Income Tax Dept Gears Up To Prevent Flow of Black Money In NE Lok Sabha Polls

GUWAHATI: Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, North East Region (NER), Kavita Jha on Tuesday deputed additional manpower of 116 officers and inspectors of Income Tax department to the Directorate of Income Tax (Investigation) for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. The prime objective of such development is to prevent flow of black money in the region to influence voters in the next month’s elections.

On Tuesday morning, the Investigating Wing of NER issued deployment orders of 157 officials who will spread over Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura to monitor election expenditure and flow of black money across 112 districts. The Chief Electoral Officers of seven NE States have been officially intimated about the development. The present deployment is under directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to the Central Board of Direct Taxes in a bid to throttle flow of black money to influence elections since such money vitiates the purity of election process.

The Investigation Directorate teams will monitor movement of large sums of cash or other items suspected to be used for bribing of electors and on the basis of information or complaint, will conduct independent enquiry against any person indulging in such acts. The officials of the directorate will also verify affidavits declaring assets and liabilities filed by candidates before the ECI and election expenses by any candidate or political party.

The Investigation Directorate will also report to the Commission about the political parties which are taking donations and enjoying tax exemptions in the poll-bound NE States without filing statutory returns. Banks will also be asked to pass on information about withdrawal of more than Rs 10 lakhs to the Nodal Officer of the Directorate, Subhrajyoti Bhattacharjee.

Bhattacharjee is the Additional Director of Income Tax (Investigation), NER.

The Directorate has also activated Air Intelligence Units at all airports in North East and will monitor movement of cash or valuables. State authorities and police will also report movement of any suspicious cash to the Income Tax authorities.

Principal Director of Income Tax (Investigation) for NER, Sanjay Bahadur has issued instructions for heightened surveillance and intelligence gathering during the elections in the region. Investigation Directorate authorities will enter and search any building, place, vessel, aircraft if it is suspected that any unaccounted money, bullion, jeweler or other valuable article or thing is to be found there and seize the same under Section 132 of Income Tax Act.

Also Read: Top Headlines