How to determine prices of related-party transactions?

03/04/2017
The Government introduces the Decree No. 20/2017/ND-CP prescribing tax administration for enterprises engaged in transfer pricing .
This Decree deals with principles, methods, processes and procedures for determining prices of related-party transactions; obligations of a taxpayer in declaration and determination of the price of a related-party transaction, and tax declaration and payment; responsibilities of regulatory authorities for tax compliance management, check and audit for a taxpayer engaged in the transfer pricing.

Related parties are parties having relationships where:

a) A party participates directly or indirectly in the management, control or equity of the other, or puts investment in the other;

b) Parties participate directly or indirectly in the common management, control, or the capital of or put investment in, other parties.

Related parties referred to in Clause 1 of this Article shall be subject to the following specific provisions:

a) An enterprise participates directly or indirectly in at least 25% of equity of the other enterprise;

b) Both enterprises own at least 25% of equity in which a third party participates directly or indirectly;

c) An enterprise is the shareholder who has the greatest ownership of equity of the other enterprise, or participates directly or indirectly in at least 10% of total share capital of the other enterprise;

d) An enterprise guarantees or offers another enterprise a loan under any form (even including third-party loans guaranteed by financing sources of related parties and financial transactions of same or similar nature) to the extent that the loan amount equals at least 25% of equity of the borrowing enterprise and makes up for more than 50% of total medium and long term debts of the borrowing enterprise;

dd) An enterprise appoints a member of the executive board responsible for the leadership or control of another enterprise provided the number of members appointed by the former accounts for more than 50% of total number of members of the executive board responsible for the leadership or control of the latter; or a member appointed by the former has the right to decide financial policies or business activities of the latter;

e) Both enterprises appoint more than 50% of membership of the executive board or have one member of the executive board authorized to decide financial policies or business activities who is appointed by a third party;

g) Both enterprises are managed or controlled in terms of their personnel, financial and business activities by individuals, each of whom is in one of the following relationships with the others such as a wife, husband, natural/foster father, natural/foster child, natural/foster older/younger sibling, brother/sister-in-law, maternal/paternal grandfather/grandmother, maternal/paternal grandchild, and maternal/paternal aunt, uncle and nibling;

h) Both business entities have transactions, either between their head offices and permanent establishments or between permanent establishments of overseas entities or individuals.

i) One or more enterprises is/are put under control of one individual through either his/her capital participation into that enterprise or his direct involvement in administration of that enterprise;

k) In other cases where an enterprise is in reality under management of, or control of decision on, business activities of the other enterprise.

The taxpayer shall be responsible for declaration of transfer pricing information according to the Form No.01 given in the Appendix to this Decree but shall be exempted from the transfer pricing documentation in the following circumstances:

a) Taxpayer is engaged in the transfer pricing but the total revenue arising within a specified tax period is less than VND 50 billion and the total value of the related-party transactions arising within a specified tax period does not exceed VND 30 billion;

b) Taxpayer already entering into Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) has submitted the annual report in accordance with legislation on Advance Pricing Agreement. For those related party transactions which are not covered by the APA, taxpayers are obliged to comply with the aforesaid transfer pricing documentation requirements referred to in Article 10 hereof;

c) Taxpayer performing business activities by exercising routine functions, neither generating any revenue nor incurring any cost from operation or use of intangible assets, generating sales of less than VND 200 billion, as well as applying the ratio of net operating profit before loan interest and corporate income tax relative to sales revenue, engages in related-party transactions in the following sectors:

- Distribution: At least 5%;

- Manufacturing: At least 10%;

- Toll manufacturing: At least 15%.

Where taxpayer does not comply with the profit margins stipulated in this point, the aforesaid transfer pricing documentation shall be required.