Vodafone SC hearing: Week three
International Tax Review is part of the Delinian Group, Delinian Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX, Registered in England & Wales, Company number 00954730
Copyright © Delinian Limited and its affiliated companies 2024

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Vodafone SC hearing: Week three

The sixth and seventh days of the Supreme Court hearing of India hearing into the claim for capital gains tax against Vodafone arising from its purchase in 2007 of a 67% stake in Hutchison Essar saw the company continuing to defend the structure of the transaction and argue that it had no motive to evade Indian tax

Harish Salve, Vodafone’s counsel, began the hearings on August 18, the first day since the court recessed six days earlier by continuing to address questions from the bench about the permissibility of the company’s structure.

Salve elaborated on the difference between, and the different tax consequences attached to, vertical and horizontal structures in transactions. He stressed that Vodafone’s vertical structure is common among multinationals and that tax authorities around the world find it these structures acceptable for tax purposes.

In this vertical structure, the telecommunications groups used Vodafone International Holdings BV, a Dutch subsidiary, to buy the stake in Hutchison.

Though vertical transactions are not viewed to be sham transactions, he distinguished these from horizontal structures, which are often disregarded.

Salve also laid the groundwork for another argument to attack Revenue’s decision to scrutinise the structure. He stated that when a company has used a structure for many years, a shift in the taxing jurisdiction alone is not sufficient to warrant Revenue’s lifting the corporate veil and disregarding it.

Tax havens

Using reports and publications from international organisations such as the OECD and UN, Salve argued that the key characteristics of a tax haven were not relevant in Vodafone’s structure. One such key attribute, Salve said, is that in a tax haven, domestic law allows its residents to avoid paying taxes.

With this definition, Salve attempted to show that the Cayman Islands are not a tax haven.

Salve further argued that in the absence of specific provisions in the Indian law or the relevant double tax avoidance agreement, a Vodafone type of a structure cannot be taxed in India.

Tax evasion and motive

Vodafone’s counsel reiterated that the company had not demonstrated any motive to avoid tax in India. Since Revenue failed to establish motive, he argued, it was precluded from further investigation into the company’s structure.

He explained that a direct sale by a Mauritius company of an Indian company’s shares would not have tax consequences in India, which meant that Vodafone would not have any intention to avoid paying tax on this transaction, since no tax would have been liable.

Azadi Bachao Andolan

Day 7 of the hearing began with Salve defending the Supreme Court’s decision in Azadi Bachao Andolan and arguing that its rulings were applicable to the Vodafone-Hutchison transaction.

In Azadi, the court held that a company would be entitled to treaty benefits so long as an investor had a valid tax residency certificate issued by the Mauritius tax authorities.

When Chief Justice SH Kapadia asked if the importance of the decision was confined to the validity of a circular issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes, Salve answered that on the contrary, the decision dealt with important issues of the India-Mauritius tax treaty that are relevant to the present case.

The bench queried Salve on the meaning of “liable to tax” in the context of the definition of a resident under the treaty. Salve answered that a Mauritius entity must be liable to tax in Mauritius, otherwise it could not be considered a resident of the country and would not be able to claim relief under the treaty.

Salve went on to explain the Hutchison group structure, saying that many of the Mauritius entities existed before the Vodafone transaction in 2007. He claimed that because some of the Mauritius entities were acquired by the Hutchison group from outside parties the structure was not created with intent to avoid tax before the transaction.

The hearing will resume on August 24.

Read about what happened in week one here

Read about what happened in week two here

more across site & bottom lb ros

More from across our site

UK tax credit consultancy ForrestBrown also warned that advisors must get up to speed in order to support their clients
Large firms like EY risk losing staff for good if they track attendance, a prominent former management consultant for the firm has warned
Research has claimed that the net US federal income tax bills of 35 companies were negative $1.72 billion, while, in other news, Italy’s economy minister has predicted that pillar two will fail
Janet Truncale has handed two out of four global managing partner roles to defeated leadership rivals
A survey of more than 25,000 in-house lawyers reveals that embracing technology could help law firms win new business
The appeal related to deductions claimed by the Singaporean telecoms company, which was advised by PwC, on a A$5.2 billion acquisition from 2002
The latest wave of cuts follows chastening revelations regarding the ‘big four’ firm’s tax leaks scandal
UN proposals to reform the taxation of the aviation industry would lead to substantial economic cost for developing countries, argues Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association
An anonymous litigation financier whose identity UK law firm Mishcon de Reya is said to know is allegedly covertly attacking tax transparency regulation
Silvana Van der Velde adds that thus far she has come across pillar two when it comes to joint venture agreements
Gift this article