Mylan Australia Holding is a subsidiary of the multinational pharmaceutical company Mylan Group. Mylan Australia Holding is the head of the Australian tax consolidated group, which includes its subsidiary Mylan Australia Pty. In 2007, Mylan Australia Pty acquired the shares of Alphapharm Pty Ltd and a substantial loan (A$923,205,336) was provided by a group company in Luxembourg to finance the acquisition. In subsequent years the interest expense was deducted from the taxable income of Mylan’s Australian tax group. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) issued amended assessments to Mylan Australia Holding disallowing approximately AUD 589 million of interest deductions claimed for the 2007 to 2017 tax years. The ATO had initially pursued the structure as a transfer pricing issue, but ultimately argued that the deductions should be disallowed under the general anti-avoidance rule. Mylan Australia Holding appealed to the Federal Court. Judgment of the Court The Federal Court decided in favour of Mylan Australia Holding and set aside the amended assessment ... Read more

Mylan Australia Holding is a subsidiary of the multinational Mylan Group, which is active in the pharmaceutical industry. Mylan Australia Holding is the head of the Australian tax consolidated group, which includes its subsidiary Mylan Australia Pty. In 2007, Mylan Australia Pty acquired the shares of Alphapharm Pty Ltd. and to finance the acquisition, a substantial loan (A$923,205,336) was provided by a group company in Luxembourg. In the following years interest expenses was deducted from the taxable income of Mylan’s Australian tax group. The tax authorities issued a notice of assessment for the years 2009 to 2020 disallowing the deduction of excessive interest expense incurred as a result of the financing arrangement. Initially the tax authorities relied on both transfer pricing provisions and the general anti-avoidance provision (Pt IVA), but subsequently they relied only on the latter as the basis for the assessment. Mylan Australia Holding filed appeals on 4 June 2021 in respect of the 2009-2019 assessment and on ... 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 effort was unsuccessful. On the contrary, it seems to result from the request for arbitration ... 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 bank for a loan that was passed on to the parent company were not deductible ... Read more

In 2013 and 2014, the Canadian tax authorities conducted the Transfer Pricing Audit of Bank of Nova Scotia. Prior to issuing tax assessment letters for FY 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, the Bank entered into a settlement agreement with the Minister of National Revenue in respect of the Transfer Pricing Audit. The settlement agreement provided for the Minister to reassess the Bank to include certain amounts in its income as transfer pricing adjustments in its 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 Taxation Years. In this regard, the agreement was to result in an increase of the Bank’s taxable income for the 2006 Taxation Year of $54,916,616. The Bank then wrote to the Minister to carry back $54,000,000 of non-capital loss that arose in the Bank’s taxation year ended October 31, 2008 to its 2006 Taxation Year in order to offset the pending $54,916,616 Transfer Pricing Adjustment. The Minister did so and as part of the reassessment, interest ... Read more

Following an audit of PT Mondelez Indonesia, the tax authorities issued an assessment where certain controlled transactions had been adjusted resulting in additional taxable income. A complaint was filed with the Tax Court where, in a decision issued 26 October 2021 the Court partially set aside the assessment. An appeal was then filed with the Supreme Court by the tax authorities. Judgement of the Supreme Court The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal of the tax authorities and ruled in favor of Mondelez. Excerpts: “Considering, that to the reasons for the review, the Supreme Court is of the opinion: – That the subject matter of the dispute is: Positive Correction of Net Income for Tax Year 2015 amounting to Rp112,491,138,518.00 consisting of: correction of Cost of Goods Sold amounting to Rp23,083,520,411.00, and Income from Outside Business amounting to Rp67,781,379.345.00 derived from deemed income on marketing expense of Rp47,534,819,389.00, and deemed income on management service fee of Rp20,246,559,956.00, and correction of expenses ... Read more

The Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine is a joint venture between Turquoise Hill Resources (which is 50.8 per cent owned by Rio Tinto), and the Mongolian Government. The Mongolian government has not been satisfied by the result of the joint venture and has concerns that increasing development costs of the Oyu Tolgoi project has eroded the economic benefits it anticipated receiving. “It is calculated that Mongolia will not receive dividend payments until 2051 and will incur debts of US$22 billion,” said Mongolia’s deputy chief cabinet secretary, Solongoo Bayarsaikhan. “In addition, Oyu Tolgoi is estimated to pay profit taxes or corporate income taxes only in four years until 2051.” The Mongolian authorities has put forward proposals to coordinate and lower management services received from Rio Tinto and increase Mongolia’s benefits by reducing shareholder loan interest rates. On December 23, 2020 the Mongolian Tax Authority issued a press release concerning the results of a completed transfer pricing audit of Oyu Tologi LLC. “The ... Read more

This decision is about the jurisdiction of the Tax Court of Canada, or perhaps more accurately about the scope of an appeal of an assessment. It arises in the context of an appeal by Dow Chemical Canada ULC of a reassessment of its 2006 taxation year. The reassessment increased Dow Chemical’s income under the transfer pricing provisions in section 247 of the Income Tax Act. In reassessing Dow Chemical for its 2006 and 2007 taxation years, the tax authorities had increased Dow Chemical’s income in respect of certain transactions with non-residents to which Dow Chemical is related. The authorities initially indicated that the transfer pricing provisions also would result in a downward adjustment to Dow Chemical’s income in those taxation years in respect of another transaction. However, the most recent reassessment of Dow Chemical’s 2006 taxation year did not reflect the downward adjustment, although the reassessment of its 2007 taxation year did. Dow Chemical has appealed the 2006 reassessment. The ... Read more

At issue was interest in relation to loans between related parties. Pursuant to Article 32(1) ZDDPO-2, interest on loans, except in the case of borrowers from banks and insurance companies, received from a shareholder or partner who, at any time during the tax period, directly or indirectly owns at least 25% of the shares or interests in the capital or voting rights of the taxable person, is not recognised as an expense if, at any time during the tax period, such loans exceed four times (in accordance with the transitional provision 81. The excess of loans is determined by reference to the amount and duration of the excess of loans during the tax period, unless the taxpayer proves that the excess of loans could have been obtained from a lender who is an unrelated person. The claimant argued in the proceedings that it could also have obtained the excess loans from an unrelated person, but failed to prove this. Click ... Read more