Our Tax Principles
Eli Lilly and Company and its subsidiaries around the world (“Lilly”) pay a significant amount of taxes to local, state, provincial, regional and national governments including taxes on profits, social taxes on employment, taxes on property, excise taxes on purchases, customs and duties, withholding taxes, environmental and other taxes. In addition, our businesses collect sales and value-added taxes and other similar transactional taxes charged to our customers. We also collect numerous taxes paid by our employees. Lilly pays all taxes due in full and on time in the geographic jurisdictions in which we operate.
The principles guiding Lilly’s global tax affairs consist of the following:
Tax Compliance
Lilly is committed to complying with all applicable tax laws, rules, regulations and related disclosure requirements and will pay the correct amount of tax due based on such tax laws, rules and regulations of the jurisdictions in which we operate.
Lilly will interpret applicable tax laws using relevant guidance and apply diligent professional care and judgment to arrive at well-reasoned conclusions, including discussing such conclusions with tax authorities where appropriate.
Lilly will seek certainty in its tax conclusions but, where tax law is unclear or subject to interpretation, written advice will be sought as appropriate to understand and minimize risk.
Lilly will ensure all material tax-related conclusions are made at the appropriate level and supported with documentation that evidences the facts, determinations and risks involved.
Lilly’s tax risk is integrated within the Company’s enterprise risk management and compliance framework.
Tax Management
Lilly will manage its tax affairs efficiently to reduce uncertainy, enhance shareholder value, and maintain global competitiveness, always guided by our Lilly brand and business integrity.
Lilly will comply with the tax laws of the countries in which it operates including claiming properly available allowances, deductions, reliefs, incentives, exemptions and credits where it is beneficial and appropriate to do so.
Lilly aligns its tax affairs with its commercial investments and business strategies with significant tax risks overseen within the Company’s enterprise risk management and compliance framework.
Tax Relationships
Lilly will seek to have open and constructive working relationships with tax authorities and government bodies, all based upon our Lilly values of integrity, excellence and respect for people to minimize disputes and risks.
Lilly will, where appropriate, enter into continuous audit programs and agreements to enhance certainty on the tax treatment of our business.
Lilly will actively manage and monitor adherence to the above tax principles.
Footnote: Our published tax principles satisfy Schedule 19 of the UK Finance Act 2016, in respect of our financial year ending December 2022.