Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jul 25: Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj on Sunday July 24 lashed out at Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare saying that they were no tax experts to talk about black money.
Speaking about the black money stashed in swiss banks Bhardwaj said, “The laws were defective and the people had stashed money abroad as they were insecure. If we enact good laws the money will remain in the country.”
On being asked about the Lokayukta report on illegal mining and the allegations of his phones being tapped, Bhardwaj said, “The Lokayukta is the aggrieved party and if he complains I will act in accordance with the law. The Governor is a signatory authority and I cannot do anything unless people complain to me.”
At the concluding ceremony of the celebration of 150 years of Income Tax in India and Income Tax Day he blamed bad statutes and laws for the black money stashed abroad. He said that media reports said that thousands of crores of rupees had been kept in Swiss banks by Indians.
He added, “Ultimately, this is a bilateral matter between countires; government can definitely ask information from country to country in mutually assistance programme”.
Speaking on tax evasion issues Bharadwaj said that there has been a demand for probity in public life all over the world and that would ensure that everybody, including politicians, comply with the laws which includes paying taxes.
Chief Commissioner Income Tax M L Agrawal said that a total amount of 4.46 lakh crore had been collected as tax in 2010-11. Karnataka and Goa zone had collected around `40,000 crore in 2010-11 and that is around 9 percent of the total IT collected in the country.