Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued) 164 Vodafone Group Plc Annual Report 2024 2020 6. Taxation (continued) Pillar Two - Global Minimum Tax 164 Vodafone Group Plc Annual Report 2024 Strategic report Governance
Financials
Other information
On 20 June 2023, the UK substantively enacted the Pillar Two global minimum tax model rules (the “Pillar Two” rules) of the OECD’s Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (’BEPS’). The legislation took effect for financial years commencing on or after 1 January 2024, making it effective for the Vodafone Group from 1 April 2024. Under these rules, a top-up tax will arise where the effective tax rate of the Group’s operations in any individual jurisdiction, calculated using principles set out in the Pillar Two legislation, is below 15%. Any resulting tax would be payable by Vodafone Group Plc to the UK tax authority (HMRC) being the Group’s ultimate parent. As a consequence of the Pillar Two rules, many national governments have enacted (or announced the imminent introduction of) domestic minimum tax rules that are closely aligned to the OECD’s Pillar Two model rules. Where such domestic minimum tax rules are in place, they should raise local tax obligations to the 15% minimum rate, thereby eliminating the top-up tax liability otherwise payable by Vodafone Group Plc under the UK’s Pillar Two rules. Vodafone monitors the implementation of such domestic minimum tax rules to ensure compliance with all filing obligations. We have performed an assessment of the Group’s potential exposure to Pillar Two rules based on financial information for the years ended 31 March 2023 and 31 March 2024 and simulated the transitional Safe harbour tests set out by the OECD based on our Country-by-Country reporting data and our consolidated financial statements for 2021, 2022, 2023. According to this assessment, Vodafone should meet one or more Safe harbour tests in the majority of the jurisdictions in which we operate. The Pillar Two effective tax rates in most of the jurisdictions in which the Group operates are above 15%. We estimate that the combined impact of countries implementing qualified domestic minimum top-up taxes and the income inclusion rule in the UK will result in an estimated €9-14 million additional tax per annum, which will not have a significant impact on the Group's Adjusted Effective Tax Rate (‘AETR’). 7. Discontinued operations and assets held for sale The Group classifies certain of its assets that it expects to dispose as either discontinued operations or as held for sale. The Group classifies non-current assets and assets and liabilities within disposal groups (‘assets’) as held for sale if the assets are available immediately for sale in their present condition, management is committed to a plan to sell the assets under usual terms, it is highly probable that their carrying amounts will be recovered principally through a sale transaction rather than through continuing use and the sale is expected to be completed within one year from the date of the initial classification. Assets and liabilities classified as held for sale are presented separately as current items in the consolidated statement of financial position and are measured at the lower of their carrying amount and fair value less costs to sell. Property, plant and equipment and intangible assets are not depreciated or amortised once classified as held for sale. Similarly, equity accounting ceases for associates and joint ventures held for sale. Where operations constitute a separately reportable segment (see note 2 ‘Revenue disaggregation and segmental analysis’) and have been disposed of, or are classified as held for sale, the Group classifies such operations as discontinued. Discontinued operations are excluded from the results of continuing operations and are presented as a single amount as profit or loss after tax from discontinued operations in the Consolidated income statement. Discontinued operations are also excluded from segment reporting. All other notes to the Consolidated financial statements include amounts for continuing operations, unless indicated otherwise. Transactions between the Group's continuing and discontinued operations are eliminated in full in the Consolidated income statement. To the extent that the Group considers that the commercial relationships with discontinued operations will continue post-disposal, transactions are reflected within continuing operations with an opposite charge or credit reflected within the results of discontinued operations resulting in a net nil impact on the Group’s Profit for the financial year for the years presented. Discontinued operations On 31 October 2023, the Group announced that it had entered into binding agreements with Zegona Communications plc (’Zegona’) in relation to the sale of 100% of Vodafone Holdings Europe, S.L.U. (‘Vodafone Spain’). The expected completion of the disposal is the first half of 2024. On 15 March 2024, the Group announced that it had entered into a binding agreement with Swisscom AG (‘Swisscom’) in relation to the sale of 100% of Vodafone Italia S.p.A. (’Vodafone Italy’). The expected completion of the disposal is in the first half of 2025. Consequently, the results of Vodafone Spain and Vodafone Italy are reported as discontinued operations and the assets and liabilities of both are presented as held for sale in the consolidated statement of financial position. A summary of the results of these discontinued operations is below. 2024 2023 2022 €m €m €m (Loss)/profit for the financial year - Discontinued operations Vodafone Spain (5) (340) (352) Vodafone Italy (60) 93 537 Total (65) (247) 185 (Loss)/earnings per share - Discontinued operations Basic (0.24)c (0.89)c 0.64c Diluted (0.24)c (0.89)c 0.63c
Powered by FlippingBook