India’s five top telcos face Rs1,842-cr additional fee demand
14 Mar 2013
The government has asked India's top five telecom service providers to pay a combined Rs1,842 crore in additional fees after an audit by the Comptroller & Auditor General of India found they had under-reported revenues over two financial years, Milind Deora, minister of state for communications, told Parliament today.
Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance Communications, Idea Cellular and Tata Teleservices had under-stated their revenues by a combined $2 billion over two financial years up to March 2008, the minister said.
The companies however have disputed the claim, Deora added.
Carriers in India are required to share a percentage of their revenue every year with the government as licence fees. The government had in 2009 ordered an audit of their books after allegations of underreporting.
The government has asked Reliance Communications to pay Rs623 crore including interest, while Tata Tele is ordered to pay Rs505 crore. Bharti Airtel has been asked to pay Rs332 crore, Vodafone India Rs247 crore, and Idea Rs134 crore, Deora said.
However, different courts have temporarily halted execution of the demand notices, Deora said in a written reply.
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