The Madras High Court Tuesday ordered Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia to pay 10 percent of the Tamil Nadu government's tax claim of around Rs.2,400 crore.

 

The court also asked the state government's sales tax department to look into the tax matter afresh.Hearing the Nokia appeal against the Rs.2,400 crore tax notice, the court directed the company to pay 10 percent of the tax claim in eight weeks' time.

 

Last month, the Tamil Nadu government sent a tax notice of around Rs.2,400 crore for three years – 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 – saying that Nokia had sold the phones made at its Sriperumbudur plant near here in the domestic market.

 

This is new trouble for Nokia which has been charged with Rs.21,000 crore tax evasion by the Income Tax Department.