- Sunday, March 09, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
Authorities in India have asked a court to quash French spirit giant Pernod Ricard’s bid to stop proceedings related to a $244 million tax demand, accusing the company of being a “habitual litigant” and conspiring to “defraud” the government, legal documents have shown, according to a Reuters report.
The October 3 Mumbai court filing by India’s customs authority, which was not reported previously, underlines the growing dispute between the Narendra Modi government and Pernod’s local unit over how the French firm valued some of its imports for more than a decade.
According to the customs authority, Pernod did so to skip full payment of import taxes.
The tussle comes when Pernod Ricard is facing business and regulatory stress in India, one of its key growth markets where it accounts for no less than 17 per cent share.
