Congress Faces Setback as IT Department Recovers Rs 65 Crore in Tax Dues

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 22nd Feb. In a major setback for the Congress party, the Income Tax Department has recovered Rs 65 crore from the party’s account, a substantial portion of its outstanding tax dues totaling Rs 115 crore. The recovery follows a move by the department to enforce its lien by encashing balances in the party’s bank accounts.

The Congress party quickly responded by taking the matter to the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), filing a complaint against the deduction. The tribunal is expected to hold a hearing on the matter today. In its complaint, the Congress party argued that the tax department’s actions were premature and undemocratic, particularly as they occurred before the scheduled hearing in the ITAT.

The ITAT, in response to the Congress party’s plea, has directed the tax department to maintain a status quo in the matter until further deliberation. The case is set to be reviewed by the tribunal later today at 2:30 pm.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Ajay Maken has raised concerns over what he alleges as the misuse of government agencies. Maken warned against the potential threat posed to India’s multi-party system, emphasizing the importance of judicial intervention to safeguard democratic principles.

This development comes on the heels of another recent incident where the tax department froze the Congress party’s accounts over a cash transaction from the 2018-19 period. The party had successfully appealed to the ITAT, resulting in the re-opening of its accounts albeit with a lien.