New Delhi: The income tax department Wednesday carried out surveys at over 100 locations across the country, including offices of prominent Delhi-based think tank Centre for Policy Research (CPR), Bengaluru-based Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF), non-profit organisation Oxfam, and at properties of businessmen and private individuals, ThePrint has learnt.
While tax department officials have not confirmed the reason behind the surveys, sources said they are being conducted in connection with alleged violations under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act.
A survey by the tax department is an investigative procedure meant to ascertain the actual income earned by a taxpayer for a financial year.
The states in which the surveys are being carried out include Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Karnataka, a source said.
The tax department has not issued any formal statement with regard to the action. Department spokesperson Surabhi Ahluwalia said: “We cannot comment on the issue at this point.”
ThePrint reached Yamini Aiyar, President and CEO of CPR, Amitabh Behar, CEO of Oxfam, and Sunil Rajshekhar, CEO of IPSMF, via messages and phone calls for a comment, but had not received a response at the time of publishing this report.
The report will be updated once a response is issued.
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‘Non-existent parties’ under scanner
Surveys were also carried out at offices of political parties in connection with a crackdown on registered unrecognised political parties (RUPPs) that allegedly claimed income tax exemption without submitting contribution reports, as is mandated under Section 29C of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, sources said.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) had on 20 June issued orders to initiate action against 111 RUPPs and a decision to delete them from its register was taken. Earlier, on 25 May, the ECI had deleted 87 non-existent registered unrecognised political parties.
According to a statement by the ECI, these RUPPs had either been found to be “non-existent on verification” or the letters issued to them, in pursuance of the commission’s orders, had “returned undelivered by the postal department”.
The statement said that a reference had also been sent to the department of revenue for necessary “legal and criminal action against three RUPPs involved in serious financial impropriety”.
“A list of 66 RUPPs which have claimed income tax exemption without submitting contribution reports as mandated under Section 29C of the Act has also been shared with the revenue department,” the statement added.
It further said that any aggrieved party could approach the Chief Electoral Officer or the Election Commission within 30 days along with “all evidences of existence, other legal and regulatory compliances including year-wise annual audited accounts, contribution reports, expenditure reports, updation of office-bearers including authorised signatories for financial transactions (including bank account)”.
Disclosure: The IPSMF has commissioned stories and videos to ThePrint for the purpose of reporting and publishing stories of public interest in specific areas.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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