Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saket Gokhale on Friday said he has received 11 notices from the income-tax department in the last 72 hours, with some of the notices dating almost seven years back.
“Got a total of 11 Income Tax notices in the last 72 hours for various years (some as far back as 7 years),” he said.
“It’s hilarious how the Modi govt isn’t even pretending that they’ll let the elections be free and fair. Every attempt being made to pressurise the Opposition on the eve of Lok Sabha 2024,” the TMC leader said.
“When ED doesn’t work out, use IT Dept. Why so desperate, BJP? Is Modi that rattled?” he asked, sharing screenshots of e-mails he received from the I-T department along with his post on X.
Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (CPI) has been served a notice by the income-tax department, demanding payment of Rs 11 crore “dues” for utilizing an old PAN card while filing tax returns in recent years, PTI reported, citing sources.
According to the sources, the amount owed to the I-T department includes penalties and interest due to discrepancies in the use of the old PAN card by the party. They mentioned that the Left party is seeking legal advice to contest the tax authorities’ notice.
Additionally, the income tax exemption for the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for the fiscal year 2016-17 has been revoked by the I-T department. The Left party has been taxed Rs 15.59 crore for not declaring a bank account in its tax returns for the same year.
The CPI(M) had received a notice under section 148A of the Income Tax Act for the assessment year 2016-17, stating that it maintained a bank account but did not disclose it in column 13(b) during tax filing. Despite submitting various documents and clarifications, the department rejected the party’s plea and reopened the case.
The CPI(M) has filed a writ petition against the income tax order in the Delhi High Court, and the matter is currently subjudice. The court has instructed the I-T department to refrain from taking any hasty action until further notice.
The Left party received a show-cause notice last year, proposing to disallow the claim of exemption made under section 13A of the Act. It had requested for extension of time, which was not granted.
Earlier, the Congress said that it has received income tax notices totaling over Rs 1,823 crore for inconsistencies in previous years’ tax returns. The party has accused the BJP-led government of attempting to weaken the opposition ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.