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Guarantees, Other Contingent Liabilities, And Other Matters | 9 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2013
Guarantees, Other Contingent Liabilities, And Other Matters [Abstract] |
Guarantees, Other Contingent Liabilities, And Other Matters | GUARANTEES, OTHER CONTINGENT LIABILITIES, AND OTHER MATTERS Guarantees and Other Contingent Liabilities Guarantees of Bank Loans and Other Contingent Liabilities Guarantees of bank loans to tobacco growers for crop financing and construction of curing barns or other tobacco producing assets have long been industry practice in Brazil and support the farmers’ production of tobacco there. More recently, similar arrangements were established in Malawi for the 2013 crop year in connection with a shift from auction market sourcing to direct contracting in that country, but those arrangements were concluded with the final deliveries of that crop during the current quarter. At December 31, 2013, the Company’s total exposure under guarantees issued by its operating subsidiaries for banking facilities of farmers in Brazil was approximately $38 million ($41 million face amount including unpaid accrued interest less $3 million recorded for the fair value of the guarantees). All of the outstanding guarantees expire within one year. The subsidiaries withhold payments due to the farmers on delivery of tobacco and forward those payments to the third-party banks. Failure of farmers to deliver sufficient quantities of tobacco to the subsidiaries to cover their obligations to the third-party banks could result in a liability for the subsidiaries under the related guarantees; however, in that case, the subsidiaries would have recourse against the farmers. The maximum potential amount of future payments that the Company’s subsidiaries could be required to make at December 31, 2013, was the face amount, $41 million including unpaid accrued interest ($35 million at December 31, 2012, and $20 million at March 31, 2013). The fair value of the guarantees was a liability of approximately $3 million at December 31, 2013 ($5 million at December 31, 2012, and $4 million at March 31, 2013). In addition to these guarantees, the Company has other contingent liabilities totaling approximately $3 million at December 31, 2013. European Commission Fines in Italy In 2002, the Company reported that it was aware that the European Commission (the "Commission") was investigating certain aspects of the leaf tobacco markets in Italy. One of the Company's subsidiaries, Deltafina, S.p.A. ("Deltafina"), buys and processes tobacco in Italy. The Company reported that it did not believe that the Commission investigation in Italy would result in penalties being assessed against it or its subsidiaries that would be material to the Company’s earnings. The reason the Company held this belief was that it had received conditional immunity from the Commission because Deltafina had voluntarily informed the Commission of the activities that were the basis of the investigation. On December 28, 2004, the Company received a preliminary indication that the Commission intended to revoke Deltafina’s immunity for disclosing in April 2002 that it had applied for immunity. Neither the Commission’s Leniency Notice of February 19, 2002, nor Deltafina’s letter of provisional immunity, contains a specific requirement of confidentiality. The potential for such disclosure was discussed with the Commission in March 2002, and the Commission never told Deltafina that disclosure would affect Deltafina’s immunity. On November 15, 2005, the Company received notification from the Commission that the Commission had imposed fines totaling €30 million on Deltafina and the Company jointly for infringing European Union antitrust law in connection with the purchase and processing of tobacco in the Italian raw tobacco market. In January 2006, the Company and Deltafina each filed appeals in the General Court of the European Union ("General Court"). Deltafina’s appeal was held on September 28, 2010. For strategic reasons related to the defense of the Deltafina appeal, Universal withdrew its appeal. On September 9, 2011, the General Court issued its decision, in which it rejected Deltafina’s application to reinstate immunity. Deltafina appealed the decision of the General Court to the European Court of Justice, and a hearing was held in November 2012. Effective with the September 9, 2011 General Court decision, the Company recorded a charge for the full amount of the fine (€30 million) plus accumulated interest (€5.9 million). The charge totaled $49.1 million at the exchange rate in effect on the date of the General Court decision. Deltafina maintains a bank guarantee in favor of the Commission in the amount of the fine plus accumulated interest in order to stay execution during the appeals process, and the Company has collateralized that guarantee with a bank deposit totaling $53 million at December 31, 2013. At December 31, 2013, the accrued liability for the fine and interest was reported in other current liabilities, and the deposit was recorded in other current assets. The Company expects the appeal to be decided during calendar year 2014. Any fine and interest Deltafina may ultimately be required to pay would not be due until the European Court of Justice issues its decision. Other Legal and Tax Matters In addition to the above-mentioned matter, various subsidiaries of the Company are involved in other litigation and tax examinations incidental to their business activities. While the outcome of these matters cannot be predicted with certainty, management is vigorously defending the matters and does not currently expect that any of them will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business or financial position. However, should one or more of these matters be resolved in a manner adverse to management’s current expectation, the effect on the Company’s results of operations for a particular fiscal reporting period could be material. Favorable Outcome of IPI Tax Credit Case in Brazil During the quarter ended June 30, 2013, a longstanding lawsuit related to IPI tax credits filed by the Company's operating subsidiary in Brazil was concluded in the subsidiary's favor with a decision by the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice on the final appeal filed by the Brazilian federal government. Although additional appeals by the government were expected in the case, the time period to file those appeals expired before the end of the quarter, and the decision and overall outcome of the case have been confirmed. IPI tax credits were established under Brazilian tax laws to allow recovery of a portion of the excise taxes paid on manufactured products when those products are sold in export markets. In prior years, the subsidiary paid excise taxes on the component cost of unprocessed tobacco purchased from growers, as well as the cost of electricity, packing materials, and other inputs used in its manufacturing process. Under the law, the subsidiary believed it was entitled to use IPI tax credits to recover excise taxes on the processed tobacco it exported. However, specific regulations issued by the Brazilian tax authorities did not permit the subsidiary to claim those credits. The suit filed by the subsidiary challenged the denial of the tax credits based on the law. Several decisions in lower courts were decided in the subsidiary's favor for a portion of the tax credits claimed in the suit, but those decisions were appealed on various grounds by both the government and the subsidiary. The expiration of the latest appeal period ended the matter in the courts. The final court decision entitles the subsidiary to approximately $104 million of IPI tax credits (based on the exchange rate at the date of the decision), which can be used to offset future payments of other Brazilian federal taxes for a period of up to five years. That amount includes the tax credits generated over the period granted by the courts, as well as interest calculated from the date those credits should have been available to the subsidiary. As noted, the ability to use the tax credits to offset other Brazilian federal tax payments expires in five years, and utilization of the credits is also subject to audit by the tax authorities. Based on current estimates of the tax credits that are probable of being realized, the subsidiary recorded an allowance, reducing the net book value of the credits to approximately $90 million. After deducting related legal fees and Brazilian social contribution taxes assessed on the interest portion of the total IPI tax credits received, the subsidiary recorded a net gain of $81.6 million ($53.1 million after tax, or $1.87 per diluted share) during the quarter ended June 30, 2013, as a result of the favorable outcome of the case. The gain is reported in Other Income in the consolidated statement of income. Management of the Company and the subsidiary regularly review the estimates and assumptions used in determining the total amount of the tax credits likely to be realized and, accordingly, it is reasonably possible that the valuation allowance could be adjusted in future reporting periods. During the quarter ended December 31, 2013, the subsidiary began using the credits to offset tax payments. Advances to Suppliers In many sourcing origins where the Company operates, it provides agronomy services and seasonal advances of seed, fertilizer, and other supplies to tobacco farmers for crop production, or makes seasonal cash advances to farmers for the procurement of those inputs. These advances are short term, are repaid upon delivery of tobacco to the Company, and are reported in advances to suppliers in the consolidated balance sheets. In several origins, the Company has made long-term advances to tobacco farmers to finance curing barns and other farm infrastructure. In some years, due to low crop yields and other factors, individual farmers may not deliver sufficient volumes of tobacco to fully repay their seasonal advances, and the Company may extend repayment of those advances into future crop years. The long-term portion of advances is included in other noncurrent assets in the consolidated balance sheets. Both the current and the long-term portions of advances to suppliers are reported net of allowances recorded when the Company determines that amounts outstanding are not likely to be collected. Short-term and long-term advances to suppliers totaled $174 million at December 31, 2013, $186 million at December 31, 2012, and $199 million at March 31, 2013. The related valuation allowances totaled $46 million at December 31, 2013, $56 million at December 31, 2012, and $54 million at March 31, 2013, and were estimated based on the Company’s historical loss information and crop projections. The allowances were increased by provisions for estimated uncollectible amounts of approximately $9 million and $3 million in the nine-month periods ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. These provisions are included in selling, general, and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of income. Interest on advances is recognized in earnings upon the farmers’ delivery of tobacco in payment of principal and interest. Accrual of interest is discontinued when an advance is not expected to be fully collected. Recoverable Value-Added Tax Credits In many foreign countries, the Company’s local operating subsidiaries pay significant amounts of value-added tax (“VAT”) on purchases of unprocessed and processed tobacco, crop inputs, packing materials, and various other goods and services. In some countries, VAT is a national tax, and in other countries it is assessed at the state level. Items subject to VAT vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, as do the rates at which the tax is assessed. When tobacco is sold to customers in the country of origin, the operating subsidiaries generally collect VAT on those sales. The subsidiaries are normally permitted to offset their VAT payments against the collections and remit only the incremental VAT collections to the tax authorities. When tobacco is sold for export, VAT is normally not assessed. In countries where tobacco sales are predominately for export markets, VAT collections generated on downstream sales are often not sufficient to fully offset the subsidiaries’ VAT payments. In those situations, unused VAT credits can accumulate. Some jurisdictions have procedures that allow companies to apply for refunds of unused VAT credits from the tax authorities, but the refund process often takes an extended period of time and it is not uncommon for refund applications to be challenged or rejected in part on technical grounds. Other jurisdictions may permit companies to sell or transfer unused VAT credits to third parties in private transactions, although approval for such transactions normally must be obtained from the tax authorities, limits on the amounts that can be transferred are usually imposed, and the proceeds realized may be heavily discounted from the face value of the credits. Due to these factors, local operating subsidiaries in some countries can accumulate significant balances of VAT credits over time. The Company reviews these balances on a regular basis and records valuation allowances on the credits to reflect amounts that are not expected to be recovered, as well as discounts anticipated on credits that are expected to be sold or transferred. At December 31, 2013, the aggregate balance of recoverable tax credits held by the Company’s subsidiaries totaled approximately $75 million ($77 million at December 31, 2012, and $73 million at March 31, 2013), and the related valuation allowances totaled approximately $28 million ($26 million at December 31, 2012, and $26 million at March 31, 2013). The net balances are reported in other current assets and other noncurrent assets in the consolidated balance sheets. In June 2011, tax authorities in Brazil completed an audit of inter-state VAT filings by the Company’s operating subsidiary there and issued assessments for tax, penalties, and interest for tax periods from 2006 through 2009 totaling approximately $20 million based on the exchange rate for the Brazilian currency at December 31, 2013. Management of the operating subsidiary and outside counsel believe that errors were made by the tax authorities in determining portions of the assessment and that various defenses support the subsidiary’s positions. Accordingly, the subsidiary took steps to contest the full amount of the assessment. As of December 31, 2013, a portion of the subsidiary’s arguments had been accepted, and the outstanding assessments had been reduced to approximately $15 million (at the December 31, 2013 exchange rate). The subsidiary is continuing to contest the full remaining amount of the assessment. While the range of reasonably possible loss is zero up to the full $15 million remaining assessment, based on the strength of the subsidiary's defenses, no loss within that range is considered probable at this time and no liability has been recorded at December 31, 2013. Repayment of Medium Term Notes and Completion of New Bank Term Loan Agreement On October 15, 2013, the Company repaid at maturity $200 million principal amount of 5.2% medium term notes. Subsequently, on October 28, 2013, the Company entered into a new $175 million senior term loan agreement with a group of banks. The loan is unsecured, matures in five years, and provides for incremental term loans in an amount up to $75 million at the Company's option, subject to customary conditions. Loans outstanding under the agreement currently bear interest at LIBOR plus 1.50% (1.69% on December 31, 2013) and may be prepaid at any time without premium or penalty. The financial covenants under the new facility are substantially similar to those of the Company's committed revolving credit facility, which require a minimum level of tangible net worth and contain limits on debt levels.

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