VimpelCom, Russia’s second largest cellphone operator, has negotiated a reduction in back tax demands for 2002. Regulators scaled the company’s debt down from more than RUR 580 million (about $20.77 million) to RUR 474 million (about $17 million).
The final review of VimpelCom’s 2002 tax filings put the debt at RUR 344.9 million ($12.4 million), plus $129.1 million ($4.7 million) in fines and penalties.
Earlier, VimpelCom cleared its tax debt for 2001, paying RUR 489.9 million ($17.7million) - RUR 284.9 million in back taxes and RUR 205 million in fines and penalties.
Last December, VimpelCom received a preliminary tax audit report for 2001, claiming RUR 2.5 billion ($90 million) in back taxes and RUR 1.9 billion (about $67 million) in fines and penalties from the company.
After negotiations with tax authorities, the mobile operator received a final review of its 2001 tax payments, putting VimpelCom’s debt at RUR 489.9 million, much lower than a preliminary tax audit report, under which the company was to pay about RUR 4.4 billion.
The document also said the tax agencies had accepted the company's objections regarding its agent relations with KB Impuls and withdrawn part of the claim. Earlier in December, tax regulators demanded RUR 580.6 million from VimpelCom in back taxes for 2002.
VimpelCom is an international operator providing mobile services under the BeeLine trademark in Russia and K-mobile and EXCESS in Kazakhstan. VimpelCom’s licenses cover an area in which about 94 percent of Russia’s population - 136 million people - live, including Moscow, Moscow region and St. Petersburg, alongside Kazakhstan.
The operator was the first Russian company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The group includes VimpelCom, KB Impuls, VimpelCom-Region, East-West Telecom, DalTelecom International, Beeline-Samara, VimpelCom-Finance and KaR-Tel in Kazakhstan.
VimpelCom, Russia’s second largest cellphone operator, has negotiated a reduction in back tax demands for 2002. Regulators scaled the company’s debt down from more than RUR 580 million (about $20.77 million) to RUR 474 million (about $17 million).
