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CBDT reports substantial stability in portal's functioning, provides elaborate information on e-filing activities

 

Government of India

Ministry of Finance

Department of Revenue

Central Board of Direct Taxes

New Delhi, 14th October, 2021

PRESS RELEASE

Over 2crore Income Tax Returns filed on the e-Filing portal of the Income Tax Department

The e-filing portal of the Income Tax Department (www.incometax.gov.in) has marked receipt of more than 2 croreIncome Tax returnsas on 13th October 2021. The new portal was launched on 7th June, 2021 and in the initial period taxpayers had reported glitches and difficulties in the functioning of the portal. A number of technical issues have since been resolved and the performance of the portal has substantially stabilized.

Over 13.44 crore unique taxpayers have logged in till 13th October, 2021.  Approximately 54.70 lakh taxpayers have availed of ‘forgot password’ facility to obtain their passwords.All Income Tax Returns have been made available for e-filing. More than 2 crore ITRs for AY 2021-22 have been filed on the portal, of which ITRs 1 & 4 constitute 86%. It is encouraging to note that more than 1.70 crore returns have been e-verified, out of which 1.49 crore are through Aadhaar based OTP. The process of e-verification through Aadhaar OTP and other methods is important for the Department to commence processing of the ITR and to issue refunds, if any.

Of the verified ITRs 1 & 4, over 1.06crore ITRs have been processed and over 36.22 lakh refunds for AY 2021-22 have been issued. Processing of ITRs 2& 3 will be taken up shortly.

The Digital Signature (DSC) registration of non-residents has been enabled and overall4.87lakh DSCs have been registered. In the simplified process of DSC registration any individual has to register his DSC only once and can use it across any entity where the individual is a partner, director etc without having to re-register again against each entity or role.

Over 15.72 lakh Statutory Forms have been submitted including 9.08 lakh TDS statements, 1.29lakh Form 10A for registration of Trusts/institutions, 1.98 lakh Form 10E for arrears of salary, 23,920 Form 35 pertaining to filing of Appeal and 22,075 DTVSV Form 4 till 13thOctober, 2021.In response to feedback from taxpayers, the submission process of 15CA and 15CB forms required for foreign remittances has been revamped. Over 1.83lakh 15CA and 37,870 15CB forms have been filed. More than 21.40 lakh e-PANs have been allotted onlinefree of cost. The Legal Heir functionality has been enabled for registrations and compliance

Further, e-proceedings and faceless proceedings have been enabled with functionalities including video conferencing for assessment and seeking adjournments or appointment and filings by Authorized Representatives. Taxpayers have been able to view over 12.20 lakh Notices issued by the Department under the Faceless Assessment/Appeal/Penalty proceedings, to which over 6.24 lakh responses have been filed.

The Income Tax Department strongly urges all taxpayers to view their Form 26AS through the e-filing portal to verify the accuracy of the TDS and Tax Payments and avail of pre-filling of ITRs.

All taxpayers who are yet to file their Income Tax returns for AY 2021-22 are requested to file their returns at the earliest.

(Surabhi Ahluwalia)

Commissioner of Income Tax

(Media & Technical Policy)

Official Spokesperson, CBDT

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IT Dept. search at Hyderabad based Pharmaceutical group reveals second set of books of accounts and unexplained cash amounting to Rs. 142crore

 

Government of India

Ministry of Finance

Department of Revenue

Central Board of Direct Taxes

New Delhi, 9th October, 2021

PRESS RELEASE

Cash seizure of over Rs. 142 crore in searches of Income Tax Department in Hyderabad

The Income Tax Department carried out search & seizure operations on 06.10.2021 on a major Pharmaceutical group based out of Hyderabad. This Pharmaceutical group is engaged in the business of manufacturing of intermediates, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and formulations. Majority of the products are exported to foreign countries i.e. USA, Europe, Dubai and other African countries.  The search operation was carried out at about 50 locations in 6 States.

During the searches, hideouts were identified where second set of books of accounts and cash were found. Incriminating evidence in the form of digital media, pen drives, documents, etc. have been found and seized. Incriminating digital evidences were gathered from SAP @ ERP software maintained by the assessee group.

During these searches, issues relating to discrepancies in purchases made from bogus and non-existent entities and artificial inflation of certain heads of expenditure were detected. Further, evidence of on-money payment for purchase of lands was also found. Various other legal issues were also identified such as personal expenses being booked in the company’s books and land purchased by related parties below government registration value.

During the search, several bank lockers have been found, out of which 16 lockers have been operated. The searches have resulted in seizure of unexplained cash amounting to Rs. 142.87 crore so far. The unaccounted income unearthed is estimated to be in the range of about Rs 550 crore till now.

Further investigations and quantification of undisclosed income detected is in progress.

(Surabhi Ahluwalia)

Commissioner of Income Tax

(Media & Technical Policy)

Official Spokesperson, CBDT

 

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IT Dept. raids certain businessmen / middlemen holding public offices, detected Rs. 1050 crore

 

Government of India

Ministry of Finance

Department of Revenue

Central Board of Direct Taxes

New Delhi, 7th October, 2021

PRESS RELEASE

Income Tax Department conducts searches on certain businessmen / middlemen in Maharashtra

The Income Tax Department carried out a search operation that commenced on 23.09.2021 on a big syndicate involving certain businessmen/middlemen of Maharashtra and some persons holding public offices. The intelligence was developed over 6 months. In all, 25 residential and 15 office premises were covered under the search, while 4 offices were covered under survey. Some suites in Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai, permanently rented by two of the middlemen and used for meeting their clients, were also subjected to search. The syndicate, consisting of businessmen/middlemen/associates and persons holding public offices, used various code names in their records and in one case had back-dated records by 10 years. The total transactions detected during this search are to the tune of Rs. 1050 crore.

These middle men provided end-to-end services to corporates and entrepreneurs from land allotment to obtaining all governmental clearances. Despite using encrypted modes of communication and sanitising devices, the Income Tax teams were able to recover critical digital evidence and also located a secret hideout from where various incriminating evidences were recovered. The liaisoners also used 'angadiyas' for transfer of cash and Rs.150 lakh was seized from one of the angadiyas during the search.

The documents recovered include a summary of overall cash generated and disbursed giving the particulars of the amounts received and receivable, each being more than Rs. 200 crore. Key areas of generation of this money have been found to be cash paid by bureaucrats for getting key postings under a certain Ministry, cash paid by the contractors for getting payments released etc. Major amount of cash collected had been distributed to various persons, including someone who is mentioned under a code name.

Furthermore, one of the businessmen/middlemen had also amassed huge unaccounted income by purchasing lands from farmers and transferring the same to Government undertakings/big corporates. Many senior bureaucrats/their relatives and other prominent people have been found to have invested in these schemes.

During the search, evidence unearthed at the office premises includes date-wise transactions for a certain period of cash deposits of around Rs. 27 crore and cash payments of around Rs. 40 crore. Further, evidences have been found of cash payments to the tune of Rs. 23 crore made to various persons, whose names are prefixed with various code words. The said middle man receives payments from various businessmen and industrialists for getting lands under the schemes of Government undertakings, extension of tenders/mining contracts, etc. Further, in a WhatsApp chat, particulars of cash transactions have been found showing receipts of cash of around Rs. 16 crore and outflow of around Rs. 12 crore. 

Some of the persons searched have their own real estate and construction businesses, in respect of which evidences of cash receipts/payments have also been found.

Voluminous digital data has been recovered and seized from mobile phones, pen-drives, hard drives, iCloud, e-mails etc. which is being examined and analyzed.

So far, cash of more than Rs. 4.6 crore and jewellery valued at Rs. 3.42 crore have been seized. 4 lockers found during the search operation have been put under restraint orders.

Further investigations are in progress.

(Surabhi Ahluwalia)

Commissioner of Income Tax

 (Media & Technical Policy)

Official Spokesperson, CBDT

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Seychelles’ Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) programme launched in partnership with India

Government of India

Ministry of Finance

Department of Revenue

Central Board of Direct Taxes

New Delhi, 4th October, 2021

PRESS RELEASE

Seychelles’ Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) programme launched in partnership with India

Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB), a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), launched its programme in Seychelles on 4th October, 2021. India was chosen as the Partner Administration and has provided Tax Expert for this programme.

This programme is expected to be of 12 months duration during which India, in collaboration with the TIWB Secretariat and support of the UNDP Country Office in Mauritius and Seychelles, aims to aid Seychelles in strengthening its tax administration by transferring technical know-how and skills to its tax auditors through sharing of best audit practices. The focus of the programme will be on Transfer Pricing cases of tourism and financial services sectors.

Shri J.B. Mohapatra, Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) attended the launch through videoconferencing along with Mr. Patrick Payet, Secretary of State, Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning & Trade of the Government of Seychelles; Mrs. Veronique Herminie, Commissioner General of Seychelles Revenue Commission; Mr. Ben Dickinson, Head of Global Relations and Development Division of the Centre for Tax Policy and Administration at the OECD; Ms. RusudanKemularia, Head of the TIWB Secretariat; and other senior officers of Seychelles, UNDP, OECD, TIWB Secretariat and Foreign Tax & Tax Research Division of CBDT.

This programme is the sixth TIWB programme which India has supported by providing Tax Expert.

(SurabhiAhluwalia)

Commissioner of Income Tax

(Media & Technical Policy)

Official Spokesperson, CBDT

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Cases pertaining to ‘Pandora Papers’ to be investigated

Government of India

Ministry of Finance

Department of Revenue

Central Board of Direct Taxes

New Delhi, 4th October, 2021

PRESS RELEASE

Cases pertaining to ‘Pandora Papers’ to be investigated

On 3rd October, 2021, the International Consortium of International Journalists (ICIJ) has come out with what is claimed to be a 2.94 terabyte data trove that exposes the offshore secrets of wealthy elites from more than 200 countries and territories. The investigation is based on a leak of confidential records of 14 offshore service providers that give professional services to wealthy individuals and corporations seeking to incorporate shell companies, trusts, foundations and other entities in low or no-tax jurisdictions.

The Government has taken note of these developments. The relevant investigative agencies would undertake investigation in these cases and appropriate action would be taken in such cases as per law. With a view to ensure effective investigation in these cases, the Government will also proactively engage with foreign jurisdictions for obtaining information in respect of relevant taxpayers/entities. The Government of India is also part of an Inter-Governmental Group that ensures collaboration and experience sharing to effectively address tax risks associated with such leaks.

It may be noted that following earlier similar such leaks in the form of ICIJ, HSBC, Panama Papers and Paradise Papers, the Government has already enacted the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 with an aim to curb black money, or undisclosed foreign assets and income by imposing suitable tax and penalty on such income. Undisclosed credits of Rs. 20,352 crore approximately (status as on 15.09.2021) have been detected in the investigations carried out in the Panama and Paradise Papers.

Names of only a few Indians (legal entities as well as individuals) have appeared so far in the media. Even the ICIJ website (www.icij.org) has not yet released the names and other particulars of all the entities. The website of ICIJ suggests that information will be released in phases and structured data connected to the Pandora Papers investigation will be released only in the days to come on its Offshore Leaks Database.

Further, the Government has directed today that, investigations in cases of Pandora Papers leaks appearing in the media under the name ‘PANDORA PAPERS’ will be monitored through the Multi Agency Group, headed by the Chairman, CBDT, having representatives from CBDT, ED, RBI & FIU.

(Surabhi Ahluwalia)

Commissioner of Income Tax (Media & Technical Policy)

Official Spokesperson, CBDT

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