Niger tax department orders closure of Airtel Niger offices

New Delhi : The tax department of Niger has ordered the closure of the offices of Bharti Airtel's arm, Airtel Niger, over a tax dispute, the company said on Tuesday.

Bharti Airtel in a statement said that Airtel Niger has asked the authorities to "review the issues in depth to reach a mutually acceptable solution".

"The General Tax Directorate of Niger has ordered the closure of the offices of Airtel Niger, seeking tax amounts that have been disputed by Airtel Niger," it said.

In October, the tax directorate made an assessment relating to Airtel Niger's taxes.

According to Airtel, the assessment was done without appreciation of the facts and law and with undue haste in dismissing the detailed responses submitted by it.

"This resulted in an astounding demand amounting to approximately 70 per cent of its annual revenues."

The share price of Bharti Airtel on the BSE closed at Rs 290.10, down Rs 4.20 or 1.43 per cent from the previous close.