Customs Valuation and Transfer Pricing: ICC proposals

Abstract:

Intercompany transactions account for more than 60% of global trade value. In this article, one can easily understand that the concept of transfer pricing is a major issue in the determination of customs valuation. However, the relationship between transfer pricing and customs valuation is not easy to grasp.

Basically, there is two different approaches of transfer pricing, the first one adopted by tax agencies, based on the OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines and the second adopted by customs agencies, based on the WTO Customs valuation Agreement (CVA). From the business perspective, the divergence between the two taxation regimes is an obstacle to the liberalization of trade and inhibits international development for companies. On another hand, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) strongly believes that the WTO CVA and the use of OECD guidelines are enough to settle the issue of customs valuation and transfer pricing.

However, ICC specifies that tax and customs approaches of intercompany transactions should converge to the same value. In this goal, ICC published a policy statement in 2012, which has been integrated in the WCO guidelines. This statement, based on the harmonization of the current rules, contains several additional options to derive customs value. Also we can regret that the Union Customs Code (UCC) does not contain any evolution from a transfer pricing perspective but contains some negatives changes regarding custom valuation. Also, the opportunity of the WCO Free Trade Agreement (FTA) should be taken to move forward on this issue.