D Raja says: ‘CPI received income tax notice for using old PAN card’

CPI leader D Raja said, “We have received income tax notices for using old PAN cards.”

New Delhi:

Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D Raja said the Communist Party of India (CPI) had recently received a notification from the Income Tax Department regarding some discrepancies due to the use of old PAN cards by some state units of the Communist Party of India (CPI).

“We have received income tax notices for using old PAN cards,” CPI leader D Raja told ANI.

When asked whether the party received any notification from the IT department regarding a specific amount, Mr. Raja clarified: “They did not receive any notification from the IT department regarding the money.”

Sources said the development comes at a time when the Income Tax Department has issued a demand notice of around Rs 1,700 crore to the Parliament. They said the new demand notice is applicable for the assessment year 2017-18 to 2020-21 and includes penalty and interest.

The Delhi High Court had earlier this week dismissed the party’s plea challenging the Income Tax Department’s order initiating reassessment proceedings against it for the years 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Congress will stage nationwide protests on Saturday against the Income Tax Department’s notification demanding payment of Rs 1,823 crore.

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal has directed all state units to hold demonstrations at PCC and district Congress committee headquarters tomorrow.

“Eight years of the company’s income tax returns have been re-opened on baseless and fabricated grounds to levy patently illegal income tax demand orders totaling hundreds of millions of rupees. This is nothing but a blatant and naked attack on democratic principles,” Mr. Venugopal said in a letter to party workers on Friday.

“Now, the Income Tax Department has taken the patently illegal and undemocratic action of launching the next premeditated and nefarious campaign against INC. Eight years of INC’s income tax returns have been re-released on baseless and fabricated grounds to levying a clearly illegal income tax. “The total order amount is in the hundreds of millions of rupees,” he said in a letter. This is nothing but a blatant, naked attack on democratic principles. “

“In view of the serious attack on democracy and tax terrorism perpetrated against our party in the important Lok Sabha elections, all State Congress Committees (PCCs) are requested to hold massive public demonstrations at state and district headquarters in their respective states tomorrow for the second day , including senior leaders and party workers. Massive protest demonstrations will be held in all constituencies, led by our party’s candidates. Protest demonstrations, including Mashal Juloos, will be conducted by district congress committees in all districts.” .

Earlier, the Congress accused the Income Tax Department of double standards, claiming that while it was penalized for a “violation of Rs 14 lakh”, the Income Tax authorities remained completely silent on the BJP’s “violation of Rs 42 crore” and that the Center The party’s violations resulted in a fine of Rs 4,600 crore.

Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Ajay Maken said at a press conference that there were attempts to strangle the party financially during the Lok Sabha polls.

Mr Maken said the Electoral Commission should ensure a level playing field.

“We have received notices from the Sitaram Kesari period of 1993-94… From the Sitaram Kesari period, we have been asked to pay Rs 53 crore. The IT department has paid a total of Rs 1,823 crore from the Congress,” he said.

“We analyze all irregularities of the BJP using the same parameters used to analyze our irregularities…The BJP has been fined Rs 4,600 crore. The income tax department should make a demand to pay this amount to the BJP.” he added.

Mr Makan said efforts were being made to weaken the Congress party’s finances by freezing the party’s bank accounts ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Recently, the Delhi High Court upheld the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal’s (ITAT) order refusing to stay the income tax notification asking the Congress to recover unpaid tax of over Rs 105 crore. The court, while upholding the ITAT order, granted freedom to the petitioner’s Congress party to re-approach the Appellate Tribunal aggrieved.

Congress had recently moved the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) over the recovery and sought a stay on the Income Tax Department’s proceedings to recover and “freeze” their bank accounts.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)