Mumbai: Vodafone Idea has requested the government to allow the repayment of the outstanding dues revenue (AGR) in 15 years. Along with this, the company has also demanded reduction in tax refund, license fees and spectrum usage charge (SUC) and fixing the minimum tariff limit. This can help the company maintain its business.
In a letter to the Telecom Department (DoT), Ministry of Finance and NITI Aayog, the company has said that it needs help from the government to stay in business. The letter was sent a day before the meeting of the Digital Communications Commission (DCC), the decision-making body of the telecom department. DCC may consider giving relief to companies like Vodafone Idea facing financial difficulties.
Vodafone Idea has demanded a Goods and Services Tax (GST) refund of Rs 8,000 crore in the letter. This amount can be adjusted against the outstanding of his AGR. The company wants it to be allowed to repay the remaining amount over a period of 15 years.
Vodafone Idea has more than 300 million subscribers. The company has to pay about Rs 57,000 crore to the government as the outstanding amount of AGR. Of this, it has so far given only Rs 3,500 crore. However, according to an estimate by Vodafone Idea, its outstanding balance is around Rs 23,000 crore.
