Brazil: Payments for trademark use to French entity subject to withholding tax

International Tax Review is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Garden, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

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

Brazil: Payments for trademark use to French entity subject to withholding tax

Sponsored by

sponsored-firms-pwc.png
wood-copyright 320 x 215

The Federal Brazilian tax authority (RFB) has confirmed that payments for the right to use trademarks and know-how to a French entity should be subject to income withholding tax and CIDE.



The RFB published Solução de Consulta – Cosit 180/2018 (dated September 28 2018) on October 2 2018, confirming that remittances abroad in relation to the right to use a trademark and know-how should be classified within the meaning of Article 12 of the double tax agreement between Brazil and France (DTA). As such, this transaction would be subject to withholding tax at a rate of 15%. Further, the payment should be subject to the contribution for the intervention in the economic domain (CIDE) at a rate of 10%.

The opinion confirmed the RFB’s understanding of the operation of the application of the DTA in relation to royalty payments on the right to use the trademark and know-how. More specifically, such remittances should be subject to an income withholding tax rate of 15% under the ‘catch all’ paragraph of Article 12(2)(c), the RFB stated. Similarly, the decision confirmed the application of the CIDE rules on the remittances of such royalties abroad.

While a Solução de Consulta does not represent law or a legal precedent, it does provide further support and guidance for Brazilian entities in relation to how the RFB are treating these types of remittances.



giacobbo.jpg
Conomy

Fernando Giacobbo

Mark Conomy

Fernando Giacobbo (fernando.giacobbo@pwc.com) and Mark Conomy (conomy.mark@pwc.com)

PwC

Website: www.pwc.com.br

more across site & shared bottom lb ros

More from across our site

Identifying who will bear the costs and concerns around confidentiality are issues yet to be resolved, advisers say
As multinationals embed tax technology into their TP functions, a new breed of systems – built on multi-model databases – is quietly transforming intercompany pricing logic
The president described it as ‘one of the most important cases in the history of our country’; in other news, Portugal established a VAT group regime
Clients are facing increased TP audit scrutiny in Hungary. DLA Piper Hungary is therefore using AI and advanced analytics to augment its advice, the firm’s head of TP says
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and MinterEllisonRuddWatts were among the firms that advised on the deal
AI will mean fewer entry-level roles in tax but also the emergence of new jobs, according to tax expert Isabella Barreto
As World Tax unveils its much-anticipated rankings for 2026, we focus on standout performances by PwC, KPMG and Deloitte across the Asia-Pacific region
The partnership model was looking antiquated even before the UK chancellor’s expected tax raid on LLPs was revealed. An additional tax burden may finally kill it off
The US’s GILTI regime will not be forced upon American multinationals in foreign jurisdictions, Bloomberg has reported; in other news, Ropes & Gray hired two tax partners from Linklaters
APAs should provide a pragmatic means to agree to an arm's-length outcome for an Australian entity and for the ATO, the tax authority said
Gift this article