MOSCOW, November 17 - RAPSI, Dmitry Shchitov. A commercial court postponed until December 20 a lawsuit filed by Ikea Mos (Retail & Property) to invalidate the tax service's claims, the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI) reported from the court on Thursday.

Ikea Mos owns and manages the Mega shopping centers.

IKEA is the world's largest retail network of shops selling furniture and household items. It operates 11 IKEA shops and 13 Mega trade centers in Russia. The first IKEA store opened in Russia in 2000. The projected investments to commission Mega trade and entertainment complexes amount to an average of $120-300 million.

It was earlier reported that the tax claims amount to 500 million rubles ($16.26 million). IKEA is disputing the Federal Tax Service's April 30, 2010 decision to charge an additional 1.06 million rubles ($34.49 million).

The Moscow Commercial Court partially upheld this lawsuit on December 14, 2010. The tax service's representatives, while commenting on the Moscow Commercial Court's decisions, said the court validated half the tax claims, or 500 million rubles ($16.26million). The appeals court validated the decision.

Therefore, the Moscow District Federal Commercial Court upheld in August IKEA MOS' cassation appeal. IKEA demanded that the lawsuit be satisfied in full. The cassation instance submitted the case for reconsideration.

The lawsuit was postponed to grant the plaintiff time to study the documents.