Vivo India remitted about 50% of income to China to dodge taxes: ED

New Delhi, July 07: Smartphone maker Vivo has remitted almost 50 per cent of its turnover, which is Rs 62,476 crore, mainly to China in order to avoid paying taxes in India.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said it has seized funds worth Rs 465 crore kept in 119 bank accounts by various entities, Rs 73 lakh cash and 2 kg gold bars after its pan-India raids that were launched early this week on July 5 against Vivo Mobile India Pvt. Ltd. and its 23 associated companies.

The federal probe agency also said an ex-director of Vivo, Bin Lou, left India in 2018 after incorporating a number of companies that are now under its scanner.

It alleged that "employees of Vivo India, including some Chinese nationals, did not cooperate with the search proceedings and tried to abscond, remove and hide digital devices which were retrieved by the search teams."

The ED raided at least 44 places across India on Tuesday in a money-laundering investigation against Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo and related firms.

The searches were carried out under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at locations in several states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya and Maharashtra.

The action is being seen as part of the Union government's steps to tighten checks on Chinese entities and the continued crackdown on such firms and their linked Indian operatives that are allegedly indulging in serious financial crimes like money laundering and tax evasion while operating in India.

The stepped-up action against the Chinese-backed companies or entities operating in India comes in the backdrop of the military stand-off between the two countries along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh has been ongoing for more than two years now.

China on Wednesday expressed hope that India will conduct the ongoing investigations into the Chinese mobile manufacturer firm Vivo in accordance with the law and regulations and provide a " truly fair" and "non-discriminatory" business environment to China's firms.

Asked about the ongoing raids on Vivo offices in several locations in India, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing here that the Chinese side is closely following the developments on this matter.

"As I have stressed many times, the Chinese government has always asked Chinese companies to abide by laws and regulations when doing business overseas," Zhao said.

"In the meantime, we firmly support Chinese companies in safeguarding their lawful rights and interests," he said.

"We hope the Indian authorities will abide by laws as they carry out the investigation and enforcement activities and provide a truly fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies investing and operating in India," the spokesman said.

with PTI inputs