Income Tax survey undertaken without giving reason, claims Oxfam India

"During these 35 plus hours of non-stop survey, the Oxfam India team members were not allowed to leave the premises," Oxfam India said in its statement.

Pic Credit: File Photo

New Delhi: In the latest development in connection with the Income Tax raids which were going on for three days at multiple locations and at the offices of Centre for Policy Research, a think tank, Oxfam India, Bengaluru-based non-profit Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF) in connection with the alleged tax evasion, all the firms submitted they did not do anything unlawful.

Oxfam India on Friday issued a statement and said that the Income Tax department officials conducted an Income Tax `survey` at its Delhi-based office from September 7 to September 9.

"During these 35 plus hours of non-stop survey, the Oxfam India team members were not allowed to leave the premises; the internet was shut down and all the mobile phones were confiscated. The Income Tax survey team took away hundreds of pages of data pertaining to the finances and programmes of Oxfam India. They also took all the data by cloning the Oxfam India server and the private mobile phones of the senior leadership team and the finance lead," it said in the statement.

Oxfam alleged that the Income Tax survey was undertaken without giving a reason.

It said that in January 2022 they had a detailed week-long audit of the FCRA accounts by the auditors appointed by the FCRA division.

"The past eight months have been distressing for Oxfam India. In December 2021, the renewal of FCRA licence was denied by the Ministry of Home Affairs," it said.

Think Tank CPR said that they were cooperating with the Income Tax officials in their raid.

"The Income Tax Department visited our office to undertake a survey of CPR on 7th and 8th September 2022. We have extended full cooperation to the department during the survey, and will continue to do so in the future," said Yamini Aiyar.

"INCOME TAX SURVEY ON OXFAM INDIA WILL NOT REDUCE COMMITMENT TO SERVE VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES IN INDIA."

Read our full statement here https://t.co/SvkNrQKRn2 — Oxfam India (@OxfamIndia) September 9, 2022

The sources said that tax evasions of crores of rupees in the guise of donations to political parties have been detected.

Entry operators were on the radar of IT officials. The IT team learnt from a report from the Election Commission that a few political parties were given donations through data entry operators by flouting rules.

"This was basically fraud cum tax evasion which was done in the name of donations to political parties," the source said.