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VAT TAX ISSUE IN BRAZIL | 12 Months Ended
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Jan. 31, 2013
Vat Tax Issues Disclosure [Abstract] |
VAT Tax Issue [Text Block] | 10. VAT TAX ISSUE IN BRAZIL Asserted Claims VAT tax in Brazil is at the state level. We commenced operations in Brazil in May 2008 through an acquisition of Qualytextil, S.A. (“QT”). At the time of the acquisition, and going back to 2004, the acquired company used a port facility in a neighboring state (Recife-Pernambuco), rather than its own, in order to take advantage of incentives, in the form of a discounted VAT tax, to use such neighboring port facility. We continued this practice until April 2009. The practice was stopped largely for economic reasons, resulting from additional trucking costs and longer lead time. The Bahia state auditors (state of domicile for the Lakeland operations in Brazil) initially reviewed the period from 2004-2006 and filed a claim for unpaid VAT taxes in October 2009. The claim asserted that the state VAT taxes are owed to the state of domicile of the ultimate importer/user and disregarded the fact that the VAT taxes had already been paid to the neighboring state. The audit notice claimed that the taxes paid to Recife-Pernambuco should have been paid to Bahia in the amount of R$4.8 million and assessed fines and interest of an additional R$5.6 million for a total of R$10.4 million (approximately US$3.0 million, $3.5 million and $6.5 million, respectively). Bahia had announced an amnesty for this tax whereby R$3.5 million (US$1.9 million) of the taxes claimed were paid by QT by the end of the month of May 2010, and the interest and penalties related thereto were forgiven. According to fiscal regulation of Brazil, R$2.1 million (US$1.1 million) of this amnesty payment has since been recouped as credits against future taxes due. An audit for the 2007-2009 period has been completed by the State of Bahia. In October 2010, the Company received a claim for 2007-2009 from the State of Bahia for taxes of R$6.2 (US$3.1) million and fines and penalties of R$4.9 (US$2.4) million, for a total of R$11.1 (US$5.5) million, which had been expected per above. The Company intends to defend and wait for the next amnesty period. Of these claims, our attorney informs us that R$0.9 (US$0.5) million in respect of fines and penalties will likely be successfully defended based on state auditor misunderstanding. Lakeland intends to apply for amnesty and make any necessary payments upon the forthcoming, anticipated amnesty periods imposed by the local Brazilian authorities. Of this R$6.2 (US$3.2) million exposure, R$3.4 (US$1.9) million is eligible for future credit. This future credit amount represents the USD value at the exchange rate prevailing in 2010 when recorded. Company Brazilian counsel advises the Company that in its opinion the next amnesty will come before the end of the judicial process. There has been a long history in Bahia of the state declaring such amnesty periods every two to three years going back 25 years. The litigation process begins as two separate administrative proceedings and, after a period of time, must be switched to a formal court judicial proceeding. If the next amnesty does not arrive prior to the commencement of the formal court proceedings, the Company will have to remit a “judicial deposit” covering the exposure from 2007-2009 in taxes of approximately R$6.2 (US$3.1) million plus assessed fines and interest bringing the judicial deposit needed to approximately R$12.3 (US$6.2) million. The initial estimated time period to Judicial Court deposit was 1.5-2 years. Set forth below are the total amounts of potential tax liability from both the first and second claims, the amount of payments already made into amnesty or scheduled for future payment, which are not eligible for future credit (essentially the discount allowed as an incentive by the neighboring state), less the amount of VAT taxes actually paid which are available as a credit and the amounts of the escrow released by one of the three sellers of the Brazilian company acquired by the Company. The foregoing forms the basis for the US$1.6 million charge to expense recorded by Lakeland in the first quarter of fiscal 2011.
|  | BRL (millions) |  | USD (millions) |
Foreign exchange rate |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1.82 |  | 1.82 |  | 1.82 |
|  | Total Paid Or To Be Paid Into Government Under Amnesty Program |  | Total Not Available For Credit1 |  | Available For Credit2 |  | Total Paid Or To Be Paid Into Government Under Amnesty Program |  | Total Not Available For Credit1 |  | Available For Credit2 |
Original claim 2004-2006 |  |  | 3.5 |  |  | 1.4 |  |  | 2.1 |  |  | 1.9 |  |  | 0.8 |  |  | 1.1 |
Second claim |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Preacquisition 2007-April 2008 |  |  | 2.4 |  |  | 1.0 |  |  | 1.4 |  |  | 1.3 |  |  | 0.5 |  |  | 0.8 |
Postacquisition May 2008-April 2009 |  |  | 3.3 |  |  | 1.4 |  |  | 1.9 |  |  | 1.8 |  |  | 0.8 |  |  | 1.0 |
Totals |  |  | 9.2 |  |  | 3.8 |  |  | 5.4 |  |  | 5.0 |  |  | 2.1 |  |  | 2.9 |
Escrow released from one seller |  |  | 1.0 |  |  | 1.0 |  |  | - |  |  | 0.5 |  |  | 0.5 |  |  | - |
Charged to expense at April 30, 2010 |  |  | - |  |  | 2.8 |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | 1.6 |  |  | - |
1 Essentially represents the discount originally offered as incentive by the neighboring state. 2 The amount allowed as credit against future payments represents the VAT taxes actually previously paid to the neighboring state. Of these claims, our attorney informs us that R$1.0 (US$0.6) million will be successfully defended based on a lapse of statute of limitations and R$0.3 (US$0.2) million based on state auditor misunderstanding. No accrual has been made for these items. The total taxes paid into the amnesty program on May 31, 2010, were R$3.5 (US$2.2) million. Future Accounting for Funds Following payment into the amnesty program, a portion of the taxes were since recouped via credits against future taxes due. The Company does not expect any further charges to expense other than as described below: In addition to the direct cost of the additional tax liability accrued per above, there are several additional costs which will be future costs. There will be interest costs on the cash paid during the period from the payment to the state and the credit to be subsequently used which has been and will be charged to expense as incurred. There will be legal fees to defend and resolve this legal matter before the state, which will be charged to expense as incurred. Further, there will be a loss of an incentive known as “desenvolve” 3 as a result of using the credit rather than cash payments for the future VAT taxes. The “desenvolve” has already been reflected in the operating results subsequent to May 2010 through August 2011 when the initial credit was exhausted and the Company resumed normal monthly cash payments for VAT taxes. This has been reflected as a reduction in the gross margin in the ensuing period through August 2011. This is not a cost but a lost discount. Summary of Cash Flow Requirements: (R$ millions and US$ millions)
Claim period/description |  | Taxes |  | Fines and penalties |  | Maximum judicial deposit |
2004-2006 not paid into amnesty and being defended. Management does not plan to pay this into amnesty |  | R$ | 1.3 |  | R$ | 1.9 |  | R$ | 3.2 |  | US$ | 1.6 |
2007-2009 claim by State of Bahia ~(1)~ |  | R$ | 6.2 |  | R$ | 6.1 |  | R$ | 12.3 |  | US$ | 6.2 |
TOTAL |  | R$ | 7.5 |  | R$ | 8.0 |  | R$ | 15.5 |  | US$ | 7.8 |
(1) Our attorney informs us that based on the slow progress so far in the administrative proceedings for the 2007-2009 claim, they believe it is now more likely than not that the next amnesty will arrive prior to the need to pay the R$12.3 judicial deposit. Therefore, the most likely cash flow outlook in management’s opinion is as follows:
R$3.1 (US$1.6) million 2004-2006 Judicial deposit | Management has pledged a first lien on its plant and equipment in Brazil as a judicial deposit in lieu of cash.
R$6.2 (US$3.1) million 2007-2009 claim into amnesty | From Quarter Three Fiscal year 2014 to Quarter Four Fiscal year 2014
3 “Desenvolve” is an incentive remaining from Brazil’s hyperinflationary days about 10 years ago. It is based on the net ICMS (VAT) tax payable. (QT pays ICMS to suppliers on raw materials, bills and collects ICMS from customers, takes credit for ICMS paid to suppliers and remits the difference. The net amount payable is payable 30% immediately and 70% for up to five years. The “desenvolve” is an incentive to pay the 70% quickly, like a cash discount. If the full amount is paid immediately, there is an 80% discount of the 70% (or 56% of the total). At the next amnesty period:
| · | If before judicial process - still administration proceeding - the Company would pay only the taxes with no penalty or interest. This would then be recouped via credits against future taxes on future imports. As before, the Company would lose desenvolve and interest.
| · | If after judicial process commences - the amount of the judicial deposit previously remitted would be reclassified to the taxes at issue, and the excess submitted to cover fines and interest would be refunded to QT. As above, the taxes would be recouped via credits against future taxes on future imports, but we would lose desenvolve and interest.
| · | The desenvolve is scheduled to expire on February 2013 and has been partially phased out starting February 2011. Based on the anticipated timing of the next amnesty, there may be small amounts of desenvolve lost since it would largely expire on its own terms in any case.
Balance Sheet Treatment The Company has reflected the above items on its January 31, 2013, balance sheet as follows:
|  |  |  | R$ millions |  | US$ millions~(1)~ |
Noncurrent assets |  | VAT taxes eligible for future credit |  |  | 3.4 |  |  | 1.9 |
Long-term liabilities |  | Taxes payable |  |  | 6.2 |  |  | 3.1 |
(1) At exchange rate prevailing in 2010 when recorded.

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