The Indian government has received sensitive information from its German counterpart regarding tax evaders, who have channelled money in a tax haven bank in Liechtenstein, a small European country known for hosting such banks, and it is unwilling to make these details public.
The Supreme Court today decided to hear on February 19 an application seeking speedy hearing of a plea by jurist Ram Jethmalani accusing the Centre of not implementing its directions on the issue of black money allegedly stashed in banks abroad.
The Centre on Friday declined before the Supreme Court to make public names of the people who have stashed black money in foreign banks, saying it is not possible to disclose information received from foreign governments under Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement.
Top merchants in Mumbai confirmed that diamond market is stunned by the revelation
The Swiss authorities have never considered tax evasion a reason for breaking banking secrecy on an account; what they have acknowledged now is that they will cooperate in cases of tax fraud, which has a tighter definition.
While posting the matter on April 29, the bench asked the Solicitor General to take proper instruction from the Revenue Secretary and also respond "What prevented them (Centre) to comply with the directions."
Noted jurist Ram Jethmalani on Tuesday accused in the Supreme Court the National Democratic Alliance government and the previous United Progressive Alliance dispensation of failure to bring back black money stashed abroad and criticised leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on the issue.
'The difference between black money in India and the black money out of India is, in India, it is tax evaded money and Indian money outside India is not only tax evaded money, but money which has been taken out of India's capital resources needed for India. So it is not only tax evasion, but treason too.'
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