On the Line Demerara Tobacco Company Limited: Annual report 2012- Conclusion

Introduction
I closed last week by introducing a table which set out the transactions between Demtoco and other companies in the group. Of particular interest were the following charges:

2012                             2011
$M                                $M
Management services                                                 327.163                  326.041
Royalties                                                                           327.845                 283.823
Technical and advisory fees                                     123.743                 113.880

778.751              723.744

These charges are not only unusual for an entity that buys a branded product and does nothing else but sell that product to a single customer; they are also unlikely. The charges have two financial and fiscal effects. First, they transfer income from Demtoco to its group companies not in the form of dividends available to all shareholders. Second,