The Higher Economic Court of Tajikistan has rejected an appeal by Tajik mobile communications operator, Tacom, which had offered its services under the Beeline brand.
An official source in Tacom says the Higher Economic Court last week upheld the ruling handed down by lower court over the case pitting the Tax Committee under the Government of Tajikistan and Tacom.
In 2016, the Tax Committee slapped Tacom with two fines, amounting to a total of 45 million U.S. dollars. “Including usual taxes fees, a total fiscal burden on the company last year amounted to some 73 million U.S. dollars, while Tacom’s total revenues amounted to 68 million U.S. dollars,” the source.
Tacom has lodged an appeal to the Higher Economic Court but it has been rejected.
Recall, VEON, the Amsterdam-headquartered company that operated the Beeline brand in the CIS member nations, announced on April 5 that its mobile services subsidiary in Tajikistan has been bought by ZET Mobile Limited.
The Beeline brand is to be retained, as required in the sale agreement.
According to press release issued by VEON, divestment of the Beeline is part of company’s strategy on optimization of its telecommunications asset portfolio and withdrawal from markets, where its business is small.
However, VEON is not the first international telecommunications to exit Tajikistan’s market. Last year, Sweden-based mobile phone company TeliaSonera sold its 60 percent stake in Tcell to the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), giving the latter whole control over the company.
