Impact of Italian Guidelines on TP Audits and APAs

In recent years, this firm has assisted in an increasing number of tax audits related to transfer pricing matters, permanent establishment issues, and VAT fraud, among others. Considering this rise in audit activity, the Italian Tax Revenue Agency’s Circular No. 21/E that was published on June 20 2022 is a highly relevant document in providing additional guidance concerning tax audit activities for 2022.

The circular provides indications regarding:

• Activities concerning audit prevention, anti-evasion, and tax litigation – making distinctions according to the type of taxpayer (large taxpayers, and medium-sized and small enterprises);

• Consultancy – with particular reference to responses to appeals, legal advice, and cooperativecompliance; and

• Services to taxpayers – illustrating the different types of assistance and information provided to taxpayers.

---

Published in: ITR (International Tax Review) - 21 December 2022

Download

Italian Revenue Agency Issues Clarifications On Arm’s-Length Range

Federico Vincenti and Alessandro Valente of Valente Associati GEB Partners/Crowe Valente explain how Circular Letter No. 16/E will affect transfer pricing (TP) calculation in Italy.
On May 24 2022, the Italian Revenue Agency published Circular Letter No. 16/E (referred to hereafter as the Circular), clarifying the correct definition of the arm’s-length range for TP purposes.
The arm’s-length range concept was covered in Article 6 of the Decree of the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance, dated May 14 2018 (hereafter referred to as the Decree).

Published in: ITR (International Tax Review) - 20 July 2022

Download

Italy Releases Circular on TP Documentation Rules

The Italian Revenue Agency published a circular aimed at providing clarifications on the subject of transfer pricing (TP) documentation on November 26 2021. The circular took into account the comments made by professionals during the public consultation that ended on October 12 2021. 
The purpose of the circular is to provide further operational instructions on the new features introduced by the regulation published on November 23 2020, regarding the suitability of the declaration which allows companies to make use of the penalty protection.

Published in: ITR (International Tax Review) - 9 December 2021

Download

Clarification on TP Documentation in Italy Starts Moving Forward

On September 20 2021, the Italian Revenue Agency (IRA) published the draft circular letter (the Circular) aimed at providing a vast range of clarifications on the transfer pricing (TP) documentation’s legal framework.
The Circular has been drafted to provide further operational instructions on the changes introduced by the Administrative Provision No. 360494 of November 23 2020 (containing the new rules on TP documentation).
The Circular was released for public consultation for comments and proposals. The consultation closed on October 12 2021.

One of the most significant changes concerns the obligation of digital signature with the time stamp of the master file and local file. Indeed, before the date of submission of the tax return for the relevant tax year (i.e. November 30 2021), the two documents must be digitally signed and temporally marked by the legal representative of the taxpayer or his delegate.

Published in: ITR (International Tax Review) - 21 October 2021

Download

Italian Supreme Court Rules on uneconomical inter-company Transactions

In early 2021, two decisions of the Italian Supreme Court dealt with the issue of certain inter-company transactions that were not performed according to the arm’s-length principle due to the existence of an overall advantage for the multinational group.

Published in: ITR (International Tax Review) - 28 april 2021

Download

A Review of Advance Tax Agreements in Italy

Advance tax agreements are binding agreements between taxpayers and the Italian Revenue Agency aimed at enhancing tax compliance and promoting the business of multinational enterprises by providing certainty on international tax issues in advance.
The arrangements are based on mutual cooperation and transparency between taxpayers and the Italian Revenue Agency. An advance tax agreement may be requested by resident companies conducting international activities, meeting a set of requirements.
The 2021 Italian Budget Law modified the advance pricing agreement (APA) procedure, including new aspects about the ‘roll-back’ and providing the payment of a fee in order to start these procedures.

Published in: ITR Italy Special Focus 2021 - 16 March 2021

Download

Italy Amends Regulation of Advance Rulings

The 2021 Budget Law introduced significant innovations regarding advance rulings (including advance pricing agreements) provided for by Italian legislation (Article 31-ter of D.P.R. No.600/1973).
Through the instrument of advance rulings, companies with international business activities can enter into agreements with the Italian tax authorities, in relation to the following instances:

a) Prior definition of the transfer pricing methods applicable in intercompany transactions;
b) Exit or entry values in the event of transfer of residence;
c) Attribution of profits and losses to the permanent establishment in another country of a company resident in Italy or to the permanent establishment in Italy of a non-resident entity;
d) Prior assessment of the existence or otherwise of the requirements for a permanent establishment situated in Italy; and
e) Application to a concrete case of rules, also of conventional origin, concerning the payment or receipt of dividends, interest and royalties and other income components to or from non-resident parties.

Published in: ITR (International Tax Review) - 3 February 2021

Download

Italy Publishes Updated 2020 Transfer Pricing Documentation Guidance

On November 23 2020, the Italian Revenue Agency published a provision by which it amended the Italian regulation on transfer pricing documentation, making it more compliant with the OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines.
The new measures replace those of the provision of September 29 2010 and are applicable from the 2020 tax period. The preparation of transfer pricing documentation remains optional for Italian companies. In the case of the predisposition of suitable documentation, companies can benefit from the so-called penalty protection in case of transfer pricing adjustments by the Italian tax administration.

Published in: ITR - 2 December 2020

Download

Mutual Agreement Procedure Rules Transposed into Italian Law

With Legislative Decree No. 49/2020 published on June 10 2020, the Italian legislator approved the decree implementing EU Directive 2017/1852 on the resolution of disputes in EU tax matters.

By means of this legislative decree, the rules relating to mutual agreement procedures have been transposed into Italian law related to:

• The international conventions to avoid double taxation stipulated with EU member states; and 

• The convention 90/436/EEC of July 23 1990 on the elimination of double taxation in connection with transfer pricing.

Published in: ITR - 28 August 2020

Download

New OECD Guidance on Financial Transactions

On 11 February 2020, the OECD published the “Transfer Pricing Guidance on Financial Transactions” document (hereinafter “Report”). 
The Report, which will constitute the new chapter 10 of the OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines, provides specific guidelines on how to apply the arm’s length principle for financial transactions. 
The publication of the Report is of greater relevance in view of the period of crisis triggered by Covid-19. 
As such, one of the main impacts for multinational groups concerns liquidity management. 
In order to ensure full operability, companies need to manage their financial resources in the best possible way. This is performed by: 

• taking actions by increasing the management efficiency of the receivable and payable accounts

• the utilisation of public support such as:

  • tax measures (i.e. suspension of tax obligations, suspension of the terms of the activities of collection offices, tax credit) 

  • financial support measures (i.e. wage compensation funds, access to public sector subsidies to businesses)

• taking actions aimed at finding additional resources of private financing.

Published in: Crowe TP Wednesday - 03 June 2020

Download

Assessing Inter-Company Transactions and Accounting Implications during Economic Uncertainty

Inter-company financial transactions

During periods of crisis, the financial sector may experience significant repercussions on transactions. The disruption to normal activity leads to a lack of liquidity and extra limits on external financing, potentially making financial transactions unprofitable.
Hence, in this context, multinational companies are increasingly using centralised treasury techniques in order to optimise and rationalise their financial function.
One of the areas of particular concern to tax authorities is in regard to inter-company financing. In particular, where it relates to an intra-group loan, which is considered to comply with the principles of free competition whenever the interest rate applied is equal to the one that would have been applied between independent parties.

Published in: International Tax Review (ITR) - 1 May 2020

Download

Performing a Comparability Analysis during an Economic Downturn

Since December 2019, countries have witnessed the widespread impact of COVID-19 on economic activity, global value chains and profitability across most industries and geographical areas.
As is the case in all periods of uncertainty, as governments try to tackle the crisis with measures that stimulate economic growth such as tax reliefs and investment incentives, tax authorities have focused to a greater extent on setting transfer pricing (TP) policies in order to verify the reason and the nature of the contraction registered in the financial statements of firms.
Hence, companies undertaking inter-company transactions should adapt their TP models to the current economic and financial conditions, in order to ensure that internal policies reflect the potential reallocation of functions, activities and risks within the multinational group.

Published in: International Tax Review (ITR) - 24 April 2020

Download

Adapting Transfer Pricing Policies to Cope with COVID-19

The outbreak of COVID-19 has become one of the largest threats to the global economy and financial markets in history.
In this context, the change in economic conditions has resulted in significant consequences for the transfer pricing (TP) policies adopted by multinational groups, which are forced to promptly adapt their business models.
This rationale appears to be even more relevant in a globalised world where recessionary circumstances affecting a single country or a single market, spiral to generate an unforeseen amount of consequences at a global level.

Published in: International Tax Review (ITR) - 26 March 2020

Download

Evaluating TP Policies in Loss-Making Companies

During tax audits, tax authorities frequently focus on companies within multinational groups that book steady losses over several years. In these companies, behind the losses authorities often find transfer pricing policies that are not in compliance with the arm’s-length principle. This observation is supported by the 2017 OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines 2017 (para 1.129 – 1.131).

According to the OECD Guidelines, when a company that belongs to a multinational group consistently books losses while its multinational parent remains profitable, authorities must analyse its tax practices, paying particular attention to the TP policies.

Published in: ITR - International Tax Review - 05 December 2019

Download

Italy Clarifies Key Transfer Pricing Tenants

During Telefisco 2019, Italy’s annual tax conference, Italy’s tax authority clarified several transfer pricing (TP) tenants. Notably, the most important include:

• Clarification regarding when penalty protection may be applied to TP documentation; and

• The inapplicability of penalties for filing discrepant tax returns in the TP area.

Penalty protection
In accordance with Article 1, Paragraph 6, and Article 2, Paragraph 4 of Legislative Decree No. 471/1997, if a taxpayer provides the authorities with adequate documentation that shows TP policy was applied appropriately within intercompany transactions, penalties for administrative violations related to tax return discrepancies may not apply (i.e. “penalty protection”).

Published in: TP Week - 1 May 2019

Download