Transfer Pricing And Taxation Implications Disclosure In Segmental Reporting: Malaysian Evidence

Abstract

Transfer pricing has emerged as common practice among highly diversified companies. Company goes for either domestic transfer pricing or international transfer pricing for several distinctive reasons. While domestic transfer pricing aims for enhancing divisional autonomy and divisions’ managers, international transfer pricing expects for less taxes, tariff, duties and excises. Therefore, international transfer pricing has significant taxation implication. With expansion of transfer pricing, financial statement users demand unconsolidated account to thoroughly evaluate specific segments’ performance, track transfer pricing practices and the taxation implication on the companies. Due to these increasing demands, segmental reporting is impartially needed. The present paper highlights the (1) theoretical aspect of transfer pricing and its taxation implication and (2) the disclosure of transfer pricing and its taxation implication in Malaysian segmental reporting environment. A study of 80 companies listed on Malaysian Board has been conducted to evaluate the transfer pricing and its taxation implication disclosure in Malaysian’s segmental reporting environment. As exploratory attempt, the study found that companies voluntarily disclose the basis of setting up transfer price. However, such disclosure is not adequate to assist performance evaluating and decision-making process as transfer price is only been reported in business segment, taxation implication has been disclosed as consolidated figure and moreover transfer pricing and its taxation implication is voluntary disclosure. Intensive effort should be carried out to improve those disclosures in future particularly by imposing mandated reporting for transfer pricing and its taxation implications. Further study shall be conducted to expand the sample, intensify segment report preparers’ behavioral study and cross analysis between countries.