Tag: Commodity Exchange Prices

Ukrain vs PJSC Odesa Port Plant, October 2023, Supreme Court, Case No 826/14873/17

Ukrain vs PJSC Odesa Port Plant, October 2023, Supreme Court, Case No 826/14873/17

Following a tax audit the tax authority conducted a on-site inspection of PJSC Odesa Port Plant on the completeness of tax calculation in respect of controlled transactions on the export of mineral fertilisers to non-resident companies Ameropa AG (Switzerland), “Koch Fertilizer Trading SARL (Switzerland), Nitora Commodities (Malta) Ltd (Malta), Nitora Commodities AG (Switzerland), Trammo AG (Switzerland), Trammo DMCC (United Arab Emirates), NF Trading AG (Switzerland) for FY 2013 and 2014, as well as business transactions on import of natural gas in gaseous form from a non-resident company Ostchem Holding Limited (Republic of Cyprus) for FY 2013. Based on the results of the inspection, an assessment of additional taxable income was issued. The assessment was based on the following considerations of the tax authority: – it is impossible to use the “net profit” method to confirm the compliance of prices in PJSC Odesa Port Plant’s controlled transactions for the export of mineral fertilisers in 2013 and 2014, since the “comparable uncontrolled ... Read more
Panama vs Banana S.A., June 2023, Administrative Tribunal, Case No TAT-RF-048

Panama vs Banana S.A., June 2023, Administrative Tribunal, Case No TAT-RF-048

Banana S.A. sold bananas to related parties abroad. These transactions were priced using the TNMM method and the result of the benchmark analysis was an interquartile range of ROTC from 0.71% to 11.09%. However, Banana S.A. had continuous losses and for 2016 its return on total costs (ROTC) was -1.83%. To this end, an “adjustment” was made by adding “unearned income” related to storm damage to the actual results, which increased the company’s ROTC from -1.83% to 3.57%. The tax authorities disagreed with both the transfer pricing method used and the “adjustment” made to the results. An assessment of additional taxable income in an amount of B/.20,646,930,51. was issued, where the CUP method (based on quoted commodity prices for bananas) had been applied. Judgement of the Court The Court agreed with the tax authorities that the “adjustment” for “unearned income” was not allowed. “….In this sense, we agree with the Tax Administration when questioning the adjustment made by the taxpayer, ... Read more
Norway vs Pgnig Upstream Norway AS, March 2023, Court of Appeal, Case No LB-2022-52192

Norway vs Pgnig Upstream Norway AS, March 2023, Court of Appeal, Case No LB-2022-52192

Pgnig Upstream Norway AS (PUN) sold dry gas to its sister company (PST). According to the tax authorities the price for the gas had not been determined at arm’s length, cf. Section 13-1, first paragraph, of the Tax Act, and an assessment of additional income was issued. Judgement of the Court The Court decided in favour of the tax authorities. It found that the tax authorities had correctly concluded that there was a reduction in PUN’s income, and that the reduction was due to parties being under common control. The key point for the Court was that there was an imbalance in the functional profiles of PUN and the sister company, PST. Through certain deductions in the purchase price, PUN had indirectly been charged for parts of the sister company’s downside risk, without being allowed a share in potential upside profits. Excerpts “(…)In any event, the Court of Appeal finds reason to note that the [text removed] agreement in any ... Read more
Ukrain vs Totland LLC, November 2021, Supreme Court, Case No 580/2610/19

Ukrain vs Totland LLC, November 2021, Supreme Court, Case No 580/2610/19

Following a tax audit of controlled transactions in 2013 and 2015 for the sale of goods to foreign related parties, the tax authorities concluded that Totland had understated the price of the goods sold and thus its taxable income. On that basis an assessment of additional income tax was issued. Totland disagreed with the assessment and filed an appeal. Totland stated that the dates of the price information used by the tax authorities differed from the date of the controlled transactions in question, and furthermore that those uncontrolled transactions were carried out on different terms. Totland had based the pricing of the controlled transactions on stock exchange prices and noted that the tax authorities in the assessment had violated the requirements of the Tax Code of Ukraine by applying stock exchange prices established a decade before the controlled transactions were carried out. The District Court dismissed Totland’s claim and upheld the assessment. Later the Court of Appeal overturned the decision ... Read more
Russia vs RIF Trading House, April 2019, Moscow City Court, Case No. No.  A40-241020/18

Russia vs RIF Trading House, April 2019, Moscow City Court, Case No. No. A40-241020/18

In 2014, RIF Trading House sourced and bought agricultural products in Russia – wheat, barley, corn and peas. These products were then exported to a trader in the UAE, which turned out to be related to RIF Trading House. However, RIF Trading House had not provide information on the relationship, nor the required transfer pricing documentation on the controlled transactions. Following an audit, the Russian Federal Tax Service came to the conclusion that the export prices had been lowered in the supply of products to the trader in UAE. The Russian Federal Tax Service independently conducted a transfer pricing analysis – functional analysis, analyzed the market, commodity exchange prices (Platts, ICAR) etc., and then issued a tax assessment where combinations of pricing methods and adjustments had been applied to determine the pricing of the controlled transactions and thus the income of RIF Trading House. Disagreeing with the assessment RIF Trading House brought the case to Court. The court ruled in ... Read more