Sales Tax
// VSMPO-Avisma received a 2-billion rubles bill
It became known yesterday that VSMPO-Avisma received tax claims for 2005 in the course of talks between VSMPO-Avisma and Rosoboronexport which wants to buy Avisma’s shares. A surprisingly quick inspection showed that Avisma’s tax arrears is equal to its net profits and makes up 2 billion rubles. Avisma’s shareholders do not publicly link tax claims to future sale of the company. Yet, sources in Avisma believe that governmental structures want to knock down Avisma’s price in this way.
Moscow Arbitration Court began the hearings concerning the lawsuit between VSMPO-Avisma and Federal Tax Service Inter-regional Inspection on major taxpayers #5. Avisma objects to owing 2 billion rubles of tax arrears for 2005, and a 450-million rubles fine.
Court was surprised by some facts of the case. Judge Olga Chernyaeva asked how could it happen that Avisma had 10.6 million rubles of tax overpayment on March 13, 2006, and then tax arrears on March 28. Having asked for additional documents, the court announced recess.
Kommersant’s source in Avisma believes tax claims are connected to Rosoboronexport’s wish to buy the company. Rosoboronexport began talks with major Avisma shareholders Vyacheslav Bresht and Vladislav Tetyukhin about buying their shares (they own 30 percent each).
Rosoboronexport refused to comment on tax claims to Avisma, or to say whether the claims will affect the price of a possible sale.
Avisma’s Director of Legal Matters and PR Artem Kislichenko said the tax claims may create serious problems for the company, such as disruption in raw materials delivery and energy supply. “The nonsense is that an enterprise which pays taxes regularly and never had problems after field audit, receives claims on income tax arrears after desk audit, and these arrears exceed all its tax payments,” said Kislichenko.
Olga Pleshanova; Vera Stepanova, Ekaterinburg; Dmitry Belikov
All the Article in Russian as of July 04, 2006
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