Fresh ₹ 1,700 Crore notice to Congress by Income Tax Department: Sources

Mangalore Today News Network/NDTV

New Delhi, Mar 29, 2024: The Congress has received a ₹ 1,700 crore notice from the Income Tax Department, a day after the Delhi High Court dismissed the party’s petition challenging the tax notices, according to sources.

 

The fresh notice is for assessment years 2017-18 to 2020-21 and includes penalty and interest, sources said.

In February, the I-T department had found fault in the party’s tax returns and demanded ₹ 200 crore. The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) had asked the party to pay the dues and froze their accounts.

The Congress said the tax tribunal’s order freezing its funds was "an attack on democracy" as the order came just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

On Thursday, the Delhi High Court rejected petitions by the Congress challenging the initiation of tax reassessment proceedings against it for a period of four years.

Funding for political parties is becoming a central issue in this election, particularly after the Supreme Court struck down electoral bonds - which allow individuals and/or businesses to make anonymous donations to political parties - on grounds it violated citizens’ right to information.

The Congress and other opposition parties welcomed the verdict, which scrapped a scheme that had benefitted the BJP the most.