Total vs. Uganda: Illegal tax waiver
Phot by Ben Sutherland CC BY 2.0
  • Amount demanded: Data not available
  • Outcome: Settled (details undisclosed)
  • Treaty invoked: Netherlands - Uganda BIT
  • Sector: Energy
  • Issue: Tax

by IPS (edited by bilaterals.org)

In 2015, the French oil company Total filed a request for arbitration against the government of Uganda, using a Netherlands-based subsidiary.

When it acquired a 33 per cent share in a US$2.9 billion project owned by Tullow Oil, Total refused to pay tax. But according to Ugandan law, when a stock is bought, stamp duty must be paid.

Details of the dispute were not disclosed, but a source at the Uganda Revenue Authority said that the contract between the two parties included a tax waiver, which would be illegal under Ugandan law. No one could verify Total’s claims about a tax waiver, as the contract was confidential.

In August 2018, Total and Uganda settled the dispute. The details of the settlement were not disclosed though, keeping ordinary Ugandans in darkness.

Last update: May 2021

source: IPS