In April 2010 Roche pharmaceutical group acquired the entire share capital of the Israeli company, Medingo Ltd, for USD 160 million. About six months after the acquisition, Medingo was entered into 3 inter-group service agreements: a R&D services agreement, pursuant to which Medingo was to provide R&D services in exchange for cost + 5%. All developments under the agreement would be owned by Roche. a services agreement according to which Medingo was to provided marketing, administration, consultation and support services in exchange for cost + 5%. a manufacturing agreement, under which Medingo was to provide manufacturing and packaging services in exchange for cost + 5. A license agreement was also entered, according to which Roche could now manufacture, use, sell, exploit, continue development and sublicense to related parties the Medingo IP in exchange for 2% of the relevant net revenues. Finally, in 2013, Medingo’s operation ... Continue to full case

A restructuring that followed the acquisition of Timberland by VF Enterprises in 2011 resulted in an intra-group transfer of ownership to valuable intangibles to a Swiss corporation, TBL Investment Holdings. The IRS was of the opinion that gains from the transfer was taxable. Judgement of the US Tax Court The tax court upheld the assessment of the tax authorities. Excerpt: “we have concluded that petitioner’s constructive distribution to VF Enterprises of the TBL GmbH stock that petitioner constructively received in exchange for its intangible property was a “disposition” within the meaning of section 367(d)(2)(A)(ii)(II). We also conclude, for the reasons explained in this part IV, that no provision of the regulations allows petitioner to avoid the recognition of gain under that statutory provision.” “Because we do not “agree[] to reduce the adjustment to income for the trademarks based on a 20-year useful life limitation, pursuant ... Continue to full case

Narcea Producciones y Promociones SL managed the economic rights, representation commissions and the image and TV rights of a football player. The image and TV rights were transferred to a related party free of charge. Following an audit, the tax authorities issued an assessment where profits from the transfer had been added to the taxable income based on the arm’s length principle. Not satisfied with this decision Narcea Producciones y Promociones, S.L. filed an appeal. Judgement of the Tribunal Superior The Tribunal Superior dismissed the appeal and decided in favor of the tax authorities. Excerpts: “In accordance with Article 16.1.1 and 2 and 4.1.a) of the TRLIS, related-party transactions shall be valued at market price between independent parties in conditions of free competition and this allows the tax authorities to check this valuation and make the corresponding valuation corrections with regard to transactions subject to ... Continue to full case

In 2007, the majority of the shares in the company Villa d’Este S.p.A. (53% of the capital) was held by a Luxembourg company Regina S.A. of which Felofin S.p.A. was a shareholder. Three “families” each held 29.41% of Regina S.A, for a total of 88.23% (while the remaining 11.77% was held by three other minority shareholders), and they also held direct stakes in the capital of Villa d’Este S.p.A. (Felofin S.p.A., in particular, held 5.09% of the shares in Villa d’Este S.p.A.). In 2007, Felofin S.p.A. sold its 5.09% stake in Villa D’Este S.p.A. to Finanziaria Lago S.p.A. for a total of 303,369 shares and a consideration of Euro 8,565,000.00, i.e. at the price of € 28.23 per share. On the same date, Regina S.A. sold the majority shareholding (53%) in Villa d’Este S.p.A. to Finanziaria Lago S.p.A (holding company of the Fontana family, which ... Continue to full case

A AG, which was founded in 2000 by researchers from the University of Applied Sciences D, has as its object the development and distribution of …, in particular in the areas of ….. It had its registered office in Zurich until the transfer of its registered office to Zug in 2021. By contract dated 16 June 2011, it was taken over by Group E, Country Q, or by an acquisition company founded by it for this purpose, for a share purchase price of EUR …. On the same day, it concluded two contracts with E-Schweiz AG, which was in the process of being founded (entered in the Commercial Register on 7 September 2011), in which it undertook to provide general and administrative services on the one hand and research and development on the other. As of 30 September 2011, A AG sold all ”Intellectual Property ... Continue to full case

SA SACLA, which trades in protective clothing and footwear, as well as small equipment, was the subject of an tax audit covering the FY 2007, 2008 and 2009. In a proposed assessment issued in December 2011, the tax authorities increased its taxable income, on the basis of Article 57 of the General Tax Code, by considering that SACLA, by selling, a set of brands held by it for EUR 90,000 to a Luxembourg company, Involvex, which benefited from a preferential tax regime, had carried out an indirect transfer of profits in the context of a reduction in the selling price. In a ruling of February 2020, the Lyon Administrative Court of Appeal, after dismissing the plea of irregularity in the judgment, decided that an expert would carry out an valuation to determine whether the sale price of the trademarks corresponded to their value. The valuation ... Continue to full case

The business activity of A S.A. was wholesale of pharmaceutical products to external pharmacies, hospitals, wholesalers (including: to affiliated wholesalers). The tax authority had noted that the company’s name had been changed in FY 2013, and a loss in the amount of PLN […] had been reported in the company’s tax return. An audit revealed that the Company had transferred significant assets (real estate) to a related entity on non-arm’s length terms. The same real estate was then going forward made available to the company on a fee basis under lease and tenancy agreements. The tax authority issued an assessment where a “restructuring fee” in the amount of PLN […] was added to the taxable income, reflecting the amount which would have been achieved if the transaction had been agreed between independent parties. According to the company the tax authority was not entitled at all ... Continue to full case

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 ... Continue to full case

Redington India Limited (RIL) established a wholly-owned subsidiary Redington Gulf (RG) in the Jebel Ali Free Zone of the UAE in 2004. The subsidiary was responsible for the Redington group’s business in the Middle East and Africa. Four years later in July 2008, RIL set up a wholly-owned subsidiary company in Mauritius, RM. In turn, this company set up its wholly-owned subsidiary in the Cayman Islands (RC) – a step-down subsidiary of RIL. On 13 November 2008, RIL transferred its entire shareholding in RG to RC without consideration, and within a week after the transfer, a 27% shareholding in RC was sold by RG to a private equity fund Investcorp, headquartered in Cayman Islands for a price of Rs.325.78 Crores. RIL claimed that the transfer of its shares in RG to RC was a gift and therefore, exempt from capital gains taxation in India. It ... Continue to full case

Software A/S was a fully fledged Danish distributor of software an related services up until 2010 where the company was converted into a commissionaire dealing on behalf of a newly established sales and marketing hub in Switzerland. Following an audit, the Danish tax authorities issued a assessment where additional taxable income from the transfer of intangibles to Switzerland in 2010 had been determined by application of the DCF valuation model. As no transfer pricing documentation had been prepared on the transfer, the assessment was issued on a discretionary basis. Software A/S filed a complaint to the Danish Tax Court. The Tax Court found that the tax authorities did not have the authority to make a discretionary assessment. It was emphasized that the company in its transfer pricing documentation had described the relevant circumstances for the restructuring. Furthermore, the company had analyzed functions and risks and ... Continue to full case

Key End Es Energy concluded a share purchase and sale agreement of 20.12.2012 with a related party LUKERG BULGARIA GmbH, under which KEY END EU ENERGY transferred to its parent company LUKERG BULGARIA GmbH the ownership of the shares in eight subsidiaries. The subsidiaries owned a total of 15 wind turbines for the production of electricity and operated them on the Bulgarian energy market. According to the Purchase and Sale Agreement the price of the shares were BGN 20 935 937,75. Following an audit of the transaction the tax authorities issued an assessment of additional taxable income for FY 2012 related to the sale of shares. According to the authorities the arm´s length value of the shares were BGN 38 609 215,00. This value was determined based on a CUP/CUT method. As support/sanity check for the valuation the DCF method and the DuPont Analysis was ... Continue to full case

At dispute was the definition of the conditions under which a reference price (i.e. a price that would be negotiated between independent persons in normal business relations under the same or similar conditions) cannot be determined and the tax administrator should therefore use the administrative price (i.e. the price determined in accordance with the legal regulation) as the arm’s length price for adjusting the income tax base. In 2013 Automotoklub Masarykův sold K. A. (a person who participated in its management) real estate for the purchase price of CZK 40 000 000. The tax authorities adjusted the tax base in accordance with Section 23(7) of Income tax Act, comparing the agreed (purchase) price with the price determined in accordance with the Act on the Valuation of Property, as amended in the version applicable to the case at hand (hereinafter referred to as the Act on ... Continue to full case

The main activity in a Danish branch of a German group was development, licensing and services related to engines that were being produced by external licensees. Under a restructuring of the group, it was decided that royalty income for a particular engine type previously received by the Danish branch should be transferred to the German company. The Danish branch received a compensation corresponding to the net earnings for a two-year notice period. The tax administration increased the taxable income of the branch claiming that the branch had made valuable contributions to the development of the type of engine in question and thereby obtained co-ownership. The Tax Tribunal found that valuable intangible assets had been transferred, The decision was based on prior contractual arrangements and conduct of the parties.  Click here for English translation Click here for other translation SKM 2020-30 ... Continue to full case

Broadcom Semiconductors Ltd is an Israeli company established in 2001 under the name Dune Semiconductors Ltd. The Company is engaged in development, production, and sale of components to routers, switches etc. The shares in Dune Semiconductors were acquired by the Broadcom Corporation (a US group) in 2009 and following the acquisition intellectual property was transferred to the new Parent for a sum of USD 17 million. The company also entered into tree agreements to provide marketing and support services to a related Broadcom affiliate under a cost+10%, to provide development services to a related Broadcom affiliate for cost+8%, and a license agreement to use Broadcom Israel’s intellectual property for royalties of approximately 14% of the affiliate’s turnover. The tax authorities argued that functions, assets, and risks had been transferred leaving only an empty shell in Israel and a tax assessment was issued based on the purchase ... Continue to full case

Valuation of intangibles in relation to the merger of KT Corp (owned by the parents) and CS Corp (owned by their three sons). In valuing the two companies for the purposes of the merger they incorrectly assumed that CS Corp owned Intangibles that were in fact owned by KT Corp. The Tax Court found, that the valuation of the intangibles reasonably determined the fair market value, and concluded that gifts totaling $22.8 million was transfered to the three sons on December 31, 1995. TC Memo KT 2019-144 US vs. Cavallaro Oct 24 2019 ... Continue to full case

In 2012 Broadcom Corporation acquired all the shares of Broadlight Inc, another US corporation which owned a subsidiary in Israel, for around $200 million. Three months later, the subsidiary in Israel sold its IP to a group company for $59.5m and then an agreement was entered according to which the subsidiary going forward would supply R&D, marketing and support services to the other group companies for a cost plus fee. Based on these facts the Israeli tax authorities issued an assessment equivalent to $168.5m. The tax authorities found that the full value of the company in Israel had been transferred. The tax assessment was brought to court where Broadcom claimed that the tax authorities had re-characterised the transaction and that the onus of proof was on the tax authorities to justify the value of $168.5m. The District Court held that all the values in the ... Continue to full case

In the Saipem case the Norwegian tax authorities found that the price paid by a related party for an oil rig had not been at arm’s length and issued an assessment. The majority of judges in the Court of Appeal found that the tax assessment was valid. The tax authorities had made sound and well-reasoned assessments and concluded that the price was outside the arm’s length range. According to the decision courts may show reluctance in testing discretionary assessments, thus giving the authorities a reasonable room for pricing transactions where the value is highly uncertain. An appeal of the case to the Supreme Court was not allowed (HR-2019-2428-U). Click here for translation Norway vs Saipem August 2019 ... Continue to full case

In the course of restructuring its European businesses in a way that would shift a substantial amount of income from U.S.-based entities to the European subsidiaries, appellee Amazon.com, Inc. entered into a cost sharing arrangement in which a holding company for the European subsidiaries made a “buy-in” payment for Amazon’s assets that met the regulatory definition of an “intangible.” See 26 U.S.C. § 482. Tax regulations required that the buy-in payment reflect the fair market value of Amazon’s pre-existing intangibles. After the Commissioner of Internal Revenue concluded that the buy-in payment had not been determined at arm’s length in accordance with the transfer pricing regulations, the Internal Revenue Service performed its own calculation, and Amazon filed a petition in the Tax Court challenging that valuation. At issue is the correct method for valuing the preexisting intangibles under the then-applicable transfer pricing regulations. The Commissioner sought ... Continue to full case

In 2013, Philips Uruguay S.A. agreed to sell of its business division related to the marketing of audio and video products to another entity within the group, Woox Innovations Sucursal Uruguay. The related parties had agreed on a price of USD 2,546,409. Philips Uruguay, had not include the transaction in its transfer pricing documentation as – according to the company – the transfer pricing regime in Uruguay was only applicable to transactions involving different jurisdictions (transactions with foreign entities) – unless the domestic transactions were between local entities taxed under different local tax regimes. The tax administration disagreed that purely domestic transactions were not subject for to transfer pricing rules in Uruguay. They also disagreed with the arm’s length nature of the agreed price of USD 2.546.409 and instead estimated an arm’s length value of USD 5,063,294. Consequently, an assessment was issued resulting in an ... Continue to full case

In January 2013 the Swiss company Normet International Ltd acquired all the shares in the Norwegian company Dynamic Rock Support AS (now Normet Norway AS) for a price of NOK 78 million. In February 2013 all intangibles in Dynamic Rock Support AS was transfered to Normet International Ltd for a total sum of NOK 3.666.140. The Norwegian tax authorities issued an assessment where the arm’s length value of the intangibles was set at NOK 58.2 million. The Court of Appeal upheld the tax assessment issued by the tax authorities and rejected the appeal. Click here for translation Norway vs Normet 190319 ... Continue to full case