New Delhi:
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) today said Pune-based businessman Hasan Ali owes the government a whopping Rs 3000 crore more than what was earlier estimated. It said the Income Tax (I-T) department had erred in calculating his outstanding taxes.
The CAG report that was placed before Parliament mentioned that Mr Ali filed returns only after the I-T department began search operations against him in 2007. The I-T department simply forgot to charge him on the nearly Rs 3000 crore tax accruing from five assessment years, from 2001-2002 to 2006-2007.
"Hasan Ali hadn't filed returns of income from assessment year January 2002 till June 2007. Calculation of tax interest was not taken into consideration for these years and was taken from 2007 onwards. The interest amount would have gone up which is short by Rs 3000 crore", said Anupam Kulshreshtha, Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General.
In its report last year, CAG had said Mr Ali and his associates owed Rs 71,874 crore in taxes.
Taking the revised estimates into account, Mr Ali now owes Rs 74,938 crore.
Mr Ali is currently in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate after he surrendered at its office late on Thursday night following the Supreme Court cancelling his bail.
The ED is probing tax evasion, money laundering, and terror charges against Mr Ali.
Hasan Ali is believed to have 8 billion dollars in black money in foreign bank accounts. His lawyer claims that Mr Ali is innocent of all the charges against him.
The businessman was arrested earlier this month and moved to Mumbai from Pune, where he is known for his lavish cars, homes, horses and parties.