Transfer Pricing and Transfer Pricing Disputes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Part 1 : Overview

As part of an increased openness to international investment and the resulting need to address international tax issues, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) recently adopted transfer pricing regulations consistent with global norms. Due to the newness of these regulations in the KSA tax system and the general difficulty of resolving transfer pricing disputes, the KSA continues to review the experience of other countries with transfer pricing rules, enforcement and disputes.This is the first of three papers that will examine the current and anticipated problems with the application of transfer pricing rules and explore potential methods to improve the transfer pricing dispute process in the KSA. This paper will explore the context and motivation for the adoption of transfer pricing rules by the KSA, the rules themselves, and the general enforcement approach. The second and third papers will focus on the experiences of the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) of the United States (“U.S.”) resolving and avoiding transfer pricing disputes and transfer pricing penalties and compliance incentives regarding transfer pricing documentation to see what procedures the KSA should consider adopting