The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has confirmed that it has apprised the Election Commission (EC) of the assessment order it had placed regarding irregularities in the reported donations of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), something the party itself has denied.
“An assessment order was passed, and we have simply apprised the Election Commission of this assessment order in which some demands were raised,” CBDT spokesperson Surabhi Ahluwalia said.
Reiterating the party’s earlier stance, newly-elected AAP Rajya Sabha MP Narain Dass Gupta said on Tuesday that there were no irregularities in the accounts of the party. Mr. Gupta, who has also been the party’s chartered accountant, was reacting to a media report that said the CBDT had informed the EC about an alleged mismatch between the AAP’s reported donations and the actual amount. “Media reports on AAP’s donations originating from the CBDT have no basis in fact or reality. Section 138 of the I-T prohibits sharing of information related to a political party’s files by related agencies or officers to any person,” he said.
Tax body’s defence
The CBDT, however, defended the fact that it informed the EC about the mismatch saying that it only shared the facts of the assessment order, and that too only because it had to do with a political party. “This is a factual thing. An assessment order was passed, and the EC has only been apprised because it is the case of a political party,” Ms. Ahluwalia said.
We are not going to the public with this information, and we have apprised the EC, that too only because it is the case of a political party,” she said.
Notice to party
Referring to the Income-Tax Department’s notice to the party in November, Mr. Gupta said the reason why they had found a discrepancy was because they had calculated the party’s income based on the amount credited into its account and had not seen the books. “The reason there is a discrepancy at the end of the Central government’s agencies is that their calculations have taken place at different points in time. On the party’s end, every single donation has been accounted for,” he said, adding that the AAP had filed an appeal with the I-T department as well.
“Whatever discrepancies came to the notice of the department would have formed a part of the order. It is very difficult to raise a demand unless there is evidence to support that,” Ms. Ahluwalia said.
