rates United States Intercompany Financing Europe

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Challenges to Intercompany Loan Rates by French Tax Authority and IRS
May 07, 2021 by Harold McClure

International tax law firms are rightfully warning clients of audit risks with respect to intercompany financing in France. Taxpayers can mitigate risk by following new OECD guidance, providing sound economic analysis and avoiding overly aggressive positions on group vs. standalone credit ratings.

Topics: Interest Rates United States France Intercompany Financing

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Cameco v. The Queen: Prologue and Round II Preview
May 03, 2021 by Harold McClure

In February 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear the Canadian Revenue Agency's (CRA) appeal in its case against uranium multinational Cameco Corporation. However, this only marked the end of Round 1, as the courts only ruled on 8 of 14 years under review.

Topics: Mining and Extractives Canadian Revenue Agency Tax Controversy TNMM/CPM Profit Indicators

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Transfer Pricing Issues for Israeli R&D Centers
March 24, 2021 by Harold McClure

The Israel Tax Authority is questioning whether costs plus markup models Israeli R&D affiliates are at arm's length. This could present issues for multinationals that have not been giving proper consideration to cost base, asset intensity and ownership of valuable intangibles in their benchmarking.

Topics: DEMPE Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Benchmarking Intangibles Tax Policy

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States Should Learn from Transfer Pricing History, but Focus on The Right Lessons
March 04, 2021 by Harold McClure

A recent article asserted that state tax authorities should use the Comparable Profits Method (CPM) with care in the evaluation of transfer pricing for tangible goods. However, some of the examples cited, including the recent Coca Cola case, in their piece are misplaced for reasons we will address.

Topics: Tax Policy State Transfer Pricing Tax Controversy TNMM/CPM

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Misapplication of the Resale Price Method: LATAM Petroleum Distributor
February 24, 2021 by Harold McClure

Selecting alleged comparable companies with different functions than the tested party is known to open Pandora's Box in transfer pricing controversy, and is often exacerbated by a failure to adjust for material differences between the tested party and the selected comparables.

Topics: Comparability Limited Risk Distributor Tax Controversy Profit Indicators

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Transfer Pricing Aspects of Taxing the Pharmaceutical Sector
January 26, 2021 by Harold McClure

Changes to tax laws are often seen as the primary solution to curb profit shifting. However, proper application of the arm's length principle alongside BEPS CbCR disclosures already offer powerful tools in this endeavor.

Topics: Pharmaceutical Industry Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Tax Policy TNMM/CPM

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Comparability Issues Are a Slippery Slope in Transfer Pricing
December 15, 2020 by Harold McClure

Comparability is a key issue in transfer pricing that is often not fully appreciated. However, comparability issues are hardly uncommon in transfer pricing controversies and can create a trickle-down effect that leads to major taxation issues.

Topics: Comparability Limited Risk Distributor TNMM/CPM Profit Indicators

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