The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : "Income Tax raids not politically motivated"

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 26, 2007
ePaper


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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

"Income Tax raids not politically motivated"

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: The State-wide Income Tax raids against actor Vijayakant and his relatives, and educationist Jeppiar were not "politically motivated", Union Minister of State for Finance S.S. Palanimanickam said here on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Palanimanickam said the Income Tax Department launched the search operations on the basis of evidence of tax evasion. The information provided to the department was inconsistent with the affidavit filed by Mr. Vijayakant before the Election Commission.

The Minister said the department was not singling out anyone.

"The IT Department will not hesitate to conduct similar raids against any political party or leader if the department is tipped off about non-compliance of taxes", Mr. Palanimanickam replied when asked whether the department would conduct raids on any party.

Flanked by Director General of IT (Investigation) G. Muthuramakrishnan and Chief Commissioner of IT, Chennai, C.R. Ravichandran, he said Mr.Vijayakant had not filed wealth tax returns for the last five assessment years. There was no proper book of accounts.

The department was also studying documents showing investment of Rs.39 crore in a medical college in Puducherry.

It was examining his claim of having obtained a huge loan towards the medical college without any collateral security.

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