Mumbai, Feb 12: The Income Tax department's Criminal Investigation wing has identified 2,000 Indian citizens who hold properties in Dubai but had failed to declare it in their IT returns.
In its ongoing crackdown on black money, the agency has identified Indian citizens who purchased properties in Dubai but failed to declare and explain the source of funds used to purchase these properties.
In the past few years, people have used shell companies to route illegal money and buy overseas properties to evade income tax.
However, the tax department has now increased its efforts to track down those involved in major tax evasion cases.
The 2,000 persons and companies identified mainly include businessmen, top professionals, and government officials.
The IT department will initiate action against the accused under the Black Money Act.
Citizens who own properties outside the country but fail to declare the source of funds or income used for the purchase could be prosecuted under the Black Money Act.
Under Section FA (Foreign Assets) of the Income Tax Act, an individual has to declare purchase and ownership of properties, assets, companies owned outside the country while filing the income tax returns annually.
In the recent drive against black money, the IT department identified 2,000 Indian nationals who failed to provide information on the same while filing IT returns.
Of the 2,000 citizens owning properties in Dubai, around 600 could not furnish details regarding purchase details.
Those who haven't been able to explain the source of funds used for the purchase of properties could be prosecuted and their properties can be attached by the agency.
Other than the attachment of the property, they can face a monetary penalty up to 300 per cent of the property value and also face imprisonment under the Black Money Act.
The properties owned by Indians in Dubai raised red flags as this pattern of parking money is used by money launderers, smugglers, underworld gangsters and drug traffickers for making payments.
It is worth mentioning that of the 2,000 citizens identified, most are residing in Mumbai, followed by Kerala and Gujarat.
The clause under section FA (foreign Assets) came into effect in the year 2011-12 and it is mandatory for people owning properties outside India to declare it in their IT returns.
Those identified by IT department could also face action under FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) by the Enforcement Directorate under Section 4.
Recently the Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched a crackdown on black money parked overseas by tracking and identifying immovable assets bought overseas by Indian nationals illegally.
The move is being carried out under rules laid down under Section 4 of FEMA (Foregn Exchange Manipulation Act), 1999. Section 4 of FEMA states that no person resident in India shall acquire, hold, own, possess or transfer any foreign exchange, foreign security or any immovable property situated outside India.
On January 17, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at the residence of a former chief engineer of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in connection with an inquiry related to FEMA.
In the raids, the ED officials recovered documents related to the purchase of a property in Dubai in an allegedly illegal manner.
The ex-BMC chief engineer was posted with some of the most crucial wings of the municipal corporation -- the building proposal department and development plan department.
The agency did not disclose the name of the ex-BMC chief engineer but it has been learnt that he had superannuated around seven years ago from the municipal corporation.
ED, in a statement, said incriminating documents with regard to illegal acquisition of a property held in Dubai was recovered during the search operation.
The former BMC chief engineer has stated that he had purchased the property in Dubai at 'Park Island, Bonaire Marsa, Dubai' for Rs 70 lakh in 2012. The property is held jointly in his name, his spouse and son.
The retired BMC officials could not furnish any documents which would help ascertain the value of the property and also could not provide details on how the payments were made to buy the property in Dubai.
The citizens identified by the IT department recently also adopted a similar route to buy property in Delhi. It remains to be seen how the income tax department plans to penalise them.
Comments
If RSS and other chillar saffron pillas are banned....then all Muslim based parties will surely back off....try it
..India will be a Better place to live......
if u say to ban SDPI and PFI wht abt the killers who killed more thn 1000's of Muslim & Dalits in india who will ban those who killed this muslims & dalits they are nationlist this RSS VHP ABVP Sangi shld b banned first in india if you ban this guys thn india will b peace country y u all involving kerala in this in kerala they kill for political reason @mohan and @nirmal u mean to ban all the parties in kerala and in india thn only RSS will rule the country no it will never happen everyone hve rights in india dont point others b4 pointing others look into you wht you guys are upto thn point others for ban or anything wht RSS do notice tht firts insted saying to other parites
First RSS should be banned. Then automatically there wont be any problem, coz the root cause of all the hatred is from this organization.
Also Ban Praveen Poojary killers & thier organization like Bajarang dal , VHP , HJV and Gow rakshak sangs ! !
How about RSS involved in various terrorist activity....I am not a member of both parties....but who are these tapaories to ban....
Same way why don't they ask central govt to ban gang, which is involved in killing Udupi Praveen Poojary?
A new TWIST to hide the real CULPRITS who were caught few days back... We all know cheddis evil agenda ... We dont trust them anymore....
How many times you asked centre When RSS members were hacked to death in Kerala . multiple times in a year ........? that means LDF UDF Congress......CPM and other parties should be banned for killing RSS members ?
If it was possible . then long back would have done .......this is GOD's World .....No evil can claim as its own.......Wa jaa'a haqq wa zahakal bathil ...........Falsehood should persih ...as it is bound to perish .......
and remember RSS is not patriotic not Hindu Organization..........and who are you to ask centre ......BJP elected not to control but to maintain a country
cpm and BJP are in open war in kerala and killing each other , never find any wrong on them ... any govt ruled in India since 70 years never find any guilty on RSS , where as most of the reports pointed its direct hands and some times its ideology behind it ...
central govt may hurriedly take action , if anybody approach action against PFI , as they effortlessly working to ban ZAkir naik and his org.. and keen to ban triple talaq.
Ban Also the Killers of
Ghandhi
Dabolkar
Panesar
Karkera
Akhlaq
hahahahahaha, what are these guys upto, they kill their own members and point out other organization.
when go rakshak killed the bjp worker, why did you keep quiet, did u ask govt to ban go rakshak.
This clearly says their intention is communal hatred.
America enlisted RSS in one of the Biggest Terrorist organization. Assam123.com.
The agenda of banning PFI and SDPI already there since RSS is running the central govt. But its hard nuts crack.
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