national securities depository

The market regulator Sebi today penalised two companies--BTW Industries and GR Magnet--for delaying dematerialisation of securities for several years. While it imposed a penalty of Rs 40 lakh on BTW Industries, GR Magnet was fined Rs 12 lakh for failing to dematerialise its securities. Dematerialising securities means keeping them in electronic form. Full Article

The CBI, investigating the fraudulent I-T refund scam, held a series of meetings with IT officials on Friday. CBI officials said the fraud, in which over Rs 3 crore was transferred into several bank accounts and withdrawn by four key perpetrators, could not have been possible without the involvement of I-T officials and the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL). Full Article

If you’re worried about what questions your income tax officer will ask about your returns, you can relax a bit. The department has decided to take up fewer tax returns for scrutiny this year. The Central Board of Direct Taxes had issued an internal circular in December 2009, asking commissioners to select fewer cases for scrutiny. Full Article

More than 6,300 frozen demat accounts are now finding some claimants, giving new leads to the Income Tax department's probe in the matter pertaining to Rs 6,700 crore of unclaimed stocks. A number of accounts were lying idle since 2007 and no transactions were being carried out in them for almost two years. A number of such accounts have now been claimed which the department is scrutinising, official sources said. Full Article

Less than a week after the National Stock Exchange launched its mutual funds (MF) transaction platform, Asia’s oldest bourse, the Bombay Stock Exchange, today made operational its own MF platform for all investors. Full Article

The I-T department has found over Rs 1,200 crore lying unaccounted in lakhs of frozen demat accounts across the country and has sought a detailed probe on the possibility of their use for illegal transaction and tax evasion. The department has now sent the reports of such accounts to the respective Chief Commissioners of Income [...] Full Article

Just as your savings account, you can now check your income tax status online. In a move that will help an individual keep abreast with his tax details, the income tax (I-T) department has started furnishing annual tax statements directly to taxpayers. One can also view tax details online by going through a one-time registration [...] Full Article