State aid and competitive neutrality are the two important principles for public entities that must be respected to ensure the fairness and efficiency of their activities in the market. These principles are essential to prevent market distortions and promote fair competition between public and private companies. While these concepts have recently gained more attention, their interactions have not yet been sufficiently explored. This article discusses how they influence and complement each other.

In the Baltic countries, the format of the transfer pricing (TP) documentation and the scope of the information to be provided therein are largely uniform and in line with the revised TP documentation standard of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). However, the thresholds set by Latvia and its neighbouring countries, above which the corporate taxpayer (CTP) is obliged to prepare and submit TP documentation to the tax administration annually or upon request, differ significantly. In addition, different deadlines have been set for the preparation of TP documentation and the liability for non-compliance with the mandatory requirements. The approach to determining the arm’s length price (market value) is also different in each of the Baltic countries.

Directive (EU) 2023/2225 requires businesses to provide fair treatment and transparency in their loan ads and credit agreements, promoting the protection of consumer rights and the efficiency of the single market.