HYDERABAD: Taxman is out there, reportedly tapping your phones to assess how much tax you have evaded. If you are a businessman or a celebrity, the risk is even higher. The Goods and Service Tax (GST) sleuths are after you, keeping tabs on your business by allegedly eavesdropping on your phone conversations and even WhatsApp chats.
Since GST was introduced in the country, there is not much collections of tax from eligible persons and there is tremendous pressure on the tax department officials to reach their targets. To get clues about tax evaders, tax officials, who are authorised to intercept devices, have swung into action of selected tax evaders, based on the data given at the time of GST certificates for the purpose of running their business establishments.
Sources said that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has allowed as many as 10 central agencies, including the Income Tax department (Central Board of Director Taxes), for tapping phones.
These agencies fall under the Information Technology (IT) Acts such as the Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information Rules, 2009.
“We do not indulge in random interception of communication devices of tax defaulters. Based on specific information on default of taxes, we track financial activities of defaulters and their auditors. Based on such information, we carried out searches on several Tollywood personalities, hotel management heads, real estate offices and others”, officials said.
GST officials make a list of defaulters?
Sources further stated as collections have been falling, senior officials have made a list of businessmen for taking steps to shore up revenue basing on the quarterly turnover of their business.
"They are doing it by listening in to the phone conversations," one official said.
Pressure on tax depts to reach their targets
Since GST was introduced in the country, there is not much collections of tax from eligible persons and there is tremendous pressure on the tax department officials to reach their targets. To get clues about evaders, officials, who are authorised to intercept devices, have swung into action of selected tax evaders, based on data provided at the time of issuing GST certificates.