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Commitments and Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
Litigation and Other Legal Matters
The Company is subject to certain contingent liabilities with respect to existing or potential claims, lawsuits and other proceedings. The Company accrues liabilities when it considers it probable that future costs will be incurred and such costs can be reasonably estimated. Proceeding-related liabilities are based on developments to date and historical information related to actions filed against the Company. As of June 30, 2023, the Company had accounted for estimated liabilities involving proceeding-related contingencies and other estimated contingencies of $72 million to cover legal actions against the Company in which Management has assessed the likelihood of a final adverse outcome as probable. Expected legal costs related to litigations are accrued when the legal service is actually provided.
In addition, as of June 30, 2023, the Company and its subsidiaries are subject to certain legal actions considered by the Company’s Management and its legal counsels to be reasonably possible of resulting in a loss for an estimated aggregate amount up to $458 million. No loss amounts have been accrued for such reasonably possible legal actions.
For further information related to contingent liabilities please refer to Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements in the Company’s 2022 10-K.
Tax Claims
Interstate rate of ICMS-DIFAL on interstate sales
The tax claim related to the interstate rate of ICMS-DIFAL on interstate sales is described in Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements in the Company’s 2022 10-K. In April 2023, and based on court authorization, the Company withdrew the deposits corresponding to the case related to the branch of Santa Catarina, which had become final and unappealable in September 2022 in favor of eBazar.com.br Ltda. The remaining cases, which were pending as of December 31, 2022, had no updates during the six-month period ended June 30, 2023. The Company maintains a $5 million provision as of June 30, 2023 for the disputed amounts related to the 6 ongoing cases whose risk of losing is considered by Management to be probable, based on the opinion of external legal counsel.
Exclusion of ICMS tax benefits from PIS and COFINS tax base
The Company receives ICMS tax benefits from the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, granted through a special regime signed with the State by means of a term of agreement, which are aimed at implementing and expanding business in the State. The Company accounted for the tax benefit netting cost of net revenues for the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2023, for $28 million and $16 million, respectively, and for the six and three-month periods ended June 30, 2022, for $17 million and $8 million, respectively.
On April 25, 2023, the Company filed a writ of mandamus seeking an injunction and claiming the exclusion of the amounts relating to the ICMS tax benefits granted by the State of Minas Gerais in the tax base of the Social Contributions (PIS and COFINS).
On May 26, 2023, a decision was rendered granting the injunction requested. The Company is currently waiting for the final judicial decision. Management’s opinion, based on the opinion of external legal counsel, is that the risk of losing the case is reasonably possible but not probable based on the technical merits of the Company’s tax position. For that reason, the Company has not recorded any expense or liability for the disputed amounts. The Company accounted for $8 million for PIS and COFINS tax benefits arising from the ICMS tax incentives during the six-month period ended June 30, 2023, considering the exchange rate as of June 30, 2023, of which $2 million corresponded to the period ended December 31, 2021, and $3 million corresponded to the period ended December 31, 2022.
Buyer protection program
The buyer protection program (“BPP”) is designed to protect buyers in the Marketplace from losses due primarily to fraud or counterparty non-performance. The Company’s BPP provides protection to consumers by reimbursing them for the total value of a purchased item and the value of any shipping service paid if it does not arrive, arrives incomplete or damaged, does not match the seller’s description or if the buyer regrets the purchase. The Company is entitled to recover from the third-party carrier companies performing the shipping service certain amounts paid under the BPP. Furthermore, in some specific circumstances, the Company enters into insurance contracts with third-party insurance companies in order to cover contingencies that may arise from the BPP.
The maximum potential exposure under this program is estimated to be the volume of payments on the Marketplace, for which claims may be made under the terms and conditions of the Company’s BPP. Based on historical losses to date, the Company does not believe that the maximum potential exposure is representative of the actual potential exposure. The Company records a liability with respect to losses under this program when they are probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated.
As of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, Management’s estimate of the maximum potential exposure related to the Company’s buyer protection program is $4,533 million and $4,002 million, respectively, for which the Company recorded a provision of $7 million and $6 million, respectively.
Commitments
The Company committed to purchase cloud platform services from two U.S. suppliers based on the following terms:
a) for a total amount of $824 million, to be paid between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2026. As of June 30, 2023, the Company had paid $270 million; and
b) for a total amount of $200 million, to be paid between September 23, 2022 and September 23, 2025. As of June 30, 2023, the Company had paid $27 million.
On April 8, 2022, the Company signed a 10-year agreement with Gol Linhas Aereas S.A. under which the Company is committed to contract a minimum amount of air logistics services for a total annual cost of $43 million (total amount once all the dedicated aircraft are in operation). Pursuant to the agreement, Gol Linhas Aereas S.A. provides logistics services in Brazil to Mercado Envios through six dedicated aircraft, four of which have already started operations as of June 30, 2023.
In connection with the closing of MELI Kaszek Pioneer Corp’s (“MEKA”) initial public offering on October 1, 2021, MEKA (a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by MELI Kaszek Pioneer Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”), which is a joint venture between Company’s subsidiary MELI Capital Ventures LLC and Kaszek Ventures Opportunity II, L.P.) entered into a forward purchase agreement with the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Sponsor committed to purchase from MEKA 5 million Class A ordinary shares at a price of $10 per share in a private placement to close substantially concurrently with the consummation of MEKA’s initial business combination.