back to article India's telecoms given ten years to pay $22bn in back taxes they've already disputed for a decade

India's supreme court has given the nation's telcos a decade to pay billions of dollars in back taxes. The case dates back to 1999, when India introduced a taxation model that required the country's telecoms companies to share a percentage of revenues with the nation's government. A decade-long dispute over how that sum should …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Given my experience with Vodaphone....

    ...specifically getting them to return money they grabbed then one hopes India has better laws than the UK

    1. Flak

      Re: Given my experience with Vodaphone....

      Hope is a lousy strategy.

    2. Jay 2

      Re: Given my experience with Vodaphone....

      Yes, that does still annoy me somewhat. Something like the following wasn't it?

      HMRC: You owe us £LOTS

      Voda: What!?

      <lots of to/fro>

      Voda: How about £notsomuch

      HMRC: OK

      I suspect anyone else attempting something like that would be told by HMRC in no uncertain terms that it's not going to happen.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Given my experience with Vodaphone....

        @Jay, India's tax regime is even more chaotic than HMRC.

        Most people don't pay tax because it has to be paid in person and nobody trusts the tax collectors to not trouser it, so nobody pays it.

        Have a look at:

        https://www.theregister.com/2020/08/14/india_honoring_the_honest_tax_scheme/

        India total tax revenue last year was £58bn for the UK for comparison was £623bn

        1. Blackjack Silver badge

          Re: Given my experience with Vodaphone....

          Even most of Africa has digital payment methods.

          Way to go India!

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Given my experience with Vodaphone....

          >> Most people don't pay tax because it has to be paid in person

          Complete and utter bullshit.

          For eg

          https://www.icicibank.com/Personal-Banking/onlineservice/online-services/online-tax-payment/online-tax-payment.page

    3. GioCiampa

      Re: Given my experience with Vodaphone....

      I assume they'll take the taxman out for a nice meal or two... worked here after all...

  2. Duffaboy
    Joke

    I think that

    a payment of £2 a week should cover it.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Power of big corporations

    If you're big enough, you can tell countries to ef off when it comes to taxes. A decade of dispute and another decade to pay. And, one assumes, one or more reductions in the amount during the next decade. Plus the possibility of further delays.

    India will be lucky to get enough to pay for tandoori chicken for Modi and his staff.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Power of big corporations

      >> If you're big enough

      Yeah "IF" - Voda just ain't big enough...

      https://www.statista.com/statistics/241577/number-of-vodafone-mobile-customers-by-markets/

      India is their largest market.

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