OECD recognises demand for more guidance on guarantee fees and dispute resolution in transfer pricing

International Tax Review is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Garden, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

OECD recognises demand for more guidance on guarantee fees and dispute resolution in transfer pricing

Joe Andrus, head of the OECD’s transfer pricing unit, has told TPWeek that guarantee fees and credit ratings are an important issue for the OECD but it is not possible to say when a formal project on the topic might start until the final intangibles report is released.

oecd150.gif

In a TPWeek poll, 68% of readers said they want the OECD to look at guarantee fees and credit ratings in its next transfer pricing project.

A further 29% think dispute resolution should follow the transfer pricing aspects of intangibles project, which is being carried out by Working Party No 6 (WP6).

Just 3% thought the OECD should look beyond these issues for its next transfer pricing project.

Andrus said both guarantee fees and dispute resolution were both very important and the poll results demonstrate the demand for guidance.

“Unfortunately, the items currently on the plate of WP6 are likely to take some time to work through so there is no specific date by which the guarantee issue will be addressed,” said Andrus.

“We continue to consider what the specific steps may be that should be taken with regard to improving dispute resolution processes,” he added.

In an interview in International Tax Review magazine in April, Marlies de Ruiter, head of the tax treaties, transfer pricing and financial transactions division, spoke enthusiastically about wider dispute resolution work which the OECD will begin soon.

"I have been very involved with the earlier dispute resolution project and I have always been very proud of the work put out by the OECD. There are still some very important policy and implementation issues out there and that's why I am very happy there is going to be a follow up dispute resolution project where I will be involved. I am also very in favour of the work on simplification,” said de Ruiter.

"A lot of dispute cases are based on transfer pricing but the new project would look at the broader issue of dispute resolution in tax. One big question is implementation of guidance and arbitration in treaties and in the day to day work of competent authorities. This topic was the main subject of an OECD roundtable in January,” she said. “The roundtable showed that competent authorities, business and non-OECD countries also think it is an important issue so there is a broad support. The follow up of this roundtable will be that the OECD is going to organise a global forum on dispute resolution."

Considering the OECD was also voted the Leading Force in Global Transfer Pricing by almost 700 TPWeek readers, the expectation for more guidance in these areas will be high.

The most recent TPWeek poll is asking readers which of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) has the most developed transfer pricing regime. Vote on the TPWeek homepage.

more across site & shared bottom lb ros

More from across our site

A 120-plus-day delay to refunds would cost taxpayers almost $3bn in additional interest, the Cato Institute warned; plus indirect tax updates from February
The Office for Budget Responsibility’s pessimistic pillar two forecast accompanied the UK chancellor’s muted Spring Statement, dubbed ‘as dull as possible’ by one adviser
Digital tax reform is dissolving the old ‘temporal buffer’, forcing systems, institutions, and professionals to adapt as real-time reporting reshapes governance, capability, and compliance
Our first instalment features analysis of Deloitte’s landmark EMEA merger, Donald Trump’s Supreme Court tariff showdown and Venezuela’s tax evolution
While some believe it could have a positive effect on the wider advisory landscape, others argue that HMRC’s ‘red tape’ exercise won’t deter bad actors
The political optics of the US’s carve-out deal are poor, but as the Fair Tax Foundation’s Paul Monaghan writes, it preserves pillar two’s guiding ethos
The big four firm reportedly sent ‘threatening’ correspondence to Unity Advisory over its hiring of ex-PwC partners; plus tax recruitment news from the week
Tom Goldstein, who was represented by US law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson, denied wilfully cheating on his taxes and blamed errors on his staff
Multinationals face rising TP scrutiny as global rules diverge. As Daniel Moalusi argues, strong, consistent documentation is now essential to minimise audit risk and protect tax positions
The profession is fundamentally restructuring itself around what tax and accounting work should be, a Thomson Reuters leader told ITR
Gift this article