Tax evasions almost doubled in ’08-09: I-T dept

In 2007-08,40 searches were conducted while 34 search operations were carried out this year. Interestingly,the total amount of undisclosed income in 2008-09 was Rs 382.82 crore while in 2007-08,the corresponding figure was Rs 227.32 crore.

“There has been a quantum increase of 68 per cent in the detection of concealed income. The seizure of assets has increased by 58 per cent from last year figures of Rs 31.18 crore to Rs 49.30 crore in 2008-09. There has been an increase of 52 per cent inseizure of cash too,” said Ankush Kapoor,Assistant Director,Income Tax Chandigarh.

The figures indicate that average disclosure and average figures of undisclosed assets per search have almost doubled this year. The average disclosure per search has increased from Rs 5.68 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 11.25 crore in 2008-09,a jump of 98 per cent.

Similarly,the average seizure per search has witnessed an increase of 88 per cent,an increase from Rs 77 lakh to Rs 1.45 crore per search. “For each day of 2008-09,a disclosure of more than Rs 1 crore was detected by the investigation wing of the NWR,” said a senior income tax official.

The nature of businesses covered in the raids varied from jewellers,real estate,hospitality,education,finance companies and automobile manufacturing among others. The searches were conducted in different parts of north India ranging from Jammu,Amritsar,Gurdaspur,Ludhiana,Gobindgarh,Bathinda,Doraha,Fatehgarh Sahib,Malout,Jalandhar,Patiala,tricity Chandigarh-Panchkula,Mohali,Baddi,Ambala,Sonepat,Gurgaon,Hisar and Faridabad.

Surveys were also conducted by the investigation wing,leading to detection of Rs 31.89 crore in 2008-09 compared to Rs 16.9 crore in 2007-08,an overall increase of 88 per cent.

A scam involving bogus billing by metal treading companies in Fairdabad region was unearthed by the investigation wing,leading to the detection of unaccounted transactions of more than Rs 220 crore.

The directorate worked under the overall supervision of Vinita Chopra,Director General of Income Tax (Investigation) along with M P Singh,Director of Income Tax (Investigation),Chandigarh and Vijay Kumar,Director of Income Tax (Investigation),Ludhiana.