Intra Company Agreements
The tax authorities are not convinced that Pjotr Plastic complies with transfer pricing laws. It wishes to verify (i) that the allocation of risks, assets and functions on which transfer pricing agreements are based is consistent with the actual arrangements and (ii) whether the related entities have accepted the transfer pricing agreements. In the absence of intra-group agreements, Pjotr Plastic must now provide further evidence and convince the tax authorities that its transfer pricing position is indeed what is claimed – a potentially lengthy and costly discussion. This could have been avoided. For example, for an entity acting as a supply centre, one scenario could be that it only provides facilitation services to other units in the group. Another scenario would be for it to act as a principal in the purchase of goods or services from third parties and resell them to other members of the group. A functional analysis of the activity of the `procurement centre` would therefore be incomplete without (a) a clear understanding of the relevant contracts with third parties and (b) the nature of the contractual relationship between the undertakings in the group as implemented by appropriate intra-group agreements. The following general principles should apply whenever intra-group arrangements are concluded or updated, whether for transfer pricing, regulatory or other commercial or strategic purposes. In our course, we offer a more detailed description of these requirements. We reaffirm that the content of the Group`s agreement must be consistent with the three principles mentioned above. Affiliates must comply with certain rules and regulations for their intercompany transactions, which vary by jurisdiction. Thirdly, transfer pricing is not the only reason for intra-group agreements.
Other purposes include data protection or compliance with other regulations, or the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. Unless a group proactively addresses the issue, its tax function may be burdened with agreements that have been prepared without regard to tax implications or transfer pricing and that may not be useful for tp compliance purposes. Companies that have multiple business units can benefit from group agreements because they are able to transfer goods and services to a place in the business that benefits the most without achieving negative tax outcomes. By separating transfers of goods and services caused by intercompany agreements based on other transactions, they can help the company and its companies interpret and analyze inventory and sales information more effectively. Intercompany agreements are fundamentally different from agreements with third parties (also known as commercial contracts). A business-to-business agreement is signed by two companies that are part of the same group. It can be assumed that they have the same goal: to increase the final result of the group. They have the freedom to organize the transaction as they see fit, and a dispute is unlikely to arise. At first glance, the business-to-business agreement is a formality.
8.3 If this Agreement requires parental consent in respect of a matter, such consent shall be deemed to have been given if given from time to time by the secretary of the parent company. Intra-group agreements (to be included in local files and, if necessary, to be mentioned in ordinary boxes) One day, the tax authorities knock on the door to inquire about transfer pricing regulations and their documentation. Pjotr Plastic informs them that there is documentation on transfer pricing, but that there is no group agreement proving that all affiliates have accepted transfer pricing agreements. Q: Can we leave the pricing clauses in group agreements vague? Companies are not able to profit from intra-group sales. Therefore, the businesses or services of a parent company are expected to account for intercompany transactions using a certain method. The purpose of intercompany agreements is to define how transfers take place and to determine from the financial results what actions are necessary for all parties involved. There are a number of practical approaches that can minimize the ongoing administrative burden of maintaining group agreements while ensuring that they remain effective from a legal and transfer pricing perspective. It is important to ensure that business-to-business arrangements are real, compatible with transfer pricing documentation and comply with market standards. Some people believe that business-to-business agreements are “artificial.” The argument is that since ICAs exist between group companies and would never be legally enforced or brought to justice, they do not have to be legally binding. Q: Can we use electronic signatures to implement business-to-business agreements? Legal agreements are the starting point for the “delineation of the transaction” between related parties and the assessment of risk allocation, which inevitably has an impact on the arm`s length price.
In many cases, an analysis of the functions performed by a particular company within a group may be consistent with a number of different contractual structures, each with a very different risk profile. With regard to the content of intercompany agreements, we highlight three key principles: ICAs are regulated differently in each jurisdiction. In some jurisdictions, these agreements must be in writing so that the government and tax authorities do not recognize them and companies lose all the benefits that these jurisdictions offer to related parties. In many jurisdictions, these authorities will consider a relationship with a related party or related party transactions (for example. B in the United States). ICAs are often regulated by the financial or tax authorities of one jurisdiction, but also by other authorities (see the Federal Acquisition Regulations (“FAR”) and Defense FAR Supplement (“DFARS”) in the United States). Any intra-group agreement must be as short as reasonably possible. Long and overly complex agreements are unlikely to be read and understood by all relevant stakeholders. They are also less likely to correspond to how the group actually works or is able to work in intra-group deliveries.
This problem often occurs when groups use third-party commercial contracts as a starting point for business-to-business agreements. However, ICAs are different from other trade agreements because ACIs are usually formed with the aim of maximizing a group`s overall profits, reducing its costs, increasing its profits, or achieving the above. Since the agreement exists between affiliated companies, they can enter into the agreement at will. Because of their discretion, ICAs are often audited and audited to ensure compliance with tax transfer pricing and other regulations. Apple`s CEO, based at the US headquarters, is strategically advising an Apple Ireland operating company. ICAs are similar to commercial agreements between independent parties, although companies in a group will strive to keep the ICA much shorter and lighter to ensure that stakeholders spend little time complying or interpreting terms in incoming and outgoing companies. .
