Industries

• Employees involved

  Anastasia Arzhanova, Alexey Stanchin

• Process description

  The tax authority, as part of an on-site tax audit, came to the conclusion that organisations that had attracted unfair counterparties had been artificially included. In particular, the tax authority believed that: (1) the nature of the activities of the counterparty's group of companies constituted a scheme of "splitting" the business aimed at unjustified reduction of the tax burden. In connection with the above, the taxpayer was offered counterarguments to the arguments of the tax authority and evidence substantiating the business purpose of the acquisition of business entities (pharmacies) by the Client's shareholders and the independence of their business activities. The Tax Compliance team represents the Client's interests in the court of first instance in a dispute with the tax inspectorate. Within the framework of the court dispute, Tax Compliance lawyers: (1) prepared a legal position (2) represented the Company's interests within the court hearings in the court of first instance, (3) filed interim measures in the form of suspension of the tax authority's decision until the court decision came into force.

• Result

  The court accepted the taxpayer's arguments. As a result of the project implementation, tax claims in the amount of 698 million rubles were reduced to 188 million rubles, which is 73% of the initial requirement of the tax authority.

Challenging the acts of prosecution on violating the deadline for CFC filing

• Employee involved

  Alexey Stanchin

• Process description

  Tax authorities imposed a fine for violation of the deadlines for CFC notifications and considered that the fine corresponded to the severity of the act, since 13 episodes were identified for different companies.
  
  In view of the above, a legal position was proposed for the taxpayer to mitigate the penalty.
  
  Tax Compliance team assisted the client in developing a legal position, identified all possible mitigating circumstances and presented arguments to the tax authority in due form.

• Result

  The tax authority accepted the arguments of the taxpayer and the penalty for each episode was reduced by 8 times.
  
  Thus, as a result of the project, tax claims of 6.5 million rubles were reduced to 812 thousand (by 5.7 million rubles or 88% of the initial claim).

• Process description

  The client asked to analyze the current structure of the group of companies and identify key tax risks. Based on the results of this analysis, a decision was made to change the structure of the group of companies. The specialist prepared a target structure and a detailed transition plan. (The project was implemented by the employee before joining Tax Compliance)

• Result

  The client received the most efficient and manageable group structure, free of historical tax risks and with a number of tax advantages.

Recommendations were prepared to change the structure of economic relations within the Group in order to comply with the requirements of Article 54.1 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation

• Employees involved

  Mikhail Begunov, Nikita Zharov

• Process description

  The team had the task to analyze the nature of the Group's activities for the risks of imputing the scheme of "splitting" the business. The team analyzed: (1) circumstances of business entities within the Group in terms of meeting the conditions for the application of special tax regimes; (2) circumstances of creation of certain business entities; (3) specifics of business relationships within the Group.

• Result

  Based on the results of the analysis, the risks of qualifying the nature of the Group's activities as a "split" business scheme were identified and recommendations for changing the structure of business relationships within the Group were developed.

The tax authority decided not to conduct an on-site tax audit of the taxpayer

• Employee involved

  Nikita Zharov

• Process description

  As part of the pre-inspection analysis, the tax authority concluded that the taxpayer had accounted for tax purposes for business transactions with a "technical" company. In view of the above, the taxpayer was invited to conduct an independent analysis of tax risks and (if necessary) to adjust its tax liabilities. The team analyzed business transactions with the disputed counterparty for tax risks and subsequently helped the client to prepare a response to the request of the tax authorities and collect the evidence, confirming: (1) the reality of business transactions with the disputed counterparty, (2) the reality of the obligations under transactions directly claimed by the counterparty, (3) the counterparty has no attributes of "technical" company for tax purposes.

• Result

  The tax authority accepted the arguments of the taxpayer, and decided not to conduct an on-site tax audit against him.

The client received a requirement to submit documents and explanations for the period of the last three years of activity outside the scope of the audit

• Purpose

  Formation of the client's legal position at the stage of pre-inspection analysis, conducted by the tax authority for the last three years of activity.

• Employees involved

  Alexander Dmitriev, Yulia Pavlova

• Process description

  The company was approached by a client who received a request to provide documents and information for the last three years of activity outside the scope of the audit. In the opinion of the tax authority, a number of counterparties could not confirm the reality of the fulfillment of obligations under the transaction and the client had the intent to minimize the tax base when reflecting transactions in the accounting and tax registers.

• Result

  TC attorneys formed a legal position in the explanations and prepared together with the client a comprehensive package of documents confirming the reality of transactions with counterparties. The attorneys interviewed the general directors of the counterparties and ensured their appearance at the tax authority to confirm their earlier testimony.

The client was provided with services to appeal the results of a field tax audit, provided legal assistance to justify the disputed supply of raw materials and reduce the amount of taxes to be recovered

• Purpose

  Confirmation of the actual size of the client's tax liabilities due to the tax reconstruction procedure

• Employee involved

  Mikhail Begunov

• Process description

  A tax audit was carried out in relation to the client, the basis for the collection of taxes was the assumption of the tax authority of the fictitious nature of the supply of raw materials for some suppliers. It was proved at the stage of objections and additional measures of tax control that it is necessary to measure quantitative indicators at the beginning and at the end of the production process. The tax authority was given the calculations for write-offs of the materials purchased from the disputed contractors and the information about the residuals of raw materials. The tax authority's claims have been partly withdrawn in relation to profits tax. The taxpayer's objections were partially satisfied in the amount of 343 mln rubles. Within the framework of the appeal to the superior body the client's claims on recalculation of tax liabilities were partially satisfied.

• Result

  A positive practice of pre-trial appealing the acts of tax authorities in respect of manufacturers of medicines is formed, taking into account the specifics of the industry. The importance of the project is to provide legal assistance to the manufacturer of vital and socially important drugs.

The tax authority revealed violations of tax laws on relations with suppliers and charged the company with the appropriate mandatory payments

• Purpose

  Appealing the decision of the tax authority on the field tax audit of the relationship on the supply of raw materials with certain counterparties

• Employee involved

  Mikhail Begunov

• Process description

  According to the results of the second field tax audit in connection with the violation of the rules of Art. 54.1 of the Tax Code, the company was charged a significant amount of additional taxes and penalties in terms of transactions for the supply of raw materials concluded with several counterparties. During the trial, the court was presented with evidence of the uniqueness of the raw materials purchased from the disputed counterparties and their actual use in production, the circumstances of the conclusion and execution of transactions by the disputed counterparties, as well as the availability of material and labor resources in sufficient volume.

• Result

  The legal position developed by our specialists made it possible to appeal against additional tax charges of 117 million rubles on several counterparties. The court decision to invalidate the results of the field tax audit in this part was upheld in courts of appellate and cassation instances. The client was able to use the position developed to challenge the actions of the tax authority in the framework of field audits for other tax periods in respect of the same counterparties.

We disputed the claim of the tax authority to suppliers of raw materials for medicines.

• Purpose

  Claims of the tax authority for income tax were partially withdrawn. The taxpayer's objections were partially satisfied in the amount of 343 million ₽. Positive practice of pre-trial appeal against acts of tax authorities in relation to manufacturers of medicines was formed taking into consideration the specifics of the industry.

• Employee involved

  Mikhail Begunov

• Process description

  At the stage of objections and additional activities it was proved that it is necessary to measure quantitative indicators at the beginning and at the end of the production process. The tax authority has been provided with calculations on writing-off materials purchased from contested counterparties and information on raw material remainders.

• Result

  Claims of the tax authority for income tax were partially withdrawn. The taxpayer's objections were partially satisfied in the amount of 343 million ₽. Positive practice of pre-trial appeal against acts of tax authorities in relation to manufacturers of medicines was formed taking into consideration the specifics of the industry.