Vodafone looms large on agenda of Chidu-UK Chancellor meet

The settlement of the Vodafone tax dispute is expected to dominate the agenda in the schedule meeting between finance minister P Chidambaram and the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, reports CNBC-TV18's Aakansha Sethi, quoting sources.

The finance minister, after his return from road-shows in Singapore and Hong Kong, is scheduled to visit London and Frankfurt on January 28 and 29. On the top of the agenda of his visit to London is the meeting with Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and sources indicate that that the Vodafone tax issue is very likely to be brought up for discussion.
The UK too is concerned about the uncertainty in tax regulation and the regulatory environment in India and is likely to discuss this with the finance minister. Other topics that may come up for discussion include the withdrawal of a Supreme Court judgment by a retrospective legislative amendment.
The discussions are to also include restrictions on UK banks in India and the opening up of the legal and accountancy sectors. The issue of Vodafone is difficult to ignore as the UPA government is trying to reach a settlement with Vodafone on the tax dispute.