September 1, 2021 Mainland China simplifies application procedures for unilateral advance pricing arrangements Executive summary To further alleviate tax administrative burdens of enterprises engaging in cross-border business activities in Mainland China, on 26 July 2021, China’s State Tax Administration (STA) issued STA PN [2021] No. 24 (STA PN 24) providing simplified application procedures (simplified procedures) for unilateral advance pricing arrangements (APA). STA PN 24 is effective from 1 September 2021. It is anticipated that the simplified procedures will enhance the efficiency of unilateral APA negotiations for qualifying enterprises and will likely reduce administrative costs of both taxpayers and the tax authorities. This Alert summarizes the key changes to the application procedures. Detailed discussion Simplified procedures outlined in STA PN 24 An enterprise with related-party transactions in excess of RMB40 million (US$6.2 million) for each of the past three years before its APA application, meeting one of the prescribed requirements (e.g., the enterprise has entered into an APA in the past 10 tax years before filing the application, and has been in compliance with the APA), can apply for the simplified procedures. Under the simplified procedures, the six steps of the APA application process1 (comprising the pre-filing meeting, intention discussion, analysis and evaluation, formal application, negotiation and conclusion of the arrangement, and execution monitoring) (the general procedures) will be reduced to three steps:
The pre-filing meeting is removed and the steps for the intention discussion, analysis and evaluation, and formal application are combined into the first step. Upon receiving an APA application from an enterprise, the supervising tax authority shall issue a notice for tax matters within 90 days to inform the enterprise whether the application has been accepted and a decision on the APA application should be reached within six months after the notification is issued. However, it is further specified in the STA’s official interpretation that, if a decision cannot be reached within the prescribed timeframe, the enterprise will only be able to apply for a unilateral APA under the general procedures. To reduce the tax administrative burden of taxpayers, documents that have been submitted by applicants in the previous simplified procedures (not completed within the prescribed timeframe) would not need to be re-submitted for the general procedures. Exceptions At this stage, the simplified procedures will not be available for unilateral APAs involving tax authorities of two or more provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government and cities with separate planning. In addition, if an enterprise meets any of the five conditions listed in STA PN 24 (e.g., the enterprise is currently under tax inspection or transfer pricing (TP) audit, or does not have TP documentation in place, etc.), the enterprise will not be eligible for the simplified procedures. _________________________________________ For additional information with respect to this Alert, please contact the following: Ernst & Young Tax Services Limited, Hong Kong
Ernst & Young Ernst & Young (China) Advisory Limited
Ernst & Young LLP (United States), China Tax Desk
Ernst & Young LLP (United Kingdom), China Tax Desk, London
Ernst & Young LLP (United States), Asia Pacific Business Group, New York
Ernst & Young LLP (United States), Asia Pacific Business Group, Chicago
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