FM meets Income Tax officials and discussed investigation in tax evasion cases

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday held a closed-door meeting with officials of the Income Tax department in Mumbai in view of the increasing number of tax evasion cases  being reported from the financial metropolis. The meet assumes significance as the Mumbai unit of the I-T department is handling probe into high-value cases of tax evasion including the IPL case, probe into the investments of Pune-based stud farm owner Hassan Ali Khan and tax related cases of the top cricketing body of the country – BCCI.

Mukherjee, on an day-long visit to the city, held a meeting with the officers and other ranks of the investigation unit of the department at the Sahyadri guest house in Mumbai.

According to sources, the Finance Minister asked the officials to ensure and keep up seamless investigations into the cases to put an end to tax evasion.

The tax collections from the Mumbai region are the largest from any other region of the country — with almost 36 per cent of the total direct taxes kitty.

According to sources, Mukherjee had expressed his desire to interact with the junior officials of the investigation units too and hence Assistant and Additional Commissioners were asked to be a part of the meeting.

Senior officials of the Finance Ministry and Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) who look after investigations in Delhi also flew down to attend the meet.

The Mumbai investigation wing, on a regular basis, also co-ordinates with other law enforcement agencies like the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the Customs department and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as a huge amount of money laundering and illegal investments case are registered here.