As fights between multinationals and tax authorities continue to rise, companies hope making the dispute resolution process smoother and faster will give them more certainty.
Disputes have been increasing over the last 20 years as more tax authorities around the world take a firmer stance on adjusting multinationals’ tax bills—particularly in transfer pricing, or cross-border intercompany transactions, tax practitioners say.
“Dispute resolution is the key focus for heads of tax at multinationals,” said Sharon Katz-Pearlman, global head of dispute resolution and controversy at KPMG. “It’s for one very simple reason, which is that it is on the rise.”