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

Mada has opened simultaneously in Paris and Dubai with an eight-lawyer team from Trinity International
PwC will continue to provide indirect tax services as part of the deal; in other news, the CJEU addressed the VAT treatment of TP adjustments
The arrival of Renan Ozturk and his team from A&M Tax introduces a unique proposition within the Middle East legal market, the firm said
The deal, reportedly worth $400m, will add Svalner Atlas’s 50-partner Nordic and Benelux presence to Ryan’s rapidly growing global footprint
The combined firm, which comprises over 1,400 lawyers, will boast robust tax practices in both the UK and US
Cascading tax reform, bullish foreign investment and vigorous TP audits have made Italy’s tax advisory market dynamic and stiffly competitive
As ITR data reveals that 2025 saw more than double the amount of private client hires than 2024, it seems firms are jostling for position
The US multinational paid 20% more tax in 2025 than 2024, it said; in other news, more than 25,000 HMRC staff have been upskilled on AI
Belt and Road Initiative countries face tax incentive conundrums due to pillar two, but relatively few countries would seek to scrap the project, ITR has heard
Hany Elnaggar examines how the OECD’s global minimum tax is reshaping the GCC’s investment incentive landscape, shifting the region from rate-based competition toward substance-driven economic positioning
Gift this article