Countries: Denmark

Denmark vs Maersk Oil and Gas A/S (TotalEnergies EP Danmark A/S), September 2023, Supreme Court, Case No BS-15265/2022-HJR and BS-16812/2022-HJR

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Maersk Oil and Gas A/S (later TotalEnergies EP Danmark A/S) continued to make operating losses, although the group’s combined oil and gas operations were highly profitable. Following an audit of Maersk Oil, the tax authorities considered that three items did not comply with the arm’s length principle. Maersk Oil incurred all the expenses for preliminary […]

Denmark vs “Soy A/S”, June 2023, Eastern High Court, SKM2023.316.ØLR

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Two issues were adressed in this case – transfer pricing and withholding taxes. The transfer pricing issue concerned whether the Danish tax authorities (SKAT) had been entitled to issue an assessment on controlled transactions made between “Soy A/S” and a flow-through company in the group located in a low tax jurisdiction. The withholding tax issue […]

Denmark vs Takeda A/S (former Nycomed A/S) and NTC Parent S.à.r.l., May 2023, Supreme Court, Cases 116/2021 and 117/2021

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The cases concerned in particular whether Takeda A/S under voluntary liquidation and NTC Parent S.à.r.l. were obliged to withhold tax on interest on intra-group loans granted by foreign group companies. The cases were to be assessed under Danish tax law, the EU Interest/Royalty Directive and double taxation treaties with the Nordic countries and Luxembourg. In […]

Denmark vs “IP ApS”, March 2023, Tax Tribunal, Case No. SKM2023.135.LSR

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The case concerned the valuation of intangible assets transferred from a Danish company to an affiliated foreign company. The Tax Tribunal basically agreed with the valuation of the expert appraisers according to the DCF model, but corrected the assumptions with regard to revenue growth in the budget period and the value of the tax advantage. […]

Denmark vs Copenhagen Airports Denmark Holdings ApS, February 2023, High Court, Case No SKM2023.404.OLR

A parent company resident in country Y1 was liable to tax on interest and dividends it had received from its Danish subsidiary. There should be no reduction of or exemption from withholding tax under the Parent-Subsidiary Directive or the Interest and Royalties Directive or under the double taxation treaty between Denmark and country Y1, as […]

Denmark vs NetApp Denmark ApS and TDC A/S, January 2023, Supreme Court, Cases 69/2021, 79/2021 and 70/2021

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The issue in the Danish beneficial ownership cases of NetApp Denmark ApS and TDC A/S was whether the companies were obliged to withhold dividend tax on distributions to foreign parent companies. The first case – NetApp Denmark ApS – concerned two dividend distributions of approximately DKK 566 million and DKK 92 million made in 2005 […]

Denmark vs. “C-Advisory Business ApS”, November 2022, Supreme Court, Case No BS-22176/2021-HJR (SKM2023.8.HR)

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A was the sole owner of “C-Advisory Business ApS” established in Denmark in 2003. The company advised and represented taxpayers in cases related to tax deductions for land improvements to immovable property. A was also the sole owner of a company established in Dubai in 2006. The Dubai company provided services for “C-Advisory Business ApS” […]

Denmark vs. Codan Forsikring A/S, August 2022, Eastern High Court, Case no BS-11370/2020

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This case concerns pricing of four reinsurance agreements concluded between Codan Forsikring A/S (Codan) and a controlled Irish company, RSA Reinsurance Ireland Ltd. for FY 2010-2013. The tax authorities had increased Codan’s taxable income for FY 2010, 2011 and 2012 by DKK 23 million, DKK 25 million, and DKK 18 million and reduced the taxable […]

Denmark vs Maersk Oil and Gas A/S, March 2022, High Court, Case No BS-41574/2018 and BS-41577/2018

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A Danish parent in the Maersk group’s oil and gas segment, Maersk Oil and Gas A/S (Mogas), had operating losses for FY 1986 to 2010, although the combined segment was highly profitable. The reoccurring losses was explained by the tax authorities as being a result of the group’s transfer pricing setup. “Mogas and its subsidiaries […]

Denmark vs Takeda A/S and NTC Parent S.a.r.l., November 2021, High Court, Cases B-2942-12 and B-171-13

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The issue in these two cases is whether withholding tax was payable on interest paid to foreign group companies considered “beneficial owners” via conduit companies covered by the EU Interest/Royalties Directive and DTA’s exempting the payments from withholding taxes. The first case concerned interest accruals totalling approximately DKK 1,476 million made by a Danish company […]

Denmark vs NETAPP ApS and TDC A/S, May 2021, High Court, Cases B-1980-12 and B-2173-12

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On 3 May 2021, the Danish High Court ruled in two “beneficial owner” cases concerning the question of whether withholding tax must be paid on dividends distributed by Danish subsidiaries to foreign parent companies. The first case – NETAPP Denmark ApS – concerned two dividend distributions of approx. 566 million DKK and approx. 92 million […]

Denmark vs Tetra Pak Processing Systems A/S, April 2021, Supreme Court, Case No BS-19502/2020-HJR

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The Danish tax authorities had made a discretionary assessment on the taxable income of Tetra Pak Processing Systems A/S due to inadequate transfer pricing documentation and ongoing losses. The Supreme Court’s ruling. The Supreme Court found that the TP documentation provided by the company did not meet the required standards. The TP documentation did not […]

Denmark vs. “H Borrower and Lender A/S”, January 2021, Tax Tribunal, Case no SKM2021.33.LSR

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“H Borrower and Lender A/S”, a Danish subsidiary in the H Group, had placed deposits at and received loans from a group treasury company, H4, where the interest rate paid on the loans was substantially higher than the interest rate received on the deposits. Due to insufficient transfer pricing documentation, the tax authorities (SKAT) issued […]

Ørsted in billion dollar transfer pricing dispute with the Danish tax authorities

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Ørsted is a Danish energy group that develops, constructs, and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, renewable hydrogen and green fuels facilities, and bioenergy plants. According to a company announcement issued in December 2020, Ørsted has received an administrative decision from the Danish Tax Agency requiring Danish taxation of the […]

Denmark vs. Software A/S, September 2020, Tax Court, Case no SKM2020.387.LSR

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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 […]

Denmark vs Tetra Pak Processing Systems A/S, June 2020, National Court, Case No SKM2020.224.VLR

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At issue was whether the Danish tax authorities had been entitled to make a discretionary assessment of the taxable income of Tetra Pak on the basis of inadequate transfer pricing documentation and continuous losses. And, if such a discretionary assessment was justified, whether the company had satisfied the burden of proving that the tax authorities’ […]

Denmark vs Pharma Distributor A A/S, March 2020, National Court, Case No SKM2020.105.OLR

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Results in a Danish company engaged in distribution of pharmaceuticals were significantly below the arm’s length range of net profit according to the benchmark study, but by disregarding annual goodwill amortization of DKK 57.1 million, the results were within the arm’s length range. The goodwill being amortized in Pharma Distributor A A/S had been determined […]

Microsoft – Taxes and Transfer Pricing

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Microsoft’s tax affairs have been in the spotlight of tax authorities all over the World during the last decade. Why? The setup used by Microsoft involves shifting profits from sales in the US, Europe and Asia to regional operating centers placed in low tax jurisdictions (Bermuda, Luxembourg, Ireland, Singapore and Puerto Rico). The following text has been […]

Denmark vs MAN Energy Solutions, September 2019, Supreme Court, Case No SKM2019.486.HR

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A Danish subsidiary in the German MAN group was the owner of certain intangible assets. The German parent, acting as an intermediate for the Danish subsidiary, licensed rights in those intangibles to other parties. In 2002-2005, the Danish subsidiary received royalty payments corresponding to the prices agreed between the German parent company and independent parties […]

Denmark vs T and Y Denmark, February 2019, European Court of Justice, Cases C-116/16 and C-117/16

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The cases of T Danmark (C-116/16) and Y Denmark Aps (C-117/16) adresses questions related to interpretation of the EU-Parent-Subsidary-Directive The issue is withholding taxes levied by the Danish tax authorities in situations where dividend payments are made to conduit companies located in treaty countries but were the beneficial owners of these payments are located in […]

Denmark vs N, X, C, and Z Denmark, February 2019, European Court of Justice, Cases C-115/16, C-118/16, C-119/16 and C-299/16

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The cases of N Luxembourg 1 (C-115/16), X Denmark A/S (C-118/16), C Danmark I (C-119/16) and Z Denmark ApS (C-299/16), adresses questions related to the interpretation of the EU Interest and Royalty Directive. The issue in these cases is withholding taxes levied by the Danish tax authorities in situations where interest payments are made to […]

Denmark vs Microsoft Denmark, January 2019, Danish Supreme Court, Case No SKM2019.136.HR

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The Danish tax authorities were of the opinion that Microsoft Denmark had not been properly remunerated for performing marketing activities due to the fact that OEM sales to Danish customers via MNE OEM’s had not been included in the calculation of local commissions. According to the Market Development Agreement (MDA agreement) concluded between Microsoft Denmark […]

Denmark vs Water Utility Companies, November 2018, Danish Supreme Court, Case No SKM2018.627.HR and SKM2018.635.HR

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These two triel cases concerned the calculation of the basis for tax depreciation (value of assets) in a number of Danish Water utility companies which had been established in the years 2006 – 2010 in connection with a public separation of water supply and wastewater utility activities. The valuation of the assets would form the […]

Denmark vs “Contract manufacturing HQ A/S”, April 2018, Tax Tribunal, Case No SKM2018.173.LSR

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A Danish HQ acquired goods from an affiliated contract manufacturing company. The Danish tax authorities issued an adjustment of the prices based on the Danish arm’s length provisions contained in section 2 of the Tax Assessment Act. Decision of the Tax tribunal The Tax Tribunal found that the tax authorities had proved that the company’s […]

Denmark vs. Danish Production A/S, Feb 2018, Tax Tribunal, SKM2018.62.LSR

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The Danish Tax Tribunal found that the tax administration had been entitled to make a discretionary assessment, due to the lack of a comparability analysis in the company’s transfer pricing documentation. The Tax Tribunal also found that the Danish company had correctly been chosen as tested party when applying the TNMM, although the foreign sales […]

Denmark vs. Corp, March 2017, Tax Tribunal, SKM2017.187

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The Danish Tax administration had made an estimated assessment due to a insufficient TP documentation. In the assessment goodwill amortizations were included when comparing the operating income of the company to that of independent parties in a database survey. The Tax Tribunal found that the tax administration was not entitled to make an estimated assessment under Article […]

Denmark vs. Corp, December 2016, Tax Tribunal, SKM2017.115

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The case relates to controlled transactions between a Danish company and its permanent establishment, as well as the calculation of taxable income of the permanent establishment. The Danish Tax Administration was entitled to make tax assessment in accordance with applicable Tax Law. The transfer pricing-documentation provided by the Company lacked a comparability analysis. The assessment was […]

Denmark vs Corp. October 2015, Supreme Court, case nr. SKM2015.659.HR

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A Danish production company terminated a 10-year license and distribution agreement with a group distribution company one year prior to expiry of the agreement. The distribution agreement was transferred to another group company and the new distribution company agreed as a successor in interest to pay a “termination fee” to the former distribution company. However, […]