MOSCOW - The Russo-British oil firm TNK-BP said Monday that it had received a new demand for payment of back taxes for 2001 following an audit by federal tax officials, bringing the total the government claims is owed by the company for that year to 935 million dollars.
"We have received a new tax claim for 22 billion rubles," or around 791 million dollars, for 2001, a spokesman for the company said.
The group had previously received a revised 2001 tax bill for four billion rubles (144 million dollars) for the same period, a claim it has contested in court.
The spokesman, who asked not to be named, said the new tax claim followed an audit by federal tax authorities while the previous bill was for value-added and profit taxes and was issued by regional tax officials.
The spokesman declined to say whether TNK-BP would challenge the latest tax claim.
President Vladimir Putin promised business leaders last month to introduce tighter regulations on tax controls, which many businesses complain are increasingly used as an instrument for the government to pressure companies.
It was a government back-tax claim of 27 billion dollars on crippled oil giant Yukos that resulted in the de facto renationalization of the company's core production asset, Yuganskneftegaz, late last year.
04/11/2005 13:35 GMT