Elkem's tax strategy

Risk management and governance
Elkem’s primary tax risk is that of not being compliant with applicable tax laws and regulations and therefore not paying the correct amount of tax. Elkem manages this risk by operating effective tax governance and ensuring tax decisions are made by senior staff with appropriate skills and experience. In addition, Elkem uses third party advisors where necessary to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Elkem has a competent and capable finance department where staff have clearly defined roles and responsibilities to ensure compliance with tax requirements. In the event of uncertainty, matters are referred to the Chief Financial Officer or Head of Group Tax who may seek advice from the tax authorities or external professional advisors. Our most complex tax returns are reviewed by our independent external auditors as an additional control to ensure they are correct and comply with all relevant laws and regulations.

A secondary risk for Elkem is the reputational risk of not being in compliance with tax laws and regulations, this includes both the letter and spirit of the law. Elkem is proud of its reputation as a responsible and ethical company and as such does not undertake any form of aggressive tax planning which could diminish this reputation.

Attitude towards tax planning
Elkem takes a conservative approach to tax planning and does not pursue any form of aggressive tax planning arrangements. Our tax affairs are managed in a way that ensures efficiency based on commercial principles. We will take advantage of any incentives or reliefs that exist as long as these comply with tax laws and regulations. Elkem is compliant with transfer pricing regulations and is transparent with tax authorities across all of its locations in this respect.

Acceptable levels of tax risk
Elkem has a low risk tolerance in matters concerning tax. Where tax law is unclear or subject to interpretation, our tax position will always be conservative. We also endeavor to have an open dialogue with tax authorities to avoid taking a tax position which can be deemed risky.

Dealing with tax authorities
We seek an open and transparent relationship with all of the tax authorities we deal with. Our dealings shall be undertaken in a timely and professional fashion and we are committed to providing tax authorities with any information they should require in order to comply with tax laws and regulations.