Annual and transition report of foreign private issuers pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

INCOME TAXES

v3.5.0.1
INCOME TAXES
12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
INCOME TAXES  
INCOME TAXES

 

(11)INCOME TAXES

 

Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands

 

Under the current laws of the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands, the Group is not subject to any income tax in these jurisdictions.

 

Hong Kong

 

Xing Wei did not derive any income that is subject to Hong Kong profits tax for the taxable year ended March 31, 2016. Accordingly, no provision for Hong Kong profit tax was required. The payment of dividends by Hong Kong companies is not subject to any Hong Kong withholding tax.

 

People’s Republic of China

 

The Company’s consolidated PRC entities file separate income tax returns.

 

On March 16, 2007, the National People’s Congress passed the Enterprise Income Tax Law (“EIT Law”) which statutory income tax rate is 25% effective from January 1, 2008. According to the EIT Law, entities that qualify as “high-and-new technology enterprises eligible for key support from the State” (“HNTE”) are entitled to a preferential income tax rate of 15%.

 

The Company’s PRC entities are subject to income tax at 25%, unless otherwise specified.

 

In December 2008, ATA Testing received approval from the tax authority that it qualified as an HNTE. The certificate entitled ATA Testing to the preferential income tax rate of 15% effective retroactively from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2010. In October 2011, ATA Testing received approval from the tax authority on its renewal as an HNTE which entitled it to the preferential income tax rate of 15% effective retroactively from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2013. In October 2014, ATA Testing received approval from the tax authority on its renewal as an HNTE which entitled it to the preferential income tax rate of 15% effective retroactively from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2016. ATA Testing’s applicable income tax rate from January 1, 2017 onwards will be 25% unless it can re-qualify as HNTE.

 

In December 2009, ATA Learning, ATA Online and Beijing JDX received approvals from the tax authorities that they qualified as HNTEs. The certificates entitled them to the preferential income tax rate of 15% effectively retroactively from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2011. In May and July 2012, ATA Learning, ATA Online and Beijing JDX received approvals from the tax authorities on its renewals as HNTEs which entitled them to the preferential income tax rate of 15% effective retroactively from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2014. In November 2015, ATA Learning, ATA Online and Beijing JDX received approvals from the tax authorities on its renewals as HNTEs which entitled them to the preferential income tax rate of 15% effective retroactively from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2017. ATA Learning, ATA Online and Beijing JDX applicable income tax rate from January 1, 2018 onward will be 25% unless they can re-qualify as HNTE.

 

Zhongxiao Zhixing, a PRC subsidiary of Xing Wei, is subject to an income tax rate of 25%.

 

The EIT Law and its relevant regulations impose a withholding tax at 10%, unless reduced by a tax treaty or agreement, for dividends distributed by a PRC-resident enterprise to its immediate holding company outside the PRC for earnings generated beginning on January 1, 2008. Undistributed earnings generated prior to January 1, 2008 are exempt from withholding tax. As of March 31, 2016, the Company has not provided for income taxes on earnings of RMB 178,562,047 generated by its PRC consolidated entities since January 1, 2008 as the Company plans to reinvest these earnings indefinitely in the PRC.  The unrecognized deferred income tax liability related to these earnings was RMB 17,856,205.

 

The earnings (losses) before income taxes were generated in the following jurisdictions:

 

 

 

Year Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

2016

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands

 

(18,615,565

)

(15,524,612

)

(23,126,473

)

PRC

 

65,782,659

 

48,142,932

 

68,147,366

 

Hong Kong

 

4,803

 

12,546

 

(48,227

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earnings before income taxes

 

47,171,897

 

32,630,866

 

44,972,666

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income tax expense (benefit) recognized in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income consists of the following:

 

 

 

Year Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

2016

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

PRC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current expense

 

9,312,545

 

10,424,835

 

11,867,755

 

Deferred expense (benefit)

 

(717,083

)

(849,689

)

7,053,724

 

Dividend withholding tax

 

11,300,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total income tax expense

 

19,895,462

 

9,575,146

 

18,921,479

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The actual income tax expense reported in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income differs from the respective amount computed by applying the PRC statutory income tax rate of 25% for each of the years ended March 31, 2014, 2015 and 2016 to earnings before income taxes due to the following:

 

 

 

Year Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

2016

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Computed “expected” income tax expense

 

11,792,976

 

8,157,716

 

11,243,167

 

Increase (decrease) in valuation allowance

 

737,572

 

1,307,368

 

16,146,033

 

Preferential income tax rate

 

(6,208,364

)

(4,922,088

)

(7,911,837

)

Entities not subject to income tax

 

2,018,962

 

2,100,188

 

3,502,469

 

Non-deductible expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Entertainment

 

972,624

 

1,225,250

 

792,099

 

Share-based compensation

 

2,633,728

 

1,777,829

 

2,291,206

 

Bad debt loss

 

462,751

 

1,383,597

 

(31,963

)

Impairment of ETS TOEIC license

 

3,002,364

 

 

 

Tax rate differential

 

(4,213,407

)

5,629,196

 

(3,974,403

)

Dividend withholding tax

 

11,300,000

 

 

 

Additional deduction of research and development costs

 

(2,805,937

)

(8,489,742

)

(4,900,698

)

Other

 

202,193

 

1,405,832

 

1,765,406

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actual income tax expense

 

19,895,462

 

9,575,146

 

18,921,479

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The applicable PRC statutory tax rate is used since the Group’s taxable income is generated in the PRC.

 

The tax effects of the Group’s temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of the deferred income tax assets and liabilities are as follows.

 

 

 

March 31,

 

 

 

2015

 

2016

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Deferred income tax assets:

 

 

 

 

 

Tax loss carryforwards

 

10,228,873

 

20,326,608

 

Share of loss of equity method investments

 

164,021

 

1,112,843

 

Property and equipment, net

 

1,091,914

 

70,475

 

Accrued expenses and other payables

 

3,375,252

 

2,375,267

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total gross deferred income tax assets

 

14,860,060

 

23,885,193

 

Less: valuation allowance

 

(3,882,555

)

(20,028,588

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net deferred income tax assets

 

10,977,505

 

3,856,605

 

Deferred income tax liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

Customer relationships

 

160,243

 

114,202

 

Training platform

 

75,734

 

54,599

 

Total gross deferred income tax liabilities

 

235,977

 

168,801

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net deferred income tax assets

 

10,741,528

 

3,687,804

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 31,

 

 

 

2015

 

2016

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

Current deferred income tax assets, included in prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

9,490,107 

 

3,663,864 

 

Non-current deferred income tax assets, included in other assets

 

1,251,421 

 

23,940 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net deferred income tax assets

 

10,741,528 

 

3,687,804 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The movements of the valuation allowance are as follows:

 

 

 

Year Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2014

 

2015

 

2016

 

 

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

RMB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at the beginning of the year

 

921,751 

 

2,575,187 

 

3,882,555 

 

Additions from Xing Wei Group acquisition

 

915,864 

 

 

 

Additions of valuation allowance excluding acquisition

 

737,572 

 

1,307,368 

 

16,146,033 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at the end of the year

 

2,575,187 

 

3,882,555 

 

20,028,588 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As of March 31, 2016, the valuation allowance of RMB 20,028,588 was related to the deferred income tax assets of PRC entities which were in loss position. As of March 31, 2016, management believes it is more likely than not that the Group will realize the deferred income tax assets, net of the valuation allowance. The amount of the deferred income tax assets, however, considered realizable as of March 31, 2016 could be reduced in the near term if estimates of future taxable income are reduced.

 

As of March 31, 2016, the Group had tax loss carry forwards for PRC income tax purpose of RMB 88,264,251,  of which RMB nil, RMB nil, RMB 4,996,057, RMB 5,438,101, RMB 41,987,572 and RMB 35,842,521 will expire if unused by December 31, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively.

 

For the years ended March 31, 2014, 2015 and 2016, the Group had no unrecognized tax benefits, and thus no related interest and penalties were recorded. Also, the Group does not expect that the amount of unrecognized tax benefits will significantly increase within the next twelve months.

 

According to the PRC Tax Administration and Collection Law, the statute of limitation is three years if the underpayment of taxes is due to computational errors made by the taxpayer or the withholding agent. The statute of limitation is extended to five years under special circumstances where the underpayment of taxes is more than RMB 100,000. In the case of transfer pricing issues, the statute of limitation is ten years. There is no statute of limitation in the case of tax evasion. The income tax return of each of the Company’s PRC consolidated entities is subject to examination by the relevant tax authorities for the calendar tax years beginning in 2011.