4.4 Donations and social sponsorship
4.5 Taxes and customs
We commit to society in many ways
We meticulously observe tax
and customs regulations
CORPORATE PRINCIPLE
MYCONTRIBUTION
CORPORATE PRINCIPLE
EXAMPLE
We make donations, i.e., voluntary
If I consider a particular sponsorship measure
to be worthy of support, I make initial contact
with the appropriate departments in the
Company, e.g., Communications, External
Relations, and Human Resources.
As a global company, we are aware of our
social responsibility to meet our
You are responsible for posting certain
business transactions, for example general
overheads such as maintenance expenses,
and production costs, in the statutory
financial statements. One project exceeds
certain controlling parameters early in
the financial year. You therefore receive
instructions to make an entry under
contributions without a return service by
the recipient, and grant sponsorships and
brand ambassador agreements,
obligations with regard to foreign trade,
taxes and customs, and we explicitly
endorse compliance with national and
international legislation.
i.e., contributions based on a contractually
agreed return service for social objectives, to
achieve a positive impact in terms of our
reputation and public perception. In order to
avoid conflicts of interest and
The granting of donations must be
transparent, i.e., the purpose, the recipient of
the donation, and the financial management
must be documented and verifiable. I comply
with internal processes and general conditions
and do not initiate any donation that could
damage the reputation of our Company.
MYCONTRIBUTION
maintenance expenses even though the
transaction unquestionably relates to an
investment and must therefore be treated
as capitalized production costs.
to ensure standard conduct within the
Company, donations and sponsorship and
brand ambassador agreements measures
are permitted only in the context of the
respective legal framework and in
I design internal structures and processes in
such a manner as to ensure that the taxes and
customs to be paid by the respective Group
companies are calculated correctly, promptly
and in full, are disclosed in reporting, and are
paid to the relevant fiscal authorities.
Post the entry in line with legal requirements.
All business transactions must be correctly
reported pursuant to commercial law and tax
regulations because these accounting records
form the basis for tax returns.
accordance with the applicable internal rules
of the Group brands and companies.
EXAMPLE
A local politician asks you for a cash donation or
sponsorship from your Company for a
government project/event.
If I have information concerning a violation of
tax and customs regulations in my area of
responsibility, I undertake every action I can to
prevent or stop this violation. If that is not
possible, I get in touch with the appropriate
contact person in the tax and customs
department.
Donations and sponsorship and brand
ambassador agreements measures are
only granted in accordance with a
transparent approval process. We grant
Payments and/or non-cash benefits for
scientific, charitable, cultural or religious
purposes. In addition, we grant donations
exclusively to institutions which are
recognized as charitable and / or tax-
privileged.
Accounting errors could therefore result in
incorrect tax returns and lead to serious
consequences under tax and customs
law for the Company and the employees
responsible.
Turn down the request. Donations and
sponsorships may only be granted after going
through the required approval process. In this
specific case, the donation or sponsorship
cannot be approved because an internal
guideline prohibits donations and
sponsorships to political parties, related
institutions, and politicians.
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