India refunds Rs 7,900 cr to Cairn to settle retro tax dispute

The government initially refused to honour the award but in August 2021 brought a law to scrap all retrospective tax demands and refund money collected but without any interest or penalty

The Indian government has paid Cairn Energy Plc Rs 7,900 crore to refund taxes it had collected to enforce a retrospective tax demand, ending a seven-year-old dispute that had tarred the country's image as an investment destination.

The company, which is now known as Capricorn Energy PLC, in a statement said it has received "net proceeds of USD 1.06 billion", of which nearly 70 per cent will be returned to the shareholders.

The tax department had used a 2012 legislation, which gave it powers to go back 50 years and slap capital gains levies wherever ownership had changed hands overseas