NEW DELHI: Walmart ’s acquisition of majority control in Indian e-commerce player Flipkart in a $16-billion deal is expected to help the government rake in up to Rs 13,000 crore, following the global retailer’s discussions with income tax authorities.The Beast of Bentonville, which will acquire up to 77% stake in Flipkart, will deduct $1.5-2 billion as taxes before issuing cheques to entities such as SoftBank, eBay , Naspers and the company’s co-founder Sachin Bansal , sources said.At least two senior Walmart executives — executive VP and treasurer Pedro Farah, and senior director of M&A tax Geoff Adams — met senior income tax officials to assure them that the company will ensure that tax dues accrue to the government.Flipkart’s largest shareholder Japanese investor SoftBank, which is selling its roughly 20% stake in the company, has estimated its tax liability at around $600 million, while budgeting for a 60% return on its investment in Flipkart. SoftBank and others, who are selling their shares, will get credit for the tax deducted by Walmart.The transaction has been under the taxman’s radar as the government is keen to avoid a repeat of a situation like the Vodafone deal, where the telecom giant did not deduct tax dues before closing the deal with Hutchison Whampoa. While Vodafone took the plea that the law did not mandate tax payment in India since the transaction involved companies that were located overseas, the UPA government controversially amended the law to levy tax, and with retrospective effect. The case is still under arbitration.Walmart is also keen to avoid any controversy in the transaction that is already facing stiff resistance from local retailers and entities such as the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch and traders’ bodies such as CAIT and All India Online Vendors Association. The American retailer said in a statement, “We take seriously our legal obligations, including the payment of taxes to governments where we operate. We will continue to work with Indian tax authorities to respond to their inquiries.”On Wednesday, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) had approved Walmart’s acquisition of the Bengaluru-based e-tailer, leaving the company with the task of clearing the tax dues from the transaction.