Congress Gets Another Income Tax Notice Of Over Rs 1745 Cr Ahead Of Elections

New Delhi: Days after Rs 1,823 crore tax demand, the Income Tax (I-T) Department has sent a fresh notice to Congress  amounting to over Rs 1745 crore, party sources told PTI on Sunday.

The I-T Department has so far asked Congress for Rs 3,567 crore in taxes, and the fresh income notice pertains to 2014-15 ( Rs 663 crore), 2015-16 (around Rs 664 crore) and 2016-17 (around Rs 417 crore).

The department has also taxed the Congress for “third-party entries” made in diaries seized from its leaders during raids.

On Friday, the authorities had sent Congress notices for payment of Rs 1,823 crore and withdrew Rs 135 crore from its accounts as tax demand related to earlier years. The Congress moved the Supreme Court against the Rs 135 crore demand after it failed to get any relief from Income Tax Appellate Tribunal of Delhi high court.

The tax demand has been calculated after tax exemptions to political parties ended, the PTI report added.

Reacting to it, Congress leader Ajay Maken had earlier claimed that if the same yardsticks were to be applied to BJP, it would also have to pay Rs 4,600 crore in taxes. He alleged that opposition parties, including Congress are being selectively targeted by I-T department.

Congress leaders have been accusing BJP of tax terrorism. “Efforts are being made to financially cripple Congress, but we are not going to be cowed down,”  Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had declared.