At issue was an interest free loan granted by “L…. Engenharia e Construções, S.A.” to a related party. The loan had been granted before the parties became related following an acquisition in 2007. The tax authorities had issued an assessment where the interest had been determined to 1.4% based on the interest rate that would later apply to the loan according to the agreement. An appeal was filed by “L…. Engenharia e Construções, S.A.” with the Administrative Court, where the assessment was later set aside. An appeal was then filed by the tax authorities with the Administrative Court of Appeal. Judgement of the Court The Administrative Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the administrative court, dismissed the appeal of the tax authorities and annulled the assessment. Excerpt “In this regard, it cannot be ignored that the contract entered into by the Claimant with the ... Read more

A S.A. is 51% owned by B SA and 49% by C Corp. A S.A is active in development of energy efficiency projects. In 2015 A S.A took out loans from B and C at an annual interest rate of 3.22xEuribor 12 months, plus a spread of 14%. A S.A had also paid for services to related party D. The tax authorities issued an assessment related to the interest rate on the loan and the service purportedly received and paid for. A complaint was filed by A S.A. with the Administrative Tribunal (CAAD). Judgement of the CAAD The complaint of A S.A was dismissed and the assessment upheld. Excerpts regarding the interest rate “Now, regarding the first argument, it falls immediately by the base, since the Applicant has not proved that it had made any effort to finance itself with the bank and that this ... Read more

A SGPS S.A. is the parent company of Group A. In 2016, a subsidiary, B S.A., took a loan in a bank, amounting to 1,950,000.00 Euros, and incurred interest costs and Stamp Tax. However, the majority of the loan, an amount of €1,716,256.60, was transferred as an interest free loan to A SGPS S.A. The tax authorities issued an assessment related to costs incurred on the loan and deducted by B S.A. The tax authorities disallowed B S.A.’s deduction of the costs as they were not intended to protect or obtain income, and therefore did not meet the requirements for deductibility under the general provisions of the Tax Code; A complaint was filed by A SGPS S.A. with the Administrative Tribunal. According to A SGPS SA the tax authorities did not justify why it considered that the expenses incurred by B S.A. to an independent ... Read more

“GAAR S.A” is a holding company with a share capital of EUR 55,000.00. In 2010, “GAAR S.A” was in a situation of excess equity capital resulting from an accumulation of reserves (EUR 402,539.16 of legal reserves and EUR 16,527,875.72 of other reserves). The Board of Directors, made up of three shareholders – B………… (holder of 21,420 shares, corresponding to 42.84% of the share capital), C………… (holder of a further 21,420 shares, corresponding to 42.84% of the share capital) and D………… (holder of 7. 160 shares, corresponding to the remaining 14.32% of the share capital) – decided to “release this excess of capital” and, following this resolution, the shareholders decided: i) on 22.02.2010 to redeem 30,000 shares, with a share capital reduction, at a price of EUR 500.00 each, with a subsequent share capital increase of EUR 33. 000.00, by means of incorporation of legal reserves, ... Read more

A Portuguese subsidiary – A SA – had received intra group loans in foreign currency and had various other transactions with foreign group companies. The tax authorities claimed that the pricing of the transactions had not been at arm’s length and that the interest payment and exchange losses on the loans were not tax deductible. Decision of CAAD The CAAD set aside the assessment and decided in favour of “Welding Mesh SA” Click here for English translation Portugal - P194_2021-T - 2021-12-07 ... Read more

Furniture S.A is engaged in the production and sale of furniture and had established a US subsidiary to market and sell furniture overseas. The pricing of the controlled transactions with the US subsidiary had been based on a resale price method, which resulted in prices amounting to 70% of the list price for the products. The Portuguese tax authority issued an assessment for FY 2015 and 2016, where the pricing of the controlled transaction had been adjusted in accordance with the price list resulting in additional taxable profits. Result reached in the arbitration tribunal. The Tribunal set aside the additional assessment of income in respect of the transfer pricing adjustment. Excerpts “…In the contract concluded with E… the Claimant safeguarded direct sales to large customers (with volume to fill a given number of containers). In practice, despite this safeguard, it is apparent from the evidence ... Read more

Furniture S.A is engaged in the production and sale of furniture and had established a US subsidiary to market and sell furniture overseas. The pricing of the controlled transactions with the US subsidiary had been based on a resale price method, which resulted in prices amounting to 70% of the list price for the products. The Portuguese tax authority issued an assessment, where the pricing of the controlled transaction had been adjusted in accordance with the price list resulting in additional taxable profits. Result reached in the arbitration tribunal. The Tribunal set aside the additional assessment of income in respect of the transfer pricing adjustment. Excerpts “… The application of the principle of comparability must be based on an individual analysis of the transactions, with a view to comparing the conditions practiced in a transaction between related entities and those practiced between independent entities. As ... Read more

The Tax Authority had made a transfer pricing adjustment for FY 2007 in the amount of €262,500.00 arising from the provision of a guarantee for payment granted under a credit agreement between a bank and its subsidiary. The adjustment had been determined using a CUP method where the pricing of the controlled transaction had been compared to the pricing of uncontrolled bank guarantees. The Court of first instance held that “it cannot be concluded that the transactions at issue here are comparable on the basis of the criterion adopted by the Tax Authorities referred to above. In fact, although the guarantee and the independent bank guarantee may share common features, the way in which the risk falls on the guarantor and on the guarantor of the independent bank guarantee potentially generates differences that significantly affect their comparability.” An appeal was filed by the tax authorities ... Read more

In 2007 real estate had been transferred from “G gestão imobiliária S.A.” to “Publicações Real Estate Lda”. The Portuguese tax authority issued an assessment, where the pricing of real estate had been adjusted in accordance with the arm’s length principle, based on the prices paid for real estate in the same area. “Publicações Real Estate Lda” filed an appeal with the Administrative Court, where the assessment was later set aside. An appeal was then filed by the tax authorities with the Administrative Court of Appeal. Judgement of the Court The Court of Appeal upheld the assessment notice issued by the tax authorities and set aside the decision of the Administrative Court. Excerpt “The defendant and the judgment in crisis consider that the transaction chosen by the Tax Authorities is not comparable to the one subject to arithmetic correction and that the burden of proving the ... Read more

“Tobacco S.A.” is the parent company of a group active in the tobacco industry. C. SA is a subsidiary of the group and operates as a toll manufacturer (Toller) on behalf of another subsidiary, B S.A. For the manufacturing services provided C S.A receives a “toll fee” from B S.A. According to the manufacturing service agreement the toll fee is calculated, based on Toller’s production costs plus and the capital invested by Toller in the production. Following an audit the tax authorities issued an additional assessment of corporate income tax and compensatory interest, relating to FY 2009, in the amount of EUR 1,395,039.79. The tax authorities considered that i) to correct the value of the production costs of the year 2009, in the amount corresponding to the deduction of the income with the “Write Off” of several credit balances of third parties over the company, ... Read more

“M Fastfood S.A” was incorporated as a subsidiary company of an entity not resident in Portuguese territory, M Inc., a company with registered office in the United States. “M Fastfood S.A” had obtained financing from M Inc. for investment in its commercial activity, which resulted in indebtedness totalling EUR 74,000,000.00. The activity of “M Fastfood S.A” is “the opening, assembling, promotion, management, administration, purchase, sale, rental, leasing and cession of exploration of restaurants, for which purpose it may acquire or grant licenses or sub-licenses and enter into franchise contracts. It also includes the purchase, sale, rental, administration and ownership of urban buildings and the acquisition, transfer, exploitation and licensing of copyrights, trademarks, patents and industrial and commercial secrets and, in general, any industrial property rights”. “M Fastfood S.A” was in a situation of excessive indebtedness towards that entity, in light of the average equity capital ... Read more

B Restructuring LDA was a distributor within the E group. During FY 2014-2016 a number of manufacturing entities within the group terminated distribution agreements with B Restructuring LDA and subsequently entered into new Distribution Agreements, under similar terms, with another company of the group C. These events were directed by the Group’s parent company, E. The tax authorities was of the opinion, that if these transaction had been carried out in a free market, B would have received compensation for the loss of intangible assets – the customer portfolio and the business and market knowledge (know-how) inherent to the functions performed by B. In other words, these assets had been transferred from B to C. The tax authorities performed a valuation of the intangibles and issued an assessment of additional taxable income resulting from the transaction. E Group disagreed with the assessment as, according to ... Read more

In 2005 “B Lender S.A” transferred a supplementary capital contributions to company C. The capital was to be paid back in 31 October 2009 and was provided interest-free. Tax Authorities adjusted the taxable income of “B Lender S.A” with an amount of EUR 1,586,272.23, of which EUR 1,575,958.86 was attributable to interest on capital transactions, which it reclassified as interest-bearing loan under the arm’s length provisions of article 58 of the CIRC. The assessment of additional income was upheld by a decision from the tax court. An appeal was then filed by “B Lender S.A.” Decision of Supreme Administrative Court The Supreme Administrative Court set aside the decision of the tax court and decided in favour of A “B Lender S.A.” Experts “The question translates, in short, into knowing whether the arm’s length principle requires or imposes that a transaction of performance of ancillary services, ... Read more

A-Contract Manufacturer LDA is an entity residing in Portugal, whose main activity is contract manufacturing of coffee machines and irons, as well as spare parts, tools etc. on behalf of its German parent B A.G. Following an audit, the tax authorities found that the results of A-Contract Manufacturer LDA had not been at arm’s length. An assessment of additional income was issued where the adjustment had been determined based on a benchmark study and use of statistical tools – interquartile range and median. Not satisfied with the assessment A-Contract Manufacturer LDA brought the case to the CAAD, a Portuguese arbitration tribunal. Decision of CAAD The CAAD decided in favour of the tax authorities and upheld the assessment. Excerpt “In sum, regarding the first claim of the Claimant that the arm’s length principle was violated, it appears that the Defendant did nothing more than, in compliance ... Read more

Company A is a Portuguese company in Group G (with an Indian parent) engaged in the production and sale of footwear and fashion accessories. Company C and Company D are also subsidiaries of the Group. Company A sold raw materials and goods to Company C and Company D, but also to unrelated parties. Company A had determined the pricing of the controlled transactions using the TNMM. External comparables were found using a commercial database. The Portuguese tax authority instead applied the TNMM using exclusively internal comparables, and on that basis it was concluded that the pricing of the controlled transactions had not been at arm’s length. Judgement of the Court The Tribunal found that the method applied by the tax authority was the most appropriate method for pricing the controlled transactions. In regards of the benchmark provided by the company, the court stated: “The analysis ... Read more

“A Infrastructure S.A.” had granted loans related parties B and C. The average interest rate borne by A S.A. on its bank loans was lower than the one applied to loans passed on to B and C, but following an audit, the tax authorities observed that other financial expenses (bank commissions and stamp duty) had been deducted by A S.A as financial costs on its bank loans, but not recorded as financial income on the intra-group loans. On that basis an assessment was issued where deductions for these financial costs not passed on to B and C had been disallowed in the ratio of “loans granted to B and C” over “A S.A’s external bank loans”. A appeal was filed by A S.A. with the Administrative Tribunal (CAAD). Judgement of the CAAD The Tribunal granted the appeal and declared the annulment of the income tax ... Read more

“Cork Portugal SA” is engaged in the production and marketing of natural wine corks and is part of a Multinational group operating in the sector of closures for the wine industry. The Portuguese tax administration issued an adjustment of EUR 337,493.97 to the taxable income for 2010 on the basis that, its sales of cork to a related company in the US – via an Irish trading company B within the group – had not been at arm’s length. Portuguese provisions of Article 63(1) of the CIRC, provides “In commercial transactions […] carried out between a taxable person and any other entity, whether or not subject to IRC, with which he is in a situation of special relations, terms or conditions substantially identical to those that would normally be contracted, accepted and practised between independent entities in comparable transactions must be contracted, accepted and practised” ... Read more

This case concerned the 2008 tax year, and the tax-payer was a company resident and incorporated in Portugal and a 100 percent subsidiary of a German company. The tax authorities assessed substantial corporate income tax because of a tax audit. The company claimed that the tax assessment violated the Portuguese transfer pricing regime because the tax authorities assumed that the company had provided a guarantee to its parent company, a related entity. However, according to the company, it could not be said that the subsidiary rendered a guarantee to its parent company under the cash-pooling agreement. The company also argued that the tax authorities were wrong in applying the comparable uncontrolled price method in order to obtain the arm’s-length price under the cash-pooling arrangement. The tax authorities in their answer stated that the contract between the parent and the subsidiary had clauses that deviated from ... Read more

A Const S.A. filed an appeal with the Central Administrative Court against a corrections made by the Tax Administration for FY 1990 under application of the arm’s length principle (contained in article 57 of the CIRC in Portugal). The Central Administrative Court dismissed the appeal. An appeal was then filed against this decision to the Supreme Administrative Court. By Judgment of 4 February 2004, the appeal was also dismissed at this instance. Dissatisfied with that decision A Const S.A. filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court. Grounds for the appeal was stated as follows “In compliance with the provisions of nº 2 of art. 75-A of the LTC it is moreover expressly stated that the present appeal is based on the concrete review of the constitutionality of art. 57 of the CIRC (in the wording in force on the date of the facts of the ... Read more

ALP S.A. filed an appeal with the Central Administrative Court against a corrections made by the Tax Administration for FY 1992 under application of the arm’s length principle (contained in article 57 of the CIRC in Portugal). The Central Administrative Court dismissed the appeal. An appeal was then filed against this decision to the Supreme Administrative Court. By Judgment of 6 June 2001, the appeal was also dismissed at this instance. Dissatisfied with that decision ALP S.A. filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court. ALP S.A grounds for the appeal was: By virtue of the Principle of Tax Legality, the rules of incidence must be predetermined in their content, and the elements that comprise it must be formulated in a precise and determined manner. Determining the content of the levy tax rule excludes the use of undetermined concepts, as well as certain normative concepts, whose ... Read more