Venezuela tallies up total it says oil companies owe

Venezuela, the world’s fifth-largest oil exporter, said international oil companies operating in the country may owe more than $3 billion in back income taxes.

Tax Superindendent Jose Vielma said at a news conference Wednesday in Caracas that a preliminary audit of the first three private companies running fields for the state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, showed they owed about $287 million. Nineteen companies remain to be audited, said Vielma, who declined to name the first three

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