India FM: Vodafone appeal is unrelated to retrospective taxation

International Tax Review is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Garden, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement


India FM: Vodafone appeal is unrelated to retrospective taxation

Vodafone India Court Appeal

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has defended India's decision to appeal a Bombay High Court ruling in the Rs 8,500 crore ($1.7 billion) Vodafone transfer pricing case, saying it is not related to a separate, retrospective tax issue.



"Why should the government not file an appeal when it thinks that it is an appealable order?" the minister reportedly told ET Now, an online news portal. Jaitley was responding to a question about the tax department's decision to appeal a Bombay High Court ruling made in October 2015. 

Vodafone won its case against the Indian authorities’ (ITAT) transfer pricing adjustment in October 2015 over the sale of a call centre, which the government is now appealing to the Supreme Court using a Special Leave Petition.





Jaitley rejected criticism of the Indian government’s handling of the Bombay High Court case in an interview published on 20 April, asserting that "there is no company in the world that is immune from paying taxes”.

Vodafone is awaiting international arbitration on another case relating to the ITAT’s imposition of retrospective legislation on the 2007 purchase of an Indian telecom group.



more across site & shared bottom lb ros

More from across our site

Brazil's tax system is being reshaped by VAT , pillar two and TP reform. Fallet explains why those changes convinced him to lead a new practice
The agreement with Daribatech, alongside recent high-profile investment in talent, suggests the firm is gearing up for a significant push in the region
Several factors have led to a steady transition of TP work away from traditional advisers and towards full-service law firms, DLA Piper’s new TP leader says
Julian Balson's departure from EY's Tier 1 tax controversy practice for lower-ranked Fieldfisher represents one of the more eye-catching UK hires of the year
Former IRS commissioner Danny Werfel argues that the biggest obstacle to AI adoption in tax is not technology, but trust, and introduces a practical AI risk framework to help
Howell takes a deep dive into how he led the landmark PepsiCo dispute, discusses the ATO's enforcement priorities, and emphasises KordaMentha's market ambitions
Global tax leader David Linke said that the TaxSim gaming programme could replace aspects of traditional face-to-face learning
Former ATO economist Craig Silverwood is joining from Australian firm MinterEllison
The rebranding, which will see changes to signage, visual identity and digital properties, is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year
The software space was previously more fragmented, but that model is becoming more difficult to sustain as tax administration becomes increasingly digitised
Gift this article