Supreme Court to hear Nokia plea in tax dispute today

The Supreme Court is due to hear Nokia’s appeal challenging a Delhi High Court  ruling over transfer of its mobile handset plant in the country to Microsoft amid a tax dispute, today.   Nokia last month appealed to the Indian Supreme Court saying the Delhi High Court had imposed “new conditions” over transfer of the plant, after previously allowing it.   The Supreme Court’s website showed Nokia’s appeal was listed to be heard today. The court does not usually give a verdict on the first day of hearing.  Microsoft is buying Nokia’s mobile phone business in a 5.4 billion euro ($7.5 billion) deal.     The Chennai plant is one of Nokia’s biggest phone-making factories and was seized by authorities because of tax claims. Nokia appealed the seizure and had been trying to end the dispute ahead of the sale of its mobile phone business to Microsoft in a $7.4 billion deal. Late last year, Delhi High Court had agreed to unfreeze Nokia India’s assets in view of its $ 7.2 billion global deal with Microsoft after the former agreed to pay Rs 2250 crore as interim payment in the tax caseover and above the Rs 700 crore tax payment ordered before.   Last year in March, Nokia was served with a tax demand of about Rs 2,080 crore ($340.45 million) for five fiscal years starting from 2006-07, according to a 22 March notice on the Delhi high court website.    Reuters