SECTION 4. PROCEDURES FOR

REQUESTING COMPETENT AUTHORITY ASSISTANCE

.01 Time for Filing . A request for competent authority assistance generally may be filed at any time after an action results in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of the applicable treaty. In a case involving a U.S. initiated adjustment of tax or income resulting from a tax

examination, a request for competent authority assistance may be submitted as soon as practicable after the amount of the proposed adjustment is communicated in writing to the taxpayer. Where a U.S. initiated adjustment has not yet been communicated in writing ( e.g., a notice of proposed adjustment) to the taxpayer, the U.S. competent authority generally will deny the request as premature. In the case of a foreign examination, a request may be submitted as soon as the taxpayer believes such filing is warranted based on the actions of the country proposing the adjustment. In a case involving the re-allocation of income or deductions between related entities, the request should not be filed until such time that the taxpayer can establish that there is the probability of double taxation. See section 9 of this revenue procedure, which explains protective measures to be taken by the taxpayer and any concerned related person with respect to U.S. and foreign tax authorities. In cases not involving an examination, a request can be made when the taxpayer believes that an action or potential action warrants the assistance of the U.S. competent authority. Examples of such action include a ruling or promulgation by a foreign tax authority concerning a taxation matter, or the withholding of tax by a withholding agent. Except where otherwise provided in an applicable treaty, taxpayers have discretion over the time for filing a request; however, delays in filing may preclude effective relief. See section 9 of this revenue procedure concerning protective measures for taxpayers that need or wish to delay the filing of a request for assistance. See also section 7.06 of this revenue procedure for rules relating to accelerated issue resolution and competent authority assistance.

.02 Place of Filing . The taxpayer must send all written requests for, or any inquiries regarding, competent authority assistance to the Director, International Attn: Office of Tax Treaty, Internal Revenue Service, 1111 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20224.

.03 Additional Filing . In the case of U.S. initiated adjustments, the taxpayer also must file a copy of the request with the office of the Service where the taxpayer’s case is pending. If the request is filed after the matter has been designated

2002–31 I.R.B. 245 August 5, 2002

respect to the issues raised, including a statement as to whether the taxpayer wishes to avail itself of the relief provided under Rev. Proc. 99–32, 1999–2 C.B. 296, (hereinafter referred to as “Rev. Proc. 99–32”), as indicated in section 10 of this revenue procedure;

(h) a statement whether the period of limitations for the years for which relief is sought has expired in the United States or in the treaty country;

(i) a statement of relevant domestic and foreign judicial or administrative proceedings which involve the taxpayer and related persons;

(j) to the extent known by the taxpayer, a statement of relevant foreign judicial or public administrative proceedings which do not involve the taxpayer or related persons, but involve the same issue for which competent authority assistance is requested;

(k) a statement whether the request for competent authority assistance involves issues that are currently, or were previously, considered part of an Advance Pricing Agreement (“APA”) proceeding or other proceeding relevant to the issue under consideration in the United States or part of a similar proceeding in the foreign country;

(l) if applicable, powers of attorney with respect to the taxpayer;

(m) a statement whether the taxpayer is requesting the Simultaneous Appeals procedure as provided in section 8 of this revenue procedure;

(n) on a separate document, a statement that the taxpayer consents to the disclosure to the competent authority of the treaty country (with the name of the treaty country specifically stated) and that competent authority’s staff, of any or all of the items of information set forth or enclosed in the request for U.S. competent authority assistance within the limits contained in the tax treaty under which the taxpayer is seeking relief. The taxpayer may request, as part of this statement, that its trade secrets not be disclosed to a foreign competent authority. This statement must be dated and signed by a person having authority to sign the taxpayer’s federal tax returns and is required to facilitate the administrative handling of the request by the U.S. competent authority for purposes of the record-keeping requirements of section

6103(p) of the Code. Failure to provide such a statement will not prevent the U.S. competent authority from disclosing information under the terms of a treaty. See section 6103(k)(4) of the Code;

(o) a penalties of perjury statement in the following form:

Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this request, including accompanying documents, and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the facts presented in support of the request for competent authority assistance are true, correct and complete.

The declaration must be signed by the person or persons on whose behalf the request is being made and not by the taxpayer’s representative. The person signing for a corporate taxpayer must be an authorized officer of the taxpayer who has personal knowledge of the facts. The person signing for a trust, an estate or a partnership must be respectively, a trustee, an executor or a partner who has personal knowledge of the facts; and

(p) any other information required under this revenue procedure, as applicable. See, e.g., section 7.06 of this revenue procedure, which requires the provision of certain information in the case of a request for the accelerated competent authority procedure, and section 10 of this revenue procedure, which requires the provision of certain information in the case of a request for Rev. Proc. 99–32 treatment.

.06 Other Dispute Resolution Pro- grams . Requests for competent authority assistance that involve an APA or PreFiling Agreement request must include the information required under the relevant revenue procedure.

.07 Other Documentation . In addition, the taxpayer shall, on request, submit any other information or documentation deemed necessary by the U.S. or foreign competent authority for purposes of reaching an agreement. This includes English translations of any documentation required in connection with the competent authority request.

.08 Updates . The taxpayer must keep the U.S. competent authority informed of all material changes in the information or documentation previously submitted as part of, or in connection with, the request

for competent authority assistance. The taxpayer also must provide any updated information or new documentation that becomes known or is created after the request is filed and which is relevant to the resolution of the issues under consideration.

.09 Conferences . To the extent possible, the U.S. competent authority will consult with the taxpayer regarding the status and progress of the mutual agreement proceedings. The taxpayer may request a pre-filing conference with the U.S. competent authority to discuss the mutual agreement process with respect to matters covered under a treaty, including discussion of the proper time for filing, the practical aspects of obtaining relief and actions necessary to facilitate the proceedings. Similarly, after a matter is resolved by the competent authorities, a taxpayer may also request a conference with the U.S. competent authority to discuss the resolution.