CNPC asks for tax amnesty on stake sale -report

BEIJING Aug 27 (Reuters) - China's top oil firm CNPC has asked the Ministry of Finance to waive taxes on a stake sale to PetroChina, Chinese media reported on Wednesday.

PetroChina (0857.HK) (PTR.N) (601857.SS) is the listed arm of China National Petroleum Corp.

PetroChina, which already owns 50 percent of CNPC Exploration and Development Co, indicated earlier this year that it would buy the outstanding 50 percent from CNPC.

But the deal has been held up for months, mainly because CNPC did not want to pay a hefty capital gains tax charge, Caijing Magazine said on its website (www.caijing.com.cn), citing an unnamed CNPC source.

The price of the deal has already been agreed, but the two sides are waiting for the government to grant tax amnesty, the source added.

The report did not give any details about the deal's pricing.

CNPC Exploration and Development operates most of CNPC's overseas oil and gas business, covering more than 20 countries. (Reporting by Beijing News Room)