BP Turkey fined $275 mln for tax violation-report

There was no act violating the laws and the issue stems from a mistaken practice by the tax administration, BP Turkey said in a statement.

The fine was related to exported fuels which are exempt from excise tax and also had value added tax exemptions, Murat Lecompte, the company's corporate communications manager said in a statement.

The report also said a Finance Ministry official confirmed the fine was comprised of 170 million lira in back taxes, while the rest was made up of penalties and interest.

BP was notified late Tuesday of the fine connected to the sale of duty-free fuel at Turkey's borders with Greece and Bulgaria, the report also said.

BP's Turkish unit runs the country's second-biggest chain of gas stations after Petrol Ofisi. BP also operates a $3.7 billion oil pipeline in Turkey, which carries Azeri crude to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.