“Income Tax officer arrested while accepting bribe” is the headline we often come across in newspapers and other media. Though the Income Tax Department was set up in the year 1922 by the Government of India to enforce various direct taxes and to collect revenue to run the government, bribery among Income Tax officers is a serious issue which persists in the department.
A number of bribery cases in Income Tax Department has been reported over the past years, which include:
CBI Arrests Income Tax Officer and Stenographer for taking Bribe of Rs. 10,000
A Mumbai based income tax officer and a Stenographer was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI ) while accepting a bribe amounting to Rs. 10,000 from a complainant.
The CBI conducted a sting operation and caught the stenographer red handed while accepting the bribe amount.
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Bribe for Issuing lower TDS Certificate: CBI arrests Mumbai Income Tax Officer Accepting ₹4 Lakhs
In this case CBI had arrested a Income Tax Officer of Mumbai for taking a bribe amount of Rs.4 lakhs from the complainant in exchange of issuing lower tax deducted at source certificates. Following the arrest CBI conducted a search at the office and residence of the officer which yielded significant findings including Rs. 15.00 lakh in cash, gold ornaments, and documents pertaining to investments in both immovable and movable properties.
Income Tax Officer arrested for receiving Bribe
Another notable case involved the arrest of an Income Tax Officer by the Anti Corruption Bureau for accepting a bribe of Rs.25,000 from a complainant at Anantapur. According to reports the accused had demanded Rs.25,000 from the complainant for processing a request to refund 20 percent Income Tax refund already deposited by the auditor Niranjan Babu’s client.
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Income tax officer and Inspector of Income tax of Ahmedabad was sentenced with imprisonment for 3 years with fine for demanding Rs. 1,75,000 and accepting Rs.50,000 as bribe from the complainant for settling the scrutiny of the complainant’s and his wife’s Income Tax Returns.
Income Tax Officer sent to Jail in a Bribery Case
The Income Tax Officer of Mumbai was arrested and sent to jail for demanding a bribe of Rs 10,000 for canceling a PAN of the complainant. The complainant approached CBI and caught the ITO red handed.
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30 Lacs Bribe: ED Arrests Additional Commissioner of Income Tax under PMLA
Additional Commissioner of Income Tax,Santosh Karnani, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate ( ED ) for violating the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 by accepting a bribe of Rs. 30 lakhs.
Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax,Ahmedabad was arrested by CBI for facilitating the escape of a fellow officer in a bribery case.
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Above stated cases are reflective of the prevalence of corruption in public institutions in India, where “the watchdogs of deceit prey on deception.” The consequence of such corruption within the system results in loss of revenue, damages reputation,and most importantly makes the layman’s trust vanish into thin air. Hence eradicating bribery within the system is of utmost importance to regain the trust in government, bribery undermines the confidence in the fairness and efficiency of the tax system. It also distorts our economy and leads to misallocation of resources.
Ultimately as citizens we are collectively responsible to be vigilant and comply with the rules and regulations to build a society where fairness is not an ideal term but an everyday reality.
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