Advance pricing agreements secure pre determination of arm's length pricing to enhance transfer pricing certainty and reduce disputes.
Clause 168 preserves the APA framework by empowering the Board, with Central Government approval, to determine the arm's length price or manner of attributing income to India for international transactions; to specify statutory and rule based methods (with adjustments); to make APAs prevail over general transfer pricing provisions; to bind both taxpayers and tax authorities for covered transactions; to permit rollback for prior years; and to declare APAs void ab initio for fraud or misrepresentation, with corresponding limitation period consequences and scheme making authority for procedural rules.