India to state its position before relevant authority: Jaitley

The FM was responding to a question seeking his reaction to Cairn Energy announcement of legal action over a Rs 10,247-crore tax demand

The Indian government will "state its position" in the Cairn Energy tax dispute before the relevant legal authority, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said, after the British firm announced that it will seek over $1 billion in damages from India.

Jaitley made the remarks yesterday while responding to a question seeking his reaction to the British oil major's announcement of legal action over a Rs 10,247-crore tax demand.

"There is a tax assessment order. I have earlier also said that there have been a number of proceedings in which some international investors had raised serious issues about some tax assessment orders. They have resorted to their own legal remedies which they think are available to them," he said.

"In some cases those orders have been passed and in some cases we have even accepted the judicial orders as final and put those issues to rest. As far as the government of India is concerned, we are also interested in the larger interest of investment environment to put to rest some of those issues which are pending," he said.

"So if a particular assessee resorts to a legal remedy, the income tax government will state its position before that authority," he added.

Cairn Energy plc has said it will seek from India over $1 billion in damages for loss it suffered in value of its holding from a Rs 10,247-crore tax demand raised on its eight-year-old internal business recognition.

The IT Department using a retrospective legislation had in January 2014 issued a draft tax assessment order on Cairn Energy over its 2006 internal business reorganisation and barred it from selling its 9.8 per cent stake in Cairn India.