Noboa’s Company Prepares an Emergency Trial to Stop Charging



While the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) insists on charging through the seizure the gloss of $85 million, Exportadora Bananera Noboa reiterates that owes nothing to the Treasury, and announced this week a law suit that will stop the coercive process.

The company, owned by the Prian leader, Álvaro Noboa, has until Thursday to pay that amount, which resulted from the determination (audit) that the IRS conducted in the exercise of 2005, on the presumption that the taxpayer evaded taxes.

The company has received three reports of payment from Wednesday until last Friday, it has three days to pay. The period ends this Thursday and after this the IRS may apply the coercive if is not canceled the doubt yet. Revenue sources explained that after that time, they will freeze some assets equivalent to the debt. Still now is no date, because the actions will delay for assessment and legal decisions.

The defense says that they will stop the seizure with a processed exception that is written in the Tax Code. The legal director of Banana Company, Fernando Alarcón, announced this week a trial that  will be consider in an exception judge, where it will be aware a claim or an administrative appeal.

Last Friday, the defense quoted Article 214 of the Code, which states that the presentations “suspend the enforcement proceedings.” The company questioned the methodology employed by the IRS to get the amount of tax payable on income; and therefore filed a judicial appeal (cassation) and one administrative (review).

The head of IRS, Carlos Marx Carrasco, said that these resources will not prevent the collection action, and he defended the use of transfer prices used for determining the gloss. Carrasco revealed the existence of a trial in London, which aired the legitimacy of the legacy of Álvaro Noboa, this allowed the IRS to identify a holding of companies related to Grupo Noboa who were in tax havens where the fruit was sold.

With this mechanism, the IRS presumes that the taxpayer was trying to make a statement reporting lower sales only to its own affiliates in tax havens. These are Kelso Enterprises in Nassau (Bahamas) and Pacific Fruit in Delaware. He explained why the IRS saw the need for transfer pricing and set the glosses.

Debt arrears
The Director of IRS urged taxpayer to pay and avoid further complications, such as the accumulation of interest or that the IRS initiate a criminal prosecution on charges of tax fraud, said on Canal Uno.