The purpose of this document is to set out the Tax Strategy of Lacoste UK Ltd (the “Company”) and the
member of its UK sub-group in compliance with paragraph 19(2), Schedule 19, Finance Act 2016 for th
accounting period beginning on 1 January 2024.
Lacoste UK Ltd is one of the companies of the Lacoste group whose main business object is the
wholesale and retail distribution of Lacoste products in the United Kingdom.
Our approach to risk management and governance
The Company tax policy and objectives are to comply across all direct and indirect taxes, as a company
and employer, with all applicable tax laws and obligations, as well as with international treaties and
international tax guidelines (OECD).
The Company recognizes that all taxes that it pays and collects for government are an integral element
of its corporate social responsibility.
The Company develop and improve the efficiency of its tax organization in terms of adequate
personnel, resources, up-to-date expertise, and training, and by developing tax awareness across the
Company functions and businesses.
The Company maintains and operates its tax affairs within a control framework of the Board of
Directors which is responsible for ensuring the implementation of the Tax Strategy.
The Board is supported by the finance and tax team who has been tasked with ensuring full and
accurate tax compliance. The finance and tax team reports up to the Finance Director who is
responsible for ensuring appropriate processes and controls are in place to deliver accurate financial
information to enable compliance with UK tax laws.
Our attitude to tax planning
We have a duty vis-à-vis our shareholders to manage and plan our total tax costs of doing business, in
compliance with laws, taking into account potential impacts on stakeholders and on group reputation.
The Company engages in responsible and sustainable planning, i.e. analysing and managing the tax
impacts of current and future business operations and transactions, based on genuine business
rationale and with a long-term view of sustainability and predictability.
The Company does not take tax positions that are not defendable under full disclosure. The Company
do not engage in tax evasion, artificial or high-risk transactions.
Level of risk the Company is prepared to accept
The Company does not formally set a level of acceptable tax risk and instead, seeks to ensure full tax
compliance in the UK. The Board sees compliance with the tax legislation as a key to managing tax risk.
The Company’s tax organization, as a business partner function, aims to minimize tax risks through
proactive tax management of its business operations. When managing tax risks, the Company
considers the interests of key stakeholders, such as shareholders, employees, consumers, customers,
authorities and the communities where it operates.
The Company obtains advice from external providers, where the required expertise is not available in-
house, that allows it to limit tax risks. The company also use external firms for support in relation to
tax compliance filings.
The Company does not accept to pay taxes that are not legally due or that are claimed based on an
unjustified basis.
Approach toward dealings with HMRC
The Company engages in open and respectful dialogue, cooperation and transparency with HMRC. In
particular, the UK Company aims to:
- make fair, accurate and timely disclosure in tax returns, reports and documents that the
Company files with, or submits to HMRC; - provide HMRC with additional information and clarification to respond to queries, information
and clearance requests in a timely fashion; - identify and fix proactively any compliance gap or inadvertent error that could happen, or
adjustments that could arise upon tax audits and settlements and implement controls to
ensure future compliance; - seek to anticipate and resolve disputes without recourse to courts wherever possible.
Approved by the Board – 7 March 2024