The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has constituted a three-member committee to inquire into income tax loss to Mumbai caused due to non-transmission of important information on unaccounted income to field officials concerned. The Central Information Branch (CIB) of I-T department in Mumbai had collected the information which could not be disseminated to the assessing officers for action, as they were locked up in the faulty computer system of the department.
On May 25, Media highlighted how city had lost Rs 35,000 crore in income tax in the last five years because of this problem. The CIB collects information on unaccounted income held by people through sources, which are disseminated to field officials for action.
However, CIB, Mumbai’s director A.C. Tejpal had alleged that 11.4 crore pieces of information collected in the last five years were not disseminated.
After Tejpal spoke to Media on the issue, he was suspended.
The CBDT, the apex body of I-T department, will now look into the allegations. It will also look into Tejpal’s allegation that the computer software developed by spending crores of rupees was unable to transmit information from central reservoir system to assessing officers.
The panel will find out why some information given to field officials manually in compact discs in 2003, were called back by CBDT. Sources in I-T department said though the panel has been constituted on paper, it is yet to start the work. “The findings of the panel will be monitored by the finance ministry,” a senior I-T official said.
CBDT Chairman S.S.N. Moorthy said, “I don’t know.” CBDT spokesperson Shishir Jha too said he was not aware of it.
