The Absolut Company AB had been issued an assessment of additional taxable income of SEK 247 mio. The assessment was based on the position that (1) The Absolut Company AB had been selling below the arm’s length price to an US group company – The Absolut Spirit Company Inc. (ASCI), and (2) that acquired distribution services from ASCI that had been priced above the arm’s length price. In 2018 the Swedish Administrative Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the tax administration. The Swedish Supreme Administrative Court has now ruled in favor of The Absolute Company AB. According to the Supreme Administrative Court the Swedish Tax Agency did not fulfill the burden of proof. The Supreme Administrative Court further states that the full range of results in the benchmark study could be applied and that a multiple year analysis of the tested party data can be used to support an arm’s length result. Click here for translation ...

In 2016 the Swedish Tax Tribunal ruled against the tax administration in the case of The Absolut (vodka) Company AB. The Administrative Court of Appeal has now overturned the Tribunal’s ruling and consequently SEK 247 mio. are now added to the taxable income of The Absolut Company AB. The Swedish tax administration found that The Absolut Company AB sold Absolut Vodka below the arm’s length price to a group company – The Absolut Spirit Company Inc. (ASCI). Furthermore, the swedish company acquired distribution services from ASCI at a price above the arm’s length price. The Court adresses: – timing of data and information in a Benchmarking search – use of interquartile range or full range – use of multible years data – the issue of hindsight Click here for translation ...