News Update

Income tax hands over Rs 1700 Cr tax demand to Congress PartyGST - Neither SCN nor the order spell out the reasons for retrospective cancellation of registration, hence cannot be sustained: HCStage-2 of Vikram-1 orbital rocket successfully test-firedGST - Non-application of mind - If reply was unsatisfactory, details could have been sought - Record does not reflect that such exercise was done - Matter remitted: HCHouthis claim UK has not capability to intercept their hypersonic missilesGST - Merely because a taxpayer has not filed returns for some period does not mean that registration is required to be cancelled with retrospective date also covering the period when returns were filed and taxpayer was compliant: HCIsraeli forces kill 200 Palestinians at Gaza medical complex & arrest over 1000GST - Petitioner's reply, although terse, is not taken into account while passing assessment orders - Petitioner put on terms, another opportunity provided: HCUnveil One Nation; One Debt Code; One Compliance Rule for Centre & StatesChina moves WTO against US tax subsidies for EVs & renewable energyMore on non-doms - The UK Spring Budget 2024 (See TII Edit)Notorious history-sheeter Mukhtar Ansari succumbs to cardiac arrest in UP jailTraining Program for Cambodian civil servants commences at MussoorieNY imposes USD 15 congestion taxCBIC revises tariff value of edible oils, gold & silver45 killed as bus races into ravine in South AfricaCBIC directs all Customs offices to remain open on Saturday & SundayBankman-Fried jailed for 25 yrs in FTX scamI-T- Once the citizen deposits the tax upon coming to know of his liability, it cannot be said that he has deliberately or willfully evaded the depositing of tax and interest in terms of Section 234A can be waived: HCHouthis attack continues in Red Sea; US military shoots down 4 dronesFederal Govt hands out USD 60 mn to rebuild collapsed bridge in BaltimoreI-T - Receipts of sale of scrap being part & parcel of activity and being proximate thereto would also be within ambit of gains derived from industrial undertaking for purpose of computing deduction u/s 80-IB: HCCanadian School Boards sue social media titans for 4 bn Canadian dollar in damagesFormer IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt jailed for 20 yrs for planting drugs to frame lawyerCus - No Cess is payable when Basic Customs Duty is found to be Nil: CESTAT
 
SEBI detection of money laundering through scrips a follow-up action of SIT recommendations

By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, JULY 25, 2015: IN its third report the Special Investigation Team on Black Money has come out with detailed observations on how share prices are rigged and tax-free long-term capital gains are laundered out of India.

The Report observes, "3.22 Investments are made in the secondary share markets with a view to capturing gains. In this market, out of nearly 8,000 listed companies, several scrips are not traded regularly. With the collusion of promoters, some brokers arrange for price(s) with purchase of such scrips at nominal costs, and sales at exorbitant prices, with a view to receiving money on sale as ‘capital gain' when the long term gain is subjected to a ‘nil' or nominal rate of tax. The advantage for manipulative taxpayer is that he can launder such sale receipts through payment of no tax."

SEBI has recently barred more than 250 entities, including individuals and companies, from the securities market for suspected tax evasion and laundering of black money through stock market platforms. In one such instance price of a scrip rose from Rs. 10.20 to Rs. 489 in 150 trading days - a rise of 469 %.

The SIT obtained the background details of these cases and studied them. A typical pattern is as follows:

++ A company with very poor financial fundaments in terms of past income or turnover is able to raise huge capital by allotment of Preferential allotment of shares is made to various entities.

++ There is a sharp rise in price of scrip once the preferential allotment is done. This is normally achieved through circular trading of shares among a select group of companies. These groups of companies often have common promoters/directors.

++ The scrips with thus artificially inflated price are offloaded through companies whose funding is provided by the same set of people who want to convert black money into white.

There is an urgent need for having an effective preventive and punitive action is such matters to prevent recurrence of such instances.

And the SIT has recommend the following measures in this regard:

++ SEBI needs to have an effective monitoring mechanism to study such unusual rise of stock prices of Companies while such a rise is taking place. The SIT understands that SEBI has a strong IT infrastructure which can generate red flags for such instances. Such red flags could be built upon trading volumes, entities which contribute to trading volume, financial background of firms through their annual returns and any other indicators SEBI may develop. We believe that with effective and timely monitoring by SEBI a significant number of such instances can be checked in time.

++ Once such instances are detected, SEBI should invariably share this information with CBDT and FIU.

++ Barring such entities from securities market would not be of strong deterrence in itself. In case it is established, that stock platforms have been misused for taking LTCG benefits, prosecution should invariably be launched under relevant sections of SEBI Act. Section 12A read with section 24 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act 1992 are predicate offences.

++ Enforcement Directorate should then be informed to take action under Prevention of Money Laundering Act for the predicate offences.

Also See : simply inTAXicating - Black Money Compliance Window

simply inTAXicating - Black Money, an Overview

simply inTAXicating - It's Raining Black

simply inTAXicating - Black Money Bill


POST YOUR COMMENTS
   

AR not Afar by SK Rahman

TIOL Tube Latest

Shri Shailendra Kumar, Trustee, TIOL Trust, giving welcome speech at TIOL Awards 2023




Shri M C Joshi, Former Chairman, CBDT




Address by Shri Buggana Rajendranath, Hon'ble Finance Minister of Andhra Pradesh at TIOL Awards 2023