Bottomland hardwood forests and pine forests in the southern United States provide valuable ecosystem services such as timber, recreation, wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration, floodwater storage, and sediment and nutrient retention. However, these forest ecosystems are threatened because of intensive forest management, forest land conversion, and urbanization. As private landownership dominates in this region, landowner participation is crucial for success of conservation programs facilitating ecosystem services. This research focused on three different aspects of private land conservation programs. First, it estimated the impact of environmental contextual factors, private land attributes and sociodemographic characteristics on landowner concern about environmental issues. Second, it determined the influence of private land attributes, environmental concerns, frequency of contacts with federal agencies and socioeconomic characteristics on landowner satisfaction with available conservation programs. Third, it estimated the monetary compensation required by landowners to implement conservation practices focused on increasing provision of ecosystem services. Data were collected using a mail survey and from online sources. Data were analyzed using seemingly unrelated regression and logistic regression models. Results indicated that private land attributes, particularly size of agricultural land owned, and landownership goals such as providing ecosystem services and profitability, had a greater magnitude of positive association with landowner concerns about environmental issues than other factors. Similarly, size of agricultural land owned, landownership goals such as profitability and personal recreation, concerns about wildlife habitat losses and frequent contacts with federal agencies were positively related to landowner satisfaction with conservation programs. Landowner willingness to participate in a conservation program was positively related to payment amount, concerns about wildlife habitat losses, frequency of contact with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and education level. Similarly, provision of clean water as landownership objective, concerns about hurricanes and tornadoes, and landowner age were negatively associated with landowner interests to participate in conservation programs. This research also quantified landowner median willingness to accept (WTA) compensation which was $229.98 ha-1 yr-1 for participation in a conservation program related to bottomland hardwood or pine forests. The findings help identify likely participants or landowners for conservation programs facilitating ecosystem services and determine actual conservation costs at a regional level.

The master's thesis deals with methods of land valuation in France. The thesis contains the definition of basic terms and the legislation related to the land valuation. In the text the types of lands are defined and the division of areas according to the territorial plan is indicated. The thesis clarifies the requirements of the expert opinion and specifies who can qualify as an expert in France. It also includes an overview of the most commonly used valuation methods in France, an example of land valuation according to these methods, and a comparison with the Czech Republic. Additionally, the thesis deals with the situation on the land market in France.

The thesis focus on the reconversion church building in the selected location. At the beginning of the work described church buildings and their influence on the surrounding, the structure of the Roman Catholic Church and the development of church property during the history. This is complemented by theoretical terms and possible methods of valuing cultural monument. The practical part deals with the reconversion church building, specifically the Dominican monastery in Znojmo. Based on an analysis of Znojmo and monastery was suggesting possible use of the monastery. Of these, two variants were selected and were compared. Of these two options, one was chosen as the most suitable option for future use.

<p><strong>Background:</strong> The trademark is something that surrounds us almost all the time wherever we are. Studies show that brands are becoming increasingly more and more important and that it is important to have a strong trademark. This may be a reason for acquisitions. A business is carried out for various reasons, but usually it is to gain market shares or to get advantages in the market, such as a trademark can help with. A contributory effect on the market can be customer loyalty to the trademark. Previously, there have been articles written, studies done and conducted research on brand valuation. In these studies, it has been treated the way trademarks are managed in practice and the methods and models used for valuation of these trademarks. These studies will the authors to have as the basis of the data and on the basis of the reply to the standard problem.</p><p><strong>Problem Discussion:</strong> In business acquisitions, it is essential that there is a correct and fair valuation of the trademark as possible. According to experts in brand valuation, various models of trademark valuation result in different values for the same trademark. How can it be ensured that the value method on the trademark is something that is reliable? This question often pops up when neither the trademark valuation, or valuation situation is quite similar to the other. There are different definitions of a brand and the knowledge of those definitions is important to know then it comes to valuation of a trademark. This definition, as well as assumptions about the brand and the market, can have a significant impact on trademark valuation. Therefore it is essential that the valuation is carried out in a proper manner and do not display a misleading picture, which in turn can lead to economic difficulties in the future.</p><p><strong>Problem definition:</strong> From the background and discussion above, the following question can be asked: To what extent are the different valuation methods used for trademarks among those who valuate trademarks and companies? To answer the question above, the following four points are to be examined in the paper: 1) The most frequently used valuation method.</p><p>2) Advantages and disadvantages of the method. 3) Other methods that are more suitable.</p><p>4) How you see that the expected value of the trademark is accurate and reliable.</p><p><strong>Purpose:</strong> The aim of the paper is to provide a deeper insight in the use of valuation methods in valuation of trademarks. Moreover, the authors like to examine the difficulties and/or obstacles that may arise in the valuation, if possible.</p><p><strong>Method:</strong> The paper is based on the literature review previously carried out in the specified field. The methodology used is deductive. The data will be used based on four earlier studies in trademark valuation, and two interviews of knowledgeable people in the same field.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> The points that were examined showed that the relief from royalty method is the most frequently used valuation method. However it is not flawless and the paper also mentions other methods appropriate for trademark valuation. Choice of method depends on the situation, but also on the information that is available. The advantage of the relief from royalty is that it is easy to use, sometimes as simple as it does not show a fair value of the trademark’s value. An example of a situation where the method does not suit particularly well is when a trademark has a short history. A cost-based method can be used instead because it does not count on future cash flows, but on the historical costs that are related to the trademark. There are other methods that might be more suitable but those require more resources, such as the market-based method. The problem with this method is if there is not enough data on previous transactions, the method does not give a fair value. To get the most accurate and reliable value as possible, complementary trademark valuation methods is recommended to be used. The most common combination is market-based method and cash flow-based method.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The paper concludes that the relief from royalty method is mostly used. However, it has drawbacks and there are other methods to complement this. Overall, it has been found that there are some difficulties regarding to the valuation of trademarks. These problems are as following: How the trademark is defined, who is carrying out the valuation (assumptions/views on the market/company) and how available the relevant information is. To obtain a high reliability, the valuation should therefore be carried out in a thorough and comprehensive analysis of the situation for the company (both internally and on the market) and the market as a whole. This should be done to reduce the risk of future negative events. The methods have drawbacks, but together the methods are used to complement each other.</p> / <p><strong>Bakgrund:</strong> Varumärken är något som omger oss i stort sett hela tiden var vi än befinner oss. Undersökningar visar, att varumärken blir allt mer viktiga och att det då är av stor betydelse att ha ett starkt varumärke. Detta kan vara en anledning till företagsförvärv. Ett företagsförvärv utförs av olika anledningar, men oftast är det för att öka sina marknadsandelar eller för att få fördelar på marknaden, sådana som ett varumärke kan bidra med. En bidragande effekt på marknaden kan vara kunders lojalitet gentemot varumärket. Det har tidigare författats artiklar, studier och utförts forskning kring varumärkesvärdering. I de studierna har det behandlats hur varumärken hanteras i praktiken och de metoder och modeller som används för värdering av dessa varumärken. Dessa studier kommer författarna att ha som grund i empirin och utifrån den svara på den ställda problemformuleringen.</p><p><strong>Problemdiskussion:</strong> Vid företagsförvärv är det av stor vikt att det genomförs en korrekt och så rättvisande värdering av varumärket som möjligt. Enligt experter inom varumärkesvärdering kan olika värderingsmodeller resultera i olika värden för ett och samma varumärke. Hur kan det då säkerställas att det värde som metoden ger på varumärket är något som är tillförlitligt? Denna fråga dyker ofta upp, då varken varumärkesvärdering eller värderingssituation är sig helt lik den andra. Det finns olika definitioner på ett varumärke och dessa är det viktigt att ha kunskap om vid en varumärkesvärdering. Denna definition, samt antaganden om varumärket och marknaden, kan ha stor betydelse vid varumärkesvärderingen. Därför är det ytterst viktigt att värderingen genomförs på ett korrekt sätt och inte ger en missvisande bild, vilket i sin tur kan leda till ekonomiska svårigheter i framtiden.</p><p><strong>Problemformulering:</strong> Utav ovanstående bakgrund och diskussion kan följande fråga ställas:</p><p>I vilken utsträckning används de olika värderingsmetoderna för varumärken hos varumärkesvärderare och företag? För att svara på ovanstående fråga kommer följande fyra punkter att undersökas i uppsatsen: 1) Den mest frekvent använda värderingsmetoden.</p><p>2) Fördelar och nackdelar med metoden. 3) Andra värderingsmetoder som lämpar sig bättre.</p><p>4) Hur du ser till att det beräknade värdet på varumärket är rättvisande och tillförlitlig.</p><p><strong>Syfte:</strong> Syftet med uppsatsen är att ge en djupare inblick när det gäller användning av värderingsmetoderna vid varumärkesvärdering. Dessutom vill författarna, i den utsträckning det är möjligt, undersöka vilka svårigheter och/eller hinder som kan uppstå vid värderingen.</p><p><strong>Metod:</strong> Uppsatsen baseras på den litteraturstudie som tidigare genomförts inom området. Arbetsmetoden är deduktiv. De data som kommer att användas bygger på fyra tidigare studier inom varumärkesvärdering samt två intervjuer av sakkunniga personer inom samma område.</p><p><strong>Resultat:</strong> De punkter som undersöktes visade på att relief from royaltymetoden är den mest frekvent använda värderingsmetoden gällande varumärken. Den är dock inte felfri och det nämns även andra metoder som lämpliga vid varumärkesvärdering. Val av metod är beroende av situationen men även av tillgänglig information. Fördelen med relief from royalty är att den är enkel att använda, ibland så enkel att den inte ger ett rättvisande värde på varumärket. Ett exempel på situation där metoden inte lämpar sig speciellt bra är då ett varumärke har en kort historik. Istället kan kostnadsbaserad metod användas då den inte räknar på framtida kassaflöden utan på historiska kostnader som är relaterade till varumärket. Det finns andra metoder som lämpar sig bättre men de kräver mer resurser, exempelvis den marknadsbaserade metoden. Problemet med denna metod är om det inte finns tillräckligt med data om tidigare transaktioner, för att få fram ett rättvist värde. För att få ett så rättvisande och tillförlitligt värde som möjligt rekommenderas det att det vid värderingen används kompletterande metoder. Vanligast är kombinationen marknadsbaserad metod och kassaflödesbaserad metod.</p><p><strong>Slutsats:</strong> Uppsatsen kom fram till att relief from royaltymetoden används mest. Den har dock nackdelar och det finns andra metoder som kompletterar detta. Sammanfattningsvis har det påvisats en del svårigheter när det gäller värdering av varumärken. Dessa svårigheter är: Hur varumärket definieras, vem som värderar (antaganden/syn på marknaden/företaget) och hur stor tillgängligheten av relevant information är. För att få en hög tillförlitlighet bör det alltså genomföras en grundlig och omfattande analys av läget för företaget (både internt och på marknaden) och marknaden som helhet. Detta för att minska risken för framtida negativa händelser. Metoderna har brister, men tillsammans används de för att komplettera varandra.</p>

Within these years, in order to effectively arrange the limited resource that the government has owned and been able to allocate, a detailed financial plan and a well-structured evaluation system for any project is essential. Normally the most research topics issued are related to the economic effect of natural resources. In Taiwan, the article about analyzing the economic effect about the tour schemes proposed for the development of National Scenic Area is few and only at the beginning stage and the cause mainly is because of the common property of such schemes, i.e. the involvement of different departments needed. At this situation, effected by the different control froces from a varity of government departments and varied industry structures and developing progress in different areas, it is difficult to clarify and analyze the achievement for each department. Owing to this character, the economic effect related to such development schemes is difficult to conclude and it is even harder to evaluate whether or not the economic benefit is definitely resulted from the improving projects. The research topic is going to comprehend the economic effect caused by the medium-range scheme launched by National Scenic Areas, then is able to propose some feasible items to evaluate the economic effect and collect the figures the Cost-Efficiency Evaluation relaed to the effect. As to the intangible benefit, it is assessed by the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM). The study takes the case of Penghu National Scenic Area to predict the economic effect between 2008 to 2011. From the research, it shows that the figure of Willing To Pay (WPA) among the tourists already visited the Penghu National Scenic Area is NT$6,943 and within 2008 and 2011, after the development implemented, the amount is going to raise to NT$9,638. Based on this raise, the economic revenue would be NT$415,691,000 caculated from the Prediction equation in 2008, NT$428,984,000 in 2009, NT$442,397,000 in 2010 and NT$ 455,933,000 in 2011. Within 10 year of available analytic fixed number of years, the 4-year Net Present Value¡]NPV¡^ ¡]valuta of 2008 year ¡^ will be NT$1,766,586,000 based on the discount rate at 2% and the 4 year Benefit-Cost Ratio, B/C ratio is 3.05>1. From this result, the 2008-2011 development plan itself has demostrated its economic feasibility.

Background: The trademark is something that surrounds us almost all the time wherever we are. Studies show that brands are becoming increasingly more and more important and that it is important to have a strong trademark. This may be a reason for acquisitions. A business is carried out for various reasons, but usually it is to gain market shares or to get advantages in the market, such as a trademark can help with. A contributory effect on the market can be customer loyalty to the trademark. Previously, there have been articles written, studies done and conducted research on brand valuation. In these studies, it has been treated the way trademarks are managed in practice and the methods and models used for valuation of these trademarks. These studies will the authors to have as the basis of the data and on the basis of the reply to the standard problem. Problem Discussion: In business acquisitions, it is essential that there is a correct and fair valuation of the trademark as possible. According to experts in brand valuation, various models of trademark valuation result in different values for the same trademark. How can it be ensured that the value method on the trademark is something that is reliable? This question often pops up when neither the trademark valuation, or valuation situation is quite similar to the other. There are different definitions of a brand and the knowledge of those definitions is important to know then it comes to valuation of a trademark. This definition, as well as assumptions about the brand and the market, can have a significant impact on trademark valuation. Therefore it is essential that the valuation is carried out in a proper manner and do not display a misleading picture, which in turn can lead to economic difficulties in the future. Problem definition: From the background and discussion above, the following question can be asked: To what extent are the different valuation methods used for trademarks among those who valuate trademarks and companies? To answer the question above, the following four points are to be examined in the paper: 1) The most frequently used valuation method. 2) Advantages and disadvantages of the method. 3) Other methods that are more suitable. 4) How you see that the expected value of the trademark is accurate and reliable. Purpose: The aim of the paper is to provide a deeper insight in the use of valuation methods in valuation of trademarks. Moreover, the authors like to examine the difficulties and/or obstacles that may arise in the valuation, if possible. Method: The paper is based on the literature review previously carried out in the specified field. The methodology used is deductive. The data will be used based on four earlier studies in trademark valuation, and two interviews of knowledgeable people in the same field. Results: The points that were examined showed that the relief from royalty method is the most frequently used valuation method. However it is not flawless and the paper also mentions other methods appropriate for trademark valuation. Choice of method depends on the situation, but also on the information that is available. The advantage of the relief from royalty is that it is easy to use, sometimes as simple as it does not show a fair value of the trademark’s value. An example of a situation where the method does not suit particularly well is when a trademark has a short history. A cost-based method can be used instead because it does not count on future cash flows, but on the historical costs that are related to the trademark. There are other methods that might be more suitable but those require more resources, such as the market-based method. The problem with this method is if there is not enough data on previous transactions, the method does not give a fair value. To get the most accurate and reliable value as possible, complementary trademark valuation methods is recommended to be used. The most common combination is market-based method and cash flow-based method. Conclusion: The paper concludes that the relief from royalty method is mostly used. However, it has drawbacks and there are other methods to complement this. Overall, it has been found that there are some difficulties regarding to the valuation of trademarks. These problems are as following: How the trademark is defined, who is carrying out the valuation (assumptions/views on the market/company) and how available the relevant information is. To obtain a high reliability, the valuation should therefore be carried out in a thorough and comprehensive analysis of the situation for the company (both internally and on the market) and the market as a whole. This should be done to reduce the risk of future negative events. The methods have drawbacks, but together the methods are used to complement each other. / Bakgrund: Varumärken är något som omger oss i stort sett hela tiden var vi än befinner oss. Undersökningar visar, att varumärken blir allt mer viktiga och att det då är av stor betydelse att ha ett starkt varumärke. Detta kan vara en anledning till företagsförvärv. Ett företagsförvärv utförs av olika anledningar, men oftast är det för att öka sina marknadsandelar eller för att få fördelar på marknaden, sådana som ett varumärke kan bidra med. En bidragande effekt på marknaden kan vara kunders lojalitet gentemot varumärket. Det har tidigare författats artiklar, studier och utförts forskning kring varumärkesvärdering. I de studierna har det behandlats hur varumärken hanteras i praktiken och de metoder och modeller som används för värdering av dessa varumärken. Dessa studier kommer författarna att ha som grund i empirin och utifrån den svara på den ställda problemformuleringen. Problemdiskussion: Vid företagsförvärv är det av stor vikt att det genomförs en korrekt och så rättvisande värdering av varumärket som möjligt. Enligt experter inom varumärkesvärdering kan olika värderingsmodeller resultera i olika värden för ett och samma varumärke. Hur kan det då säkerställas att det värde som metoden ger på varumärket är något som är tillförlitligt? Denna fråga dyker ofta upp, då varken varumärkesvärdering eller värderingssituation är sig helt lik den andra. Det finns olika definitioner på ett varumärke och dessa är det viktigt att ha kunskap om vid en varumärkesvärdering. Denna definition, samt antaganden om varumärket och marknaden, kan ha stor betydelse vid varumärkesvärderingen. Därför är det ytterst viktigt att värderingen genomförs på ett korrekt sätt och inte ger en missvisande bild, vilket i sin tur kan leda till ekonomiska svårigheter i framtiden. Problemformulering: Utav ovanstående bakgrund och diskussion kan följande fråga ställas: I vilken utsträckning används de olika värderingsmetoderna för varumärken hos varumärkesvärderare och företag? För att svara på ovanstående fråga kommer följande fyra punkter att undersökas i uppsatsen: 1) Den mest frekvent använda värderingsmetoden. 2) Fördelar och nackdelar med metoden. 3) Andra värderingsmetoder som lämpar sig bättre. 4) Hur du ser till att det beräknade värdet på varumärket är rättvisande och tillförlitlig. Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att ge en djupare inblick när det gäller användning av värderingsmetoderna vid varumärkesvärdering. Dessutom vill författarna, i den utsträckning det är möjligt, undersöka vilka svårigheter och/eller hinder som kan uppstå vid värderingen. Metod: Uppsatsen baseras på den litteraturstudie som tidigare genomförts inom området. Arbetsmetoden är deduktiv. De data som kommer att användas bygger på fyra tidigare studier inom varumärkesvärdering samt två intervjuer av sakkunniga personer inom samma område. Resultat: De punkter som undersöktes visade på att relief from royaltymetoden är den mest frekvent använda värderingsmetoden gällande varumärken. Den är dock inte felfri och det nämns även andra metoder som lämpliga vid varumärkesvärdering. Val av metod är beroende av situationen men även av tillgänglig information. Fördelen med relief from royalty är att den är enkel att använda, ibland så enkel att den inte ger ett rättvisande värde på varumärket. Ett exempel på situation där metoden inte lämpar sig speciellt bra är då ett varumärke har en kort historik. Istället kan kostnadsbaserad metod användas då den inte räknar på framtida kassaflöden utan på historiska kostnader som är relaterade till varumärket. Det finns andra metoder som lämpar sig bättre men de kräver mer resurser, exempelvis den marknadsbaserade metoden. Problemet med denna metod är om det inte finns tillräckligt med data om tidigare transaktioner, för att få fram ett rättvist värde. För att få ett så rättvisande och tillförlitligt värde som möjligt rekommenderas det att det vid värderingen används kompletterande metoder. Vanligast är kombinationen marknadsbaserad metod och kassaflödesbaserad metod. Slutsats: Uppsatsen kom fram till att relief from royaltymetoden används mest. Den har dock nackdelar och det finns andra metoder som kompletterar detta. Sammanfattningsvis har det påvisats en del svårigheter när det gäller värdering av varumärken. Dessa svårigheter är: Hur varumärket definieras, vem som värderar (antaganden/syn på marknaden/företaget) och hur stor tillgängligheten av relevant information är. För att få en hög tillförlitlighet bör det alltså genomföras en grundlig och omfattande analys av läget för företaget (både internt och på marknaden) och marknaden som helhet. Detta för att minska risken för framtida negativa händelser. Metoderna har brister, men tillsammans används de för att komplettera varandra.

The purpose of this master’s thesis is to examine and analyse how a transfer pricing adjustment is made and how related parties should handle price adjustments from a customs perspective in Sweden. The examination includes describing the valuation methods available for transfer pricing and customs valuation with regards to related parties. In addition, the differences in connection to the valuation are described and analysed. Goods imported to Sweden must be cleared through customs: the importer presents a customs declaration to the Swedish Customs and pays customs duty. The customs duty is calculated using a customs value and customs valuation is the system that enables the importer to establish correct customs values on imported goods. Transfer pricing is the determination of prices on transactions taken place between companies belonging to the same group and has a direct effect on the income tax payable. There are six customs valuation methods that are hierarchically applied and six transfer pricing methods that are applied somewhat differently. There are similarities between the methods and most of the customs valuation methods have a corresponding transfer pricing method, or vice versa. Even if there are similarities, many factors make reconciliation of the methods difficult. Such factors are the different time for assessing the value and that the customs valuation methods are applied in a strictly hierarchical way with no possibility to choose the most suitable method. Customs duties and transfer pricing both share the same valuation concept, although interpreted differently, being that the value shall be based on the price that the parties would arrive at under open market conditions. However, relevant values on the same transaction differ significantly due to trying to be in accordance with respective rules. The differences in expectations and the conflicting interests on the outcome of the valuation lead to problems in the tax field. As a conclusion, customs valuation and transfer pricing can undeniably be described as “the two opposing and necessary sides of the same ‘coin’, whose respective values unavoidably affect the whole balance of a system of closely connected valuation”. In order for related parties to use the transaction value method, which is the superior customs valuation method, the price must not have been influenced due to their relationship. If one of two tests prescribed by law can prove that the relationship has not influenced the price, the related parties can use the transaction value method to establish the customs value. If the transaction value, for some reason cannot be used, the importer has to address other options on to how to establish the customs value. The conclusion of this master’s thesis is that related parties should include a price review clause in their contract or pricing policy. The company should notify the Swedish Customs about the provisional price and make an incomplete customs declaration. When information enabling the calculation of the customs value is available, the importer should file a complementary declaration. As an alternative, the importer should declare an open claim to the Swedish Customs arguing that the transaction value cannot be applied and, as a consequence thereof, explain in the customs value declaration why the applied customs value is correct. This thesis provides three recommendations concerning how to deal with the complications of customs valuation and transfer pricing. The first recommendation is that rules and recommendations surrounding transfer pricing and customs valuation should, to the extent possible, be harmonised. The second recommendation is that co-operation between the Swedish Tax Agency and the Swedish Customs must improve, for example through advance pricing arrangements for both transfer pricing and customs purposes, documentation requirements, and joint audits. The third recommendation is that related parties should take the same care and documentation approach for customs purposes as it does for transfer pricing. Importing companies should make a price review clause in their contract before the importation and present an incomplete customs declaration. This way, in case of adjustments, the related party is able to uphold an arm’s length standard on the price and has the possibility to use the preferred transaction value for customs purposes, if that is desirable.

ABSTRACT APPLICATION OF NON-MARKET ECONOMIC VALUATION METHOD TO VALUE THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY IN MONETARY TERMS: A CASE STUDY IN YOZGAT PROVINCE Horasanli, Erol M.Sc., Department of Environmental Engineering Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Emre ALP December 2010, 100 pages Determining environmental economic benefits of geothermal energy is difficult since there is no market for all environmental goods and services related to it. In order to determine and measure the market price of non-market goods and services, non-market valuation methods are used. Since intangible benefits do not have monetary values, non-market valuation techniques are applied to estimate them. Non-market valuation methods are important tools for policy makers in the cost and benefit analysis and environmental impact assessment process to aid their final decision. In this study, the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) was used to determine the environmental benefits of using geothermal energy for house heating instead of fossil fuels and natural gas in Yozgat (center). The willingness to pay for geothermal energy of the Yozgat residents was determined and underlying motivations to use geothermal energy were assessed. The results showed that the mean willingness to pay (WTP) for the usage of geothermal energy in house heating to increase air quality and mitigate the effects v of climate change is $50/person/month. The results also showed that respondents know the importance of the climate changes and they believe that geothermal energy usage will affect the mitigation of climate changes positively. The geothermal energy investment in the region will amortize itself in 3 years. Therefore, in the feasibility studies, geothermal energy investment seems feasible. During the regression analyses, climate change and air pollution parameters were the most significant parameters for the calculation of mean WTP. Since, decrease in air pollution using geothermal energy, will also mitigate the effect of climate changes, during the geothermal investment in the region, training activities and campaigns should be carried to cover the issues of climate change and global warming to emphasis that geothermal energy will serve for multi-dimensional environmental problems.

<p>The purpose of this master’s thesis is to examine and analyse how a transfer pricing adjustment is made and how related parties should handle price adjustments from a customs perspective in Sweden. The examination includes describing the valuation methods available for transfer pricing and customs valuation with regards to related parties. In addition, the differences in connection to the valuation are described and analysed.</p><p>Goods imported to Sweden must be cleared through customs: the importer presents a customs declaration to the Swedish Customs and pays customs duty. The customs duty is calculated using a customs value and customs valuation is the system that enables the importer to establish correct customs values on imported goods. Transfer pricing is the determination of prices on transactions taken place between companies belonging to the same group and has a direct effect on the income tax payable. There are six customs valuation methods that are hierarchically applied and six transfer pricing methods that are applied somewhat differently. There are similarities between the methods and most of the customs valuation methods have a corresponding transfer pricing method, or vice versa. Even if there are similarities, many factors make reconciliation of the methods difficult. Such factors are the different time for assessing the value and that the customs valuation methods are applied in a strictly hierarchical way with no possibility to choose the most suitable method.</p><p>Customs duties and transfer pricing both share the same valuation concept, although interpreted differently, being that the value shall be based on the price that the parties would arrive at under open market conditions. However, relevant values on the same transaction differ significantly due to trying to be in accordance with respective rules. The differences in expectations and the conflicting interests on the outcome of the valuation lead to problems in the tax field. As a conclusion, customs valuation and transfer pricing can undeniably be described as “the two opposing and necessary sides of the same ‘coin’, whose respective values unavoidably affect the whole balance of a system of closely connected valuation”.</p><p>In order for related parties to use the transaction value method, which is the superior customs valuation method, the price must not have been influenced due to their relationship. If one of two tests prescribed by law can prove that the relationship has not influenced the price, the related parties can use the transaction value method to establish the customs value. If the transaction value, for some reason cannot be used, the importer has to address other options on to how to establish the customs value.</p><p>The conclusion of this master’s thesis is that related parties should include a price review clause in their contract or pricing policy. The company should notify the Swedish Customs about the provisional price and make an incomplete customs declaration. When information enabling the calculation of the customs value is available, the importer should file a complementary declaration. As an alternative, the importer should declare an open claim to the Swedish Customs arguing that the transaction value cannot be applied and, as a consequence thereof, explain in the customs value declaration why the applied customs value is correct.</p><p>This thesis provides three recommendations concerning how to deal with the complications of customs valuation and transfer pricing. The first recommendation is that rules and recommendations surrounding transfer pricing and customs valuation should, to the extent possible, be harmonised. The second recommendation is that co-operation between the Swedish Tax Agency and the Swedish Customs must improve, for example through advance pricing arrangements for both transfer pricing and customs purposes, documentation requirements, and joint audits. The third recommendation is that related parties should take the same care and documentation approach for customs purposes as it does for transfer pricing. Importing companies should make a price review clause in their contract before the importation and present an incomplete customs declaration. This way, in case of adjustments, the related party is able to uphold an arm’s length standard on the price and has the possibility to use the preferred transaction value for customs purposes, if that is desirable.</p>

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-11T14:41:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AnaBAA_DISSERT.pdf: 1764620 bytes, checksum: 054479552af058811657b501569cbe17 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-12 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This research aimed to identify the disposal for paying for the recovery/preservation of Apodi-Mossoró river. This purpose, accentuated by the large number of existing pollutants in the river, based on the understanding that this occurs due to the direct and indirect use of the river Apodi-Mossoró, believing in a co - participation of the entire local society. In this sense, we used a tool of neoclassical microeconomic theory, specifically of environmental economics, and among the several methods of environmental economic valuation that this theoretical branching works, opting for the use of the contingent valuation method, it is based on the revelation of consumer preferences and seeks to capture the maximum provision or reserve price, reflecting a cost-benefit analysis. Its choice was also linked to the ability to trap heat method of option and existence, by simulation of a hypothetical market, since there is no specific market for biodiversity values and environmental quality of a river. The work now composed will be developed through a dense literature review, mainly economic value of the environment since it is not trivial and therefore needs to be understood. Later, in the application of the pilot research, were made some adjustments in the questionnaire and then the final search was performed with 300 questionnaires, 150 were applied to the riverside and 150 population with the general population of the city. As tools for collecting, there were semi-structured and with easy language objective questions covering economic, social environmental data among others. The collected data were compiled and analyzed using statistical software performing multiple linear regression and applying the logit model, resulting in three demand functions for three different scenarios (general population sample, population and distant population around the river) for recovery/preservation of river Apodi-Mossoró, the observed pattern was consistent with that estimated in the three scenarios, thus validating the research. The average estimated disposal to pay by the general population was R$ 20.49. The monthly total economic value was R$ 5.323.609,35 and an annual amount of R$ 63.888.331,22. In this sense, this result confirms the preferences revealed the importance of environmental good for the city of Mossoró, which in part was willing to pay for the restoration and preservation of the natural resource population. From the learning provided by the application of the interviews was reached the following conclusion: the decision to contribute depends mainly on income, which acts as a limiting factor and decision-making, especially for the local population who had this as the main explanatory variable of willingness to fundamentador pay / A presente pesquisa objetivou identificar a disposição a pagar da população pela preservação/recuperação do rio Apodi-Mossoró. Finalidade essa acentuada pelo grande número de poluentes existentes no rio, partindo do entendimento que este ocorre em função do uso direto e indireto do rio Apodi-Mossoró, acreditando em uma co-participação de toda a sociedade local. Neste sentido, utilizou-se uma ferramenta da teoria microeconômica neoclássica, especificamente da economia ambiental, e entre os diversos métodos de valoração econômica ambiental que esta ramificação teórica trabalha, optando-se pela utilização do método de valoração contingente, o mesmo é baseado na revelação das preferências dos consumidores e busca capturar a disposição máxima, ou preço de reserva, refletindo uma análise custo-benefício. Sua escolha também estava atrelada à capacidade do método capturar valor de opção e existência, via simulação de mercado hipotético, já que não existe mercado específico para os valores da biodiversidade e qualidade ambiental de um rio. O trabalho ora composto se desenvolveu por meio de uma revisão bibliográfica densa, principalmente valor econômico do meio ambiente, visto que não é corriqueiro e, portanto necessita de ser compreendido. Posterior à aplicação de pesquisa piloto foram feitos alguns ajustes no questionário e em seguida foi executada a pesquisa final, na qual foram aplicados 300 questionários, 150 com a população ribeirinha e 150 com a população em geral do município. Como instrumentos de coleta, teve-se questões objetivas semi-estruturadas de fácil linguagem que abrangiam os dados socioeconômicos, ambientais entre outros. Os dados coletados foram compilados e analisados por meio de software estatístico realizando regressão linear múltipla e aplicando o modelo logit, tendo como resultado três funções de demanda para três cenários distintos (população geral da amostra, população distante e população próxima do rio) pela recuperação/preservação do rio Apodi-Mossoró, o modelo observado foi compatível com o estimado nos três cenários, validando assim a pesquisa. A disposição média a pagar estimada da população geral foi de 20,49. O valor econômico total mensal foi de R$ 5.323.609,35 e um valor anual de R$ 63.888.331,22. Neste sentido, tal resultado confirma as preferências revelada a importância do bem ambiental para população do município de Mossoró, que em parte se dispôs a pagar pela recuperação e preservação do recurso natural. A partir do aprendizado proporcionado pela aplicação das entrevistas, foi possível chegar à seguinte conclusão: a decisão de contribuir depende principalmente da renda, na qual atua como fator limitador e decisório, principalmente para a população ribeirinha, que teve essa variável explicativa como principal fundamentador de sua disposição a pagar