Vodafone wins Rs 22,000 cr tax arbitration suit against India; govt liability estimated around Rs 75 cr

British telecom giant Vodafone Group plc on Friday won an arbitration against the Indian government over a demand for Rs 22,100 crore in taxes using retrospective legislation. An international arbitration tribunal ruled that India’s demand in past taxes were in breach of fair treatment under a bilateral investment protection pact. “The award is confidential but Vodafone can confirm that the tribunal has found (it) in Vodafone’s favour,” Vodafone Group said in a statement. “We are studying the lengthy documents and can make no further comment at this time.” It was not immediately known if the Indian government will abide by the arbitration award. The Government of India’s liability will be restricted to about Rs 75 crore – Rs 30 crore in cost and another Rs 45 crore in tax refund, sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. Vodafone had before the arbitration tribunal challenged India’s usage of a 2012 legislation that gave it powers to retrospectively tax deals like Vodafone’s $11 billion acquisition of 67 percent stake in the mobile phone business owned by Hutchison Whampoa in 2007. It challenged the demand of Rs 7,990 crore in capital gains taxes (Rs 22,100 crore after including interest and penalty) under the Netherlands-India Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). Sources said the tax demand was on the UK-listed company and Vodafone’s India venture faced no liability. Vodafone merged its India operations with billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla’s conglomerate but the combined entity Vodafone Idea Ltd is facing a USD 7.8 billion bill in past statutory dues. Tax authorities had in September 2007 served notice to Vodafone International Holdings BV (VIHBV) for its alleged failure to deduct withholding tax from consideration paid to the Hutchison Telecommunications International Ltd. Vodafone challenged this in the Supreme Court, which in January 2012 set it aside, saying the transaction was not taxable in India and so the company had no obligation to withhold tax. In May that year, Parliament passed the Finance Act 2012 that amended various provisions of the Income Tax Act 1961 with retrospective effect to tax any gain on transfer of shares in a non-Indian company which derives substantial value from underlying Indian assets. The company was in January 2013 served a tax notice of Rs 14,200 crore after including interest on the principal amount. A year later, Vodafone challenged the tax demand under the Dutch BIT. Sources said the company in April 2014 served the notice of arbitration after out-of-court dispute resolution talks failed. The tax department in February 2016 served a demand notice of Rs 22,100 crore, including interest accruing since the date of the original demand. Vodafone has always maintained that there is no liability and that it will “continue to defend vigorously any allegation that VIHBV or Vodafone India Ltd is liable to pay tax in connection with the transaction with Hutchison and will continue to exercise all rights to seek redress”. Besides Vodafone, the Indian government also used the retrospective tax legislation to seek Rs 10,247 crore from British oil explorer Cairn Energy Plc over a 2006 reorganisation of its Indian businesses.