Cadbury in Rs213-crore tax evasion case in India

The Directorate General of Central Excise Investigation (DGCEI) has detected two cases of tax evasion amounting to Rs213 crore by the different units of the confectionery major Cadbury India Ltd, minister of state for finance S S Palanimanickam informed the Rajya Sabha today.

"Two cases of tax evasion by Cadbury India Limited has been detected by DGCEI during the years 2009-10 to 2012-13 (up to 31 October 2012)", Palanimanickam said in a written reply.

Cadbury India, Baadi (Himachal Pradesh) unit is involved in central excise duty evasion of about Rs200 crore and is under investigation, according to the minister.

Cadbury India, he informed, was also involved in service tax evasion to the tune of Rs13.43 crore. He said the case, however, has been adjudicated with a tax demand of Rs11.75 crore as also a penalty.

Cadbury was involved in a tax evasion case last year as well. Authorities are still probing whether Kraft Foods Inc, which now owns Cadbury in India following its $19-billion takeover, needed to pay tax in India.

The latest of the two cases against Cadbury's India unit, which is controlled by Mondelez International Inc, involves alleged evasion of central excise duty at its facility in Himachal Pradesh.

Reports quoting Cadbury sources said the investigation is still under way.