Deccan Chronicle

Email ID sees 38K black money tip offs

THE CENTRE, in December 2016, had set up the ID and asked the public to inform it about black money hoarders

- DC CORRESPOND­ENT MUMBAI, APRIL 16

The email ID that was set up to inform the authoritie­s about black moneyrelat­ed activities has seen an overwhelmi­ng response, but only 20 per cent of the cases are being investigat­ed, an Right To Informatio­n (RTI) query by a Mumbaibase­d activist has revealed.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), which functions under the aegis of the ministry of finance, has so far received 38,068 emails on the ID blackmoney­info@income tax.gov.in. However, no action was taken in the case of over 80 per cent — 32,018 — of these emails, the RTI reply revealed.

The Union government, in December 2016, had created the email ID and asked the common public to inform it about black money hoarders. The government also claimed that around 16 per cent of such emails, which is 6,050, were forwarded to the officials concerned for investigat­ion.

On the number of “false” emails received, the CBDT in the RTI reply said this informatio­n was “subject to completion of investigat­ion”.

“Over 84 per cent tipoffs have been closed without any inquiry. This shows that either most emails were frivolous, or the authoritie­s did not take them seriously, or there may have been a shortage of staff, which forced them to do so,” RTI activist Jeetendra Ghadge said, slamming the CBDT.

Mr Ghadge had also filed another RTI query seeking the number of demonetise­d notes deposited with the Reserve Bank of India after January 1, 2017.

In November 2016, the CBDT had admitted that the real estate, manufactur­ing, trading and educationa­l sectors were hotbeds for activities involving black money.

It had also revealed that from 2013 to 2016, the income tax department searched 1,559 groups, who collective­ly declared undisclose­d income of `32,000 crore approximat­ely, and seized assets worth `2,228 crore.

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