Govt asked to act on black money within 15 days

Mtoday news / CNN-IBN

New Delhi, Nov 18: Members of Parliamentary Panel on Friday sought quick government action on the black money issue and also asked the Finance Ministry to disclose the names of the evaders.

House Panel grilled Finance Ministry officials on the black money issue and fixed a 15-day deadline for action.

 

The Income-Tax department has already collected about Rs 140 crore from 100 tax evaders who have stashed over Rs 400 crore in HSBC Geneva, sources said. A total of 782 HSBC accounts are being scrutinised currently.

The black money issue is also one of the issues that the government is likely to face questions on in the winter session of Parliament.

Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj said on Thursday, "We want adjournment motions on several issues like rising prices and black money."

Earlier, some members of a Parliamentary panel asked the government to expeditiously commence the prosecution proceedings against the persons whose names figure in such information provided by France and other countries.

A meeting of the committee headed by senior BJP leader and former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha took place on Friday.

The Income Tax Department is already probing a list of 700 Indians having accounts with banks in Geneva after the government received information in this regard, reportedly from the French government.

There has been a public outcry over the black money issue after it was taken up by social activists like Anna Hazare and Ramdev.

BJP leader LK Advani too had asked the government to disclose the names of 700 Indians who have accounts in Swiss banks.