Regulating multinational enterprises (MNEs) transactions to minimise tax avoidance through transfer pricing : case of Zimbabwe

Abstract

In 2016, Zimbabwe introduced specific transfer pricing legislation to prevent abusive tax strategies by taxpayers. This study uses a qualitative interpretive inquiry to assess the adequacy of the new transfer pricing regime. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in that it explores transfer pricing as a tax avoidance tool, a concept that is at its nascent stage in academic taxation literature. Furthermore, it addresses a methodological gap by employing a qualitative inquiry in an area that is predominated by quantitative research. Indepth interviews and document review were used to gather data, and deductive content analysis was employed with the aid of ATLAS.ti 8™. This study confirms previous findings that tax consultants play a significant role in the compliance decisions of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) through the examination of the exploitative strategies practiced by these MNEs. The comparison of the OECD and UN transfer pricing guidelines in search for the applicability of international guidelines to Zimbabwe’s specific needs helped uncover the contemporary dilemmas in global standards versus domestic standards. This study responds to the knowledge gap regarding the transfer pricing phenomenon in Zimbabwe through the lenses of an under-explored three-layered rationality concept; legal, implementation and exploitative rationality. The argument maintained in this study is that this rationality trichotomy is a useful lens to understand transfer pricing as a tax avoidance tool, and that international standards are not universal and so each country’s unique situation should be addressed at a domestic level.

Zimbabwe het in 2016 bepaalde oordragprysingswetgewing ingestel om onregmatige belastingstrategieë deur belastingbetalers te voorkom. Hierdie studie het ’n kwalitatief-interpretatiewe ondersoek gebruik om die toereikendheid van die nuwe oordragprysingsregime te assesseer. Die studie lewer ’n bydrae tot die kennismateriaal omdat dit oordragprysing as ’n belastingvermydingsinstrument ondersoek, ’n konsep wat in sy kinderskoene in akademiese belastingliteratuur staan. Dit verken ook ’n metodologiese gaping deur ’n kwalitatiewe ondersoek te gebruik op ’n gebied wat deur kwantitatiewe navorsing oorheers word. Omvattende onderhoude en dokumentbeoordelings is gebruik om data in te samel en deduktiewe inhoudsontleding is met behulp van ATLAS.ti 8™ gedoen. Hierdie studie bevestig vorige bevindinge dat belastingkonsultante ’n baie belangrike rol speel by die nakomingsbesluite van multinasionale ondernemings (MNO’s), gebaseer op die ondersoek van die uitbuitende strategieë wat deur hierdie MNO’s beoefen word. ’n Vergelyking van die Organisasie vir Ekonomiese Samewerking en Ontwikkeling (OESO) en die Verenigde Nasies (VN) se oordragprysingsriglyne om die toepaslikheid van internasionale riglyne ten opsigte van Zimbabwe se bepaalde behoeftes te bepaal, het gehelp om die eietydse dilemmas van globale standaarde versus huishoudelike standaarde bloot te lê. Hierdie studie stem ooreen met die kennisgaping rakende die oordragprysingsverskynsel in Zimbabwe deur deur die lens van ’n onderontgindedrielaag-rasionaliteitskonsep, naamlik wetlike, implementerings- en uitbuitende rasionaliteit, te kyk. Die studie voer aan dat hierdie rasionaliteitsdrieledigheid ’n nuttige manier is om oordragprysing as ’n belastingvermydingsinstrumente te verstaan, dat internasionale standaarde nie universeel is nie en dat elke land se unieke situasie derhalwe op ’n huishoudelike vlak aangespreek moet word.

Ngonyaka we-2016, izwe laseZimbabwe lithula imithetho ebhekene ngqo nokwedluliselwa kwezezimali zentengiselwano ukuvimbela ukusetshenziswa ngendlela esakuhlukumeza amasu ezentela ngabakhokhintela. Lolu cwaningo lusetshenziselwa uphenyo olukhombisa ukuhumusha okuphathelene nobungaki bento ukuze luhlolisise ukudluliselwa kwesikhathi sokuphatha esisha ekudlulisweni kokubekwa kwamanani emali. Ucwaningo lunomethelela olwazini olufanele ngokuthi lihlola ukubekwa kwamanani njengethuluzi eligwema ukukhokhwa kwentela, njengomqondo osesesigabeni sokuqala ukukhula ezifundweni zemibhalo yezentela. Ngaphezu kwalokho, sikhuluma ngegebe elikhombisa indlela yokwenza izinto ngokusebenzisa uphenyo olukhombisa ubungako bento endaweni egxile ocwaningweni olubheke obungako bento. Ukuthola ulwazi ngalokhu kuye kwasetshenziswa izinhlolokhono ezijulile kanye nokubuyekezwa kwemiqulu yamabhuku, kanye nokusetshenziswa kokuhlaziya okuqukethwe okuphunguliwe ngokubambisana nosizo le-ATLAS.ti 8™. Lolu cwaningo luqinisekisa okutholakale ngaphambilini okubonisa ukuthi abeluleki bezentela badlala indima ebalulekile ezinqumweni zokuthobela imithetho yezinkampani zamazwe angaphandle ngokusekelwe ekuhlolweni kokuxhashazwa kwamasu enziwa yizo izinkampani zamazwe angaphandle. Ukuqhathaniswa kwe-OECD kanye ne-UN mayelana nokudlulisela imihlahlandlela yamanani ekufuneni ukusebenza kwemihlahlandlela yeziqondiso zomhlaba wonke ngokwezidingo zaseZimbabwe kusize ekwembuleni izinkinga zesikhathi esizayo emazingeni omhlaba ngokuhambisana namazinga ezindinganiso zomhlaba jikelele ngokuhambisana namazinga asekhaya. Lesi sifundo siphendula igebe lolwazi elimayelana nokwedluliselwa kwesimo sokubekwa kwenani lemali kwezezintengiselwano eZimbabwe ngokusetshenziswa kokubhekwa komqondo onezigaba ezintathu ongaphansi kwesilanganiso sokuhlola, okungumthetho, ukwenziwa kwakhona kanye nokuxhashazwa kwemiqondo. Lolu cwaningo luphikisana nokuthi lomqondo ongunxantathu yinto ebhekwe ngamehlo abomvu futhi ebalulekile ekuqondeni ukudluliselwa kokubekwa kwesimo sezemali njengethuluzi lokugwema ukukhokhwa kwentela, okusho ukuthi amazinga omhlaba awasiyo into efanayo nokuthi izwe ngalinye linesimo salo esingafanani nelinye okwenza ukuthi isimo ngasinye sibhekwe ngokwesimo sezinga lasekhaya.