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<keyword id="28423" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="vedanta">Vedanta</keyword> India has shown its intent to acquire up to 5.33 % stake or 100,000,000 shares of Cairn India, its group concern from Twin Star Mauritius Holdings on June 3, 2015 or within a period of 90 days for Rs 220.40 per share. 
 
As reported in the news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) , Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta India, which changed the name from Sesa Sterlite last month, is a promoter in Cairn India. 
 
After the acquisition of the shares, Vedanta India's stake in Cairn India will grow from 18.73 per cent to 24.06 per cent, said the filing yesterday 
In the past Agarwal has pointed towards plans to merge cash-cows Cairn India and Hindustan Zinc into his flagship Vedanta group firm to create a global natural resources giant to rival the likes of Rio Tinto or BHP Billiton. 
 
Vedanta Group has appointed consultants to explore if it would make sense to merge the two firms into Sesa Sterlite, now called Vedanta India. 
 
(Image: Reuters)

Vedanta is acquiring a stake in Cairn India

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=cairn+energy&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Cairn Energy</a> demanded a compensation of whopping $5.6 billion from the Indian government for raising a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=retrospective+tax+demand&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">retrospective tax</a> demand of Rs 29,047 crore. 
 
The British explorer has filed a claim with an international arbitration panel, seeking withdrawal of the tax demand and declaring India has "failed to uphold its obligations" under the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=UK+India+investment+treaty&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">UK-India Investment Treaty</a> by not giving its investments in the country "fair and equitable treatment." 
 <keyword id="128650" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Cairn-Energy">Cairn Energy</keyword> has demanded $1.05 billion in compensation for the loss of value its 9.8 per cent shareholding in its erstwhile subsidiary Cairn India suffered following <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=income+tax+department&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Income Tax Department</a> raising the tax demand in January 2014 and attaching the shares. 
 
The total compensation sought is equal to the tax demand raised and the value of Cairn Energy's 9.8 per cent shareholding in Cairn India. 
Meanwhile, the Indian government will file its 'Statement of Defence' by November and evidential hearing is expected to commence in early 2017, sources said. 
 <keyword id="6354751" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Income-Tax">Income Tax</keyword> Department had in January 2014 slapped a draft tax assessment of Rs 10,247 crore on Cairn Energy on alleged capital gain it made when it in 2006 transferred its India assets to a new subsidiary, Cairn India and listed the firm. 
 
The British firm sold majority stake in Cairn India to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=vedanta+resources&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Vedanta Resources</a> in 2011 but still holds 9.8 per cent stake in the company, which was attached by Income Tax Department. 
 
"If Cairn had any idea that India might later change its source rule to impose capital gains tax on routine transfer of shares in non-Indian companies - and retroactively seek to collect an amount of tax that would render the entire IPO transaction value-destructive - cairn would not have undertaken the reorganisation or entrusted its listing to the Indian markets. "It would instead have created a different transactional structure and pursued an IPO on a UK exchange," the British company said in its 'Statement of Claims'. 
 
The company is claiming full compensation for the USD 1 billion value lost following the tax notice and freezing of its 9.8 per cent shares in Cairn India. 
 
Cairn Energy still holds 9.8 per cent in Cairn India which the I-T Department has barred it from selling. 
 
(Image: Thinkstock)

Cairn Energy files claim for $5.6 billion compensation from India over tax demand

<keyword id="6358777" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="New-Delhi">New Delhi</keyword>, <keyword id="59287" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cairn-India">Cairn India</keyword> has discussed a number of proposals with the aim of finding a <keyword id="10801369" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="swift-resolution">swift resolution</keyword> that could be mutually acceptable to the <keyword id="6377129" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="government-of-india">Government of India</keyword> and the <keyword id="508311" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="interests">interests</keyword> of Cairn's shareholders. An <keyword id="1008266" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="international-arbitration">international arbitration</keyword> seated in The Hague and constituted under the terms of the UK India Bilateral Investment Treaty has ruled conclusively on the matter and issued a final and binding award in Cairn's favour ordering the refund of the value of the assets taken, being $1.2 billion, plus significant interest and costs. That arbitration also ruled decisively that this matter falls within the jurisdiction of the UK-India Treaty, having heard arguments from the parties on that subject. Cairn has enjoyed a long and successful history operating in India, investing billions of dollars, bringing employment and benefitting local communities. "The business we created in India has generated more than $20 billion in revenues for the government. The freezing of our assets in 2014 to enforce a retrospective tax measure has been extremely negative for all parties, and we are very keen to be able to put this legacy matter behind us and move forward positively", it said. "We have had cordial and constructive discussions in Delhi over the last few days with officials from the <keyword id="156153" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ministry-of-Finance">Ministry of Finance</keyword>. Notwithstanding and without prejudice to our rights under the international arbitration award, we have discussed a number of proposals with the aim of finding a swift resolution that could be mutually acceptable to the Government of India and the interests of Cairn's shareholders," it added. "Assuming such a resolution can be achieved, we look forward to being able to move on to further opportunities to invest in India which continues to import the majority of the energy sources it consumes. We remain hopeful that an acceptable solution can be found, in order to avoid further prolonging and exacerbating this negative issue for all parties. However, we have also been clear that we must continue to take all necessary steps to protect the interests of our shareholders," Cairn India said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/nurecas-100-crore-ipo-heres-how-to-check-share-allotment-status/articleshow/81135236.cms">Nureca’s ₹100 crore IPO: Here’s how to check share allotment status</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/travel/article/exploring-the-unreal-beauty-of-the-andaman-islands/articleshow/81126293.cms">Exploring the unreal beauty of the Andaman Islands</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/flipkart-gets-leaner-with-a-300-million-jabong-write-off-as-ceo-kalyan-krishnamurthy-lists-out-the-priorities-for-2021/articleshow/81105083.cms">Flipkart gets leaner with a $300 million Jabong write-off as CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy lists out the priorities for 2021</a>

Cairn discusses proposals with Government of India on arbitration award

New Delhi, Mar 10 () British oil explorer Cairn Energy Plc expects an international arbitral tribunal to give a decree by the summer of 2020 on its challenge to the Indian government seeking Rs 10,247 crore in retrospective taxes. The three-member tribunal, which had in December 2018 completed main court hearings in the British company's challenge to the Indian government using a retrospective legislation to seek Rs 10,247 crore in taxes, was supposed to give an award by February 2019, but in March 2019, it delayed it to 2019-end and then to the summer of 2020. "All formal hearings and submissions have now been made and the tribunal is in the process of drafting its award. The tribunal has indicated that it expects to be in a position to issue the award in the summer of 2020," Cairn said in its half-yearly earnings announcement on Tuesday. No reason was given by the tribunal for the delay in the award. Cairn said it is seeking full restitution for losses totalling more than USD 1.4 billion resulting from government expropriation of its investments in India in 2014. The company, which gave the country its biggest oil discovery, received a notice from the income tax department in January 2014, requesting information related to the group reorganisation done in 2006. Alongside, the department attached the company's near 10 per cent shareholding in its erstwhile subsidiary, Cairn India. In March 2015, the tax department sought Rs 10,247 crore in taxes on alleged capital gains made by the company in the internal reorganisation. Cairn Energy had in 2010-11 sold Cairn India to Vedanta. Following the merger of Cairn India and Vedanta in April 2017, the UK firm's shareholding in Cairn India was replaced by a shareholding of about 5 per cent in Vedanta issued together with preference shares. In addition to attaching its shares in Vedanta, the tax department seized dividends totalling Rs 1,140 crore due to it from those shareholdings, and set off a Rs 1,590-crore tax refund against the demand. Cairn Energy in 2015 initiated an international arbitration to challenge retrospective taxation. Pending final award, the tax department sold Cairn Energy's shares in Vedanta to recover part of the tax demand. "The Indian income tax department holds Cairn UK Holdings Ltd (a direct subsidiary of Cairn Energy) as an assessee in default in respect of tax demanded on the 2006 transactions, and as such has pursued enforcement against CUHL's assets in India. "To date, these enforcement actions have included attachment of CUHL's shareholding in Vedanta Ltd and sale of 181,764,297 shares and seizure of the proceeds, seizure of the proceeds from the redemption of the preference shares, seizure of the USD 159.8 million dividends due to CUHL, and offset of a USD 222.8 million tax refund due to CUHL in respect of another matter," the statement said. To date, 99 per cent of Cairn UK Holdings Ltd's (CUHL) shareholding has been liquidated by the tax department, it said. The assessment by the tax department of principal tax due on the 2006 transactions is Rs 10,267 crore, plus applicable interest and penalties. "Interest is currently being charged on the principal at a rate of 12 per cent per annum from February 2017, although this is potentially subject to the tax department's Indian court appeal that interest should be back-dated to 2007," it said. "Penalties are currently assessed as 100 per cent of the principal tax due, although this is subject to appeal by CUHL that penalties should not be charged given the retrospective nature of the tax levied." Cairn said it has got legal advice confirming that the maximum amount that could ultimately be recovered from the company by the tax department, in excess of the assets already seized, is limited to the value of CUHL's assets, principally the remaining ordinary shares in Vedanta Ltd. "In March 2015, Cairn filed a Notice of Dispute under the UK-India Bilateral Investment Treaty in order to protect its legal position and seek restitution of the value effectively seized by the Indian income tax department (IITD) in and since January 2014. "Cairn's principal claims are that the assurance of fair and equitable treatment and protection against expropriation afforded by the treaty have been breached by the actions of the IITD, which is seeking to apply retrospective taxes to historical transactions already closely scrutinised and approved by the Government of India. The IITD has attached and seized assets to try to enforce such taxation," it said. Cairn is pleading that the effects of the tax assessment should be nullified and that the company should receive recompense from the government for the loss of value resulting from the 2014 attachment of CUHL's shares in Cairn India Ltd and the withholding of the tax refund, which together total about USD 1.4 billion, according to the statement. "The treaty proceedings formally commenced in January 2016 following an agreement between Cairn and the Republic of India on the appointment of a panel of three international arbitrators under the terms of the treaty. Cairn's statement of claim was submitted to the arbitral tribunal in June 2016 and the Republic of India submitted its statement of defence in February 2017. "Further submissions and document production took place in 2017 and 2018. The main evidentiary hearing of Cairn's claim under the Treaty took place in August 2018 in The Hague with a final hearing in December 2018. All formal hearings and submissions have now been made and the tribunal is in the process of drafting its award. The tribunal has indicated that it expects to be in a position to issue the award in the summer of 2020," it said. Based on detailed legal advice, Cairn said it remains confident that it will be successful in this arbitration and, accordingly, no provision has been made for any of the tax or penalties assessed by the IITD. It had previously stated that the arbitration panel is expected to issue a binding and internationally-enforceable award. ANZ HRS

Cairn expects arbitration award in retro tax case by this summer

<keyword id="64469" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="cairn" source="Orion">Cairn</keyword> Energy and <keyword id="2573" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-India" source="Orion">Air India</keyword> have jointly asked a New York federal court to stay further proceedings in the British firm's <keyword id="174117" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="US-lawsuit" source="Orion">US lawsuit</keyword> targeting the airline for enforcement of a USD 1.2-billion arbitral award. The move follows the government enacting a law to scrap retrospective taxation in the country, which in effect will result in withdrawal of the Rs 10,247 crore tax demand on Cairn, according to court documents reviewed by PTI. The British company had won an international arbitration award against levy of such taxes and sought to take over Air <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> assets when the government refused to honour the award and pay it USD 1.2 billion-plus interest and penalty. But, last month, the government enacted the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021, that scraps all such retrospective tax demands and has agreed to refund Rs 7,900 crore it had seized from Cairn to enforce such demand. Cairn has indicated that the refund, without interest and penalty, was acceptable to it - opening an avenue to settle the seven-year-old dispute. Cairn and Air India in a joint request to US District Judge Paul Gardephe on September 13 stated that a stay on proceedings would give them "additional time to evaluate the effects and implications" of legislation that repealed the retroactive tax. In return for the Rs 7,900 crore, Cairn would drop lawsuits threatening court-ordered seizures of Indian government property abroad. One of those suits was filed in May against state-owned Air India Ltd, which Cairn has said should be considered alter ego of the Indian government. "The implementing regulations are in the rulemaking process and will take some time," the two said in the petition seeking extension of the October 21 deadline for the presentation of case papers and initial pretrial conference on October 28. They requested the court to "stay any further proceedings in this matter through October 31, 2021, and reschedule the initial pretrial conference and, respectively, the deadline for the parties to submit their Joint Pretrial Letter and Proposed Case Management Plan, for new dates in November 2021." "The Parties have conferred and agreed that the stay will facilitate the efficient resolution of the dispute, conserve the Court's and Parties' resources, and is not intended to obstruct or delay," they added. Cairn had on May 14 brought a lawsuit in the New York district court to hold Air India liable as the alter ego of the Republic of India for the obligations the government owes under a foreign arbitral award. The firm separately filed a petition before the District Court for the District of Columbia to recognise and enforce the arbitration award against India on February 12, 2021. Seeking to repair India's damaged reputation as an investment destination, the government last month enacted new legislation to drop Rs 1.1 lakh crore in outstanding claims against multinationals such as telecom group Vodafone, pharmaceuticals company Sanofi and brewer SABMiller, now owned by AB InBev, and Cairn. About Rs 8,100 crore collected from companies under the scrapped tax provision are to be refunded if the firms agreed to drop outstanding litigation, including claims for interest and penalties. Of this, Rs 7,900 crore is due only to Cairn. An international arbitration tribunal in December overturned a levy of Rs 10,247 crore in taxes on a 2006 reorganisation of Cairn's India business prior to its listing. It also asked the Indian government to return the value of shares seized and sold, dividend confiscated and tax refund withheld. This totalled USD 1.2 billion-plus interest and penalty. The government initially refused to honour the award, forcing Cairn to identify USD 70 billion of Indian assets from the US to Singapore to enforce the ruling, including taking flag carrier Air India Ltd to a US court in May. A French court in July paved the way for Cairn to seize real estate belonging to the Indian government in Paris. All these litigations will be dropped once Rs 7,900 crore is paid, Cairn CEO Simon Thomson had told PTI earlier this month. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/bitcoin-mining-isnt-just-consuming-energy-its-also-generating-272-grams-of-e-waste-with-every-transaction/articleshow/86228818.cms">Bitcoin mining isn't just consuming energy, it's also generating 272 grams of e-waste with every transaction</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/ami-organics-ipo-rewarded-investors-with-12288-profit-on-the-second-day-of-listing/articleshow/86228819.cms">Investors who had put money in this IPO made over ₹12,000 profit in 2 days</a>

Cairn Energy and Air India seek stay on New York court proceedings

British oil firm <keyword id="262456" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cairn-Energy-Plc">Cairn Energy Plc</keyword> on Tuesday said it has identified Indian sovereign assets overseas, which it can seize in the event of New Delhi failing to return over USD 1.7 billion that an international arbitration tribunal has ordered after rescinding a <keyword id="10021078" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="retrospective-tax-demand">retrospective tax demand</keyword>. "<keyword id="64469" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cairn">Cairn</keyword> is extremely confident that satisfaction of the award will be achieved either by negotiated settlement or by enforcement against Indian assets," the firm said in its 2020 annual earnings statement. The firm has moved courts in nine countries to get the arbitral award registered and recognised. "The tribunal ruled unanimously that India had breached its obligations to Cairn under the UK-India Bilateral Investment Treaty and awarded to Cairn damages of USD 1.2 billion-plus interest and costs, which immediately became payable. The total due at the year-end was USD 1.7 billion," it said. The firm said it has engaged directly with the <keyword id="6377129" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="government-of-india">government of India</keyword> regarding satisfaction of the award, which is also enforceable against Indian-owned assets in more than 160 countries that have signed and ratified the 1958 New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards. "Cairn has already taken steps to have the Award recognised in certain major jurisdictions in which Indian sovereign assets have been identified," the statement said. had on March 8 reported that the December 21 award from a three-member tribunal at the <keyword id="1056875" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Permanent-Court-of-Arbitration">Permanent Court of Arbitration</keyword> in the Netherlands has been recognised and confirmed by courts in the US, the UK, Netherlands, Canada and France. Further, the firm has started the process to register the award in Singapore, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and the Cayman Islands. "Cairn's engagement with the Government of India on its arbitration award will continue in parallel with pursuing options of enforcement and monetisation of the Award in order to safeguard shareholders' rights," the statement noted. The registration of the award is the first step towards its enforcement in the event of the government not paying the firm. Once the court recognises an arbitration award, the company can then petition it for seizing any Indian government assets such as bank accounts, payments to state-owned entities, aeroplanes and ships in those jurisdictions, to recover the monies due to it. So far the government has not directly commented on honouring or challenging the Cairn arbitration award, but Finance Minister <keyword id="129243" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> had last week indicated going in for an appeal. The tribunal had on December 21 ruled that the government breached an investment treaty with the UK and was therefore liable to return the value of shares it had seized and sold, dividend confiscated and tax refund stopped to adjust a Rs 10,247 crore tax demand. Simon Thomson, Chief Executive, Cairn, said: "We have engaged with the Government of India regarding adherence to the ruling and we are pursuing all avenues to protect our shareholders' rights to the value of the award". Cairn said the tribunal ruled that the dispute was within the scope of the Treaty and other relevant legal parameters. "It further ruled that the application to Cairn of the retrospective tax amendment introduced by the Government of India was "grossly unfair", discriminatory and in breach of the "Fair and Equitable Treatment" standard of the Treaty," the statement said. The tribunal, therefore, ordered the withdrawal of the tax demand in India and awarded to Cairn compensation equal to the value of the shares held in Cairn India Limited (subsequently merged with <keyword id="2819168" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vedanta-Limited">Vedanta Limited</keyword>) seized by India in 2014 and withheld tax refunds due on other matters, totalling USD 1.223 billion-plus interest and costs, which is now payable. "Interest is payable based on USD six-month LIBOR plus a semi-annual margin of 1.375 per cent, accruing from 2014, and the costs awarded totalled USD 22 million. The total amount due to Cairn on December 31, 2020, was USD 1.725 billion," it said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/gold-prices-are-falling-and-the-worlds-biggest-market-for-the-yellow-metal-is-hoping-for-more-shoppers/articleshow/81406658.cms">Gold prices are falling and the world’s biggest market for the yellow metal is hoping for more shoppers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/craftsman-automation-has-fixed-a-price-band-of-14881490-a-share-for-its-150-crore-ipo/articleshow/81408729.cms">Auto components maker Craftsman Automation’s ₹150 crore IPO to hit the capital markets next week — price band fixed at ₹1,488–1,490</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-is-using-the-quad-alliance-to-get-help-from-the-us-japan-and-australia-to-match-chinas-covid-19-vaccine-push/articleshow/81408044.cms">India is asking the QUAD for money to boost vaccine production and counter China’s moves on the global stag</a>

Cairn says it has identified Indian assets for seizing should it be not paid

After <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Tax-demand-against-Vodafone-and-Cairn-Energy-remains-valid/articleshow/51213121.cms">Vodafone</a> Group, UK’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=cairn+energy">Cairn Energy</a> plc was slapped with a tax demand notice of more than Rs 29,000 crore, including Rs 18,800 crore in back dated interest. 
 This move comes at a time when the Indian government said it will not raise any fresh tax demand using <keyword id="996979" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="retrospective-tax">retrospective tax</keyword> legislation. 
 
The notice was however issued before <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=arun+jaitley">Finance Minister Arun Jaitley</a> in his Budget for 2016-17 made a one-time offer to waive interest and penalty if the companies paid the principal amount to settle the retrospective tax disputes. 
 "The assessment order is in the amount of Rs 10,247 crore (approximately USD 1.6 billion) plus interest back dated to 2007 totalling Rs 18,800 crore (approximately USD 2.8 billion)," <keyword id="128650" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cairn-Energy">Cairn Energy</keyword> said announcing its earnings. 
 
I-T Department alleges that Cairn Energy made a capital gain of Rs 24,503.50 crore in 2006 when it transferred shares of Indian assets that were held in a subsidiary set up in the tax haven of Jersey, to newly incorporated Cairn India. 
 
It listed Cairn India Ltd on the stock exchanges through an initial public offering (IPO) thereafter. Through the IPO it raised Rs 8,616 crore and then in 2011 went on to sell majority stake in Cairn India to mining giant Vedanta Group for USD 8.67 billion.

Cairn Energy slapped with Rs 29, 000 crore retrospective tax

<ul><li><keyword id="64469" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cairn" source="Orion">Cairn</keyword> Energy has accepted the Indian government's $1 billion <keyword id="12044719" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="refund-offer" source="Orion">refund offer</keyword>.</li><li>The company had earlierstarted seizing Indian assets, beginning with 20 of them in France amounting to $23 million.</li><li>The company has said that it will drop litigations to seize diplomatic apartments in Paris and <keyword id="2573" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-India" source="Orion">Air India</keyword> airplanes in the US.</li></ul> UK-based <keyword id="262456" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cairn-energy-plc" source="Orion">Cairn Energy PLC</keyword> on Tuesday said it will drop litigations to seize <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="Orion">India</keyword>n properties in countries ranging from France to the US, within a couple of days of getting a USD 1 billion refund resulting from the scrapping of a retrospective tax law. The firm, which gave India its biggest onland oil discovery, termed "bold" the legislation passed last month to cancel a 2012 policy that gave the tax department power to go back 50 years and slap capital gains levies wherever ownership had changed hands overseas but business assets were in India. The offer to return money seized to enforce retrospective tax demand in lieu of dropping all litigations against the government "is acceptable to us," Cairn CEO Simon Thomson told PTI in an interview from London. Cairn will drop cases to seize diplomatic apartments in Paris and Air India airplanes in the US in "a matter of a couple of days" after the refund, he said adding Cairn's shareholders are in agreement with accepting the offer and moving on. "Some of our core shareholders likes BlackRock and Franklin Templeton agree (to this). Our view is supported by our core shareholders (that) on balance it is better to accept and move on and be pragmatic. Rather than continue with something negative for all parties which could last for many years," he said. Seeking to repair India's damaged reputation as an investment destination, the government last month enacted new legislation to drop Rs 1.1 lakh crore in outstanding claims against multinationals such as telecoms group Vodafone, pharmaceuticals company Sanofi and brewer SABMiller, now owned by AB InBev, and Cairn. About Rs 8,100 crore collected from companies under the scrapped tax provision are to be refunded if the firms agreed to drop outstanding litigation, including claims for interest and penalties. Of this, ₹7,900 crore is due only to Cairn. "Once we get to final resolution, part of that resolution is us dropping everything in terms of litigation. We can do that within a very short period of time, just a matter of a couple of days or something," Thomson said. "So we are preparing on the basis of getting this resolution quickly, all these cases being dropped, and putting all this behind." He said all enforcement proceedings brought because of the Government of India's refusal to honour an international arbitration award asking it to return the value of money seized to enforce the retrospective tax demand, will be dropped. "Everything will be dropped. There will be no more litigation, that will be it. It will clear the matter up," he said. Cairn in its half-yearly report on Tuesday said it will return up to USD 700 million out of the ₹7,900 crore (USD 1.06 billion) it is supposed to get from the Indian government, to "shareholders via special dividend and buyback." "Payment of the tax refund would enable a proposed return to shareholders of up to USD 700 million, via a special dividend of USD 500 million and a share buyback programme of up to USD 200 million. The remainder of the proceeds would be allocated to further expansion of the low-cost, sustainable production base," it said. Thomson said Cairn has had a "good, open and transparent line of communications with the Government of India" on finding a resolution to the retro tax issue. "Our aim was to get to a resolution... something which would be acceptable to our shareholders." "We were pleased when the Government of India made what we thought was a pretty bold move, in terms of enactment of the legislation," he said. "The intention of the government, we are obviously aligned with it, is to get this resolved as quickly as possible. Hopefully, that means within the next few weeks. It is good not only for us and our shareholders but also importantly for India." The resolution will bury the ghost of retro tax and help move on. "We are keen to get back to Cairn being talked about in terms of success in Rajasthan. I think moving on from this will allow us to do that," he said referring to the prolific oil discovery the firm made in Barmer. In accepting the terms of the new legislation in India, Cairn would be required to withdraw its international arbitration award claim, interest and costs and to end all legal enforcement actions in order to be eligible for the refund. "It will mean we will forego interest and penalty in terms of the original arbitration award. The important thing for us is it returns the value that was taken from us. From our perspective it is the right thing to do, be pragmatic, put this behind us, move on," he said adding this would help wipe away a factor negatively impacting investment for many years to come. The 2012 legislation was used to levy a cumulative of ₹1.10 lakh crore of tax on 17 entities including UK telecom giant Vodafone but nearly 98 per cent of the ₹8,100 crore recovered in enforcing such a demand was only from Cairn. An international arbitration tribunal in December overturned a levy of Rs 10,247 crore in taxes on a 2006 reorganisation of Cairn's India prior to its listing, and asked the Indian government to return the value of shares seized and sold, dividend confiscated and tax refund withheld. This totalled USD 1.2 billion-plus interest and penalty. The Indian government initially refused to honour the award, forcing Cairn to identify USD 70 billion of Indian assets from the US to Singapore to enforce the ruling, including taking flag carrier Air India Ltd to a US court in May. A French court in July paved the way for Cairn to seize real estate belonging to the Indian government in Paris. All these litigations will be dropped, he added. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/vietnam-market-saw-drop-in-sales-of-crypto-mining-rigs-but-is-seeing-a-resurgence-now/articleshow/86003080.cms">Crypto mining rigs selling with a ‘vengeance’ in Vietnam despite regulatory gray zones</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/mx-takatak-instagram-josh-moj-and-snapchat-are-most-downloaded-social-and-entertainment-apps-in-india-as-per-app-annie/articleshow/86003516.cms">India accounts for the highest number of social app downloads globally: App Annie</a>

You Searched For "Cairn India" and got 8 results

Vedanta is acquiring a stake in Cairn India

BI India Bureau

Cairn Energy files claim for $5.6 billion compensation from India over tax demand

BI India Bureau

Cairn discusses proposals with Government of India on arbitration award

IANS

Cairn expects arbitration award in retro tax case by this summer

PTI

Cairn Energy and Air India seek stay on New York court proceedings

PTI

Cairn says it has identified Indian assets for seizing should it be not paid

PTI

Cairn Energy slapped with Rs 29, 000 crore retrospective tax

BI India Bureau

Cairn accepts India's $1 billion refund offer, says will drop all cases against the government

PTI

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