The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is still working on pending adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues as it has detected variation in accounting practices adopted by different circle offices. As per industry sources, AGR dues currently pegged at Rs 1.64 trillion are set to rise sharply with this move.
On February 3, 2020, DoT’s licence finance wing had issued a letter with guidelines to all controller generals of communication accounts to reconcile AGR dues and asked them to grant 15 days time to operators for the submission of appeals and documents related to deductions they make in the final payment.
The telcos have been submitting two separate audited details of deduction towards interconnection usage charges and roaming fee to the DoT. In one set, deductions have been claimed by telecom operators on a paid basis while on an accrual basis on the other.
The DoT has been facing a challenge in carrying out the revised assessments due to various issues related to telcos’ debit voucher reports (DVR). The DoT has asked the circle officers to re-verify DVRs at the earliest in light of the Supreme Court judgement.
