New Delhi: In mounting troubles for Congress amid the Lok Sabha poll campaign, the Income Tax Department has issued a demand notice of about Rs 1700 crore to the party, sources said. They said the fresh demand notice is for assessment years 2017-18 to 2020-21 and includes penalty and interest.

Income Tax Department has issued demand notice of Rs 1700 crores to Indian National Congress. The fresh demand notice is for assessment years 2017-18 to 2020-21 and includes penalty and interest: Sources
— ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2024

Responding to it, the party accused the BJP of squeezing it financially and of using tax authorities against it ahead of Lok Sabha elections beginning April 19. “The notices are being sent to cripple us financially. This is tax terrorism, and this is being used to attack the Congress, This has to stop,” Congress’s Jairam Ramesh said in a press conference today. 

Income Tax के जिन नियमों की आड़ में कांग्रेस को परेशान किया जा रहा है, उन्हीं नियमों को लेकर BJP को छूट दी जा रही है।

कांग्रेस का 14 लाख रुपए का वायलेशन बताकर ‘BJP के Income Tax विभाग’ ने कांग्रेस के 135 करोड़ रुपए ले लिए।

लेकिन..

BJP को 42 करोड़ रुपए का चंदा देने वालों का न… pic.twitter.com/8LKRt4ZWcb
— Congress (@INCIndia) March 29, 2024

The Delhi High Court had earlier this week dismissed the party’s plea, challenging the Income Tax Department’s order opening of reassessment proceedings against it for 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21.

The Division Bench of Justice Yashwant Verma and Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav on Thursday dismissed four pleas filed by the Congress on similar terms as its earlier judgement, whereby identical pleas of the same political party were dismissed regarding the reassessment proceedings for three years.

Recently, the Delhi High Court upheld the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) order refusing to stay on the Income Tax notice for recovery of more than Rs 105 crore as outstanding tax against the Congress. The Court while upholding the ITAT order, granted liberty to the petitioner’s Congress party to move the appellate tribunal afresh with the grievance.

The Congress has recently approached the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) against the recovery and has filed a complaint and sought a stay against Income Tax Department proceedings of recovery and “freezing” of their Bank accounts.