Income Tax Notice: A person earning a salary of Rs 15,000 has received an income tax notice of Rs 33.88 crore, another person earning a salary of Rs 8,500 has received a notice of Rs 3.87 crore and a third person has received a notice of Rs 7.79 crore.
Income Tax Notice: A person earning Rs 15,000 got an income tax notice of Rs 33.88 crore, another person earning Rs 8,500 got a notice of Rs 3.87 crore and a third person got a notice of Rs 7.79 crore. The three notices sent in March to people who are barely making ends meet point to misuse of the identification system. These people are not even eligible to pay income tax if only their salary is taken into consideration.
As per the information provided by these victims and the people from whom they sought help, some business entities carried out transactions using the government issued identification numbers of these individuals such as Aadhaar and PAN cards.
Received a notice of Rs 33 crore on a salary of Rs 15,000
Karan Kumar (34) had received an income tax notice of Rs 33.88 crore after lawyers informed him that a company called Mahavir Enterprises was carrying out large-scale transactions in petroleum products and steel goods in Delhi using fake PAN and Aadhaar cards in Karan’s name.
“I received the income tax notice on March 29 at around 4 pm. I met income tax officials who advised me to lodge an FIR in this regard,” Karan Kumar, who works as a contract employee in the State Bank of India, Khair branch, told reporters.
Police lodged complaint
He lodged a complaint in this regard at the Chandaus police station. Station House Officer (SHO), Chandaus Haribhan Singh confirmed that a case has been registered on Kumar’s complaint and the matter is being investigated.
Earlier on March 28, Mohit Kumar, a resident of Sangor village under Gabhana police station, was shocked when the local postman handed him an income tax notice written in English. Mohit, a minor employee in a transport company, sought help from his employer, who consulted a GST lawyer. The lawyer told him that a firm named MK Traders was doing business using Mohit’s Aadhaar card.
Notice of Rs 3.87 crore on salary of Rs 8,500
According to the digital records of the Income Tax Department, MK Traders was doing large-scale business transactions since 2020. Based on this information obtained digitally, the department handed over a notice of Rs 3.87 crore to Mohit, which upset the hapless employee.
Mohit said, “I survive on a monthly income of Rs 8,500 and also support my elderly parents. This notice has upset me. I am very stressed.”
He said that he tried to contact the income tax officer who issued the notice, but did not get any response. Mohit recalled that in 2020 he had applied for a job in Delhi and submitted all his identity documents. In another similar case, on March 22, a small juice seller Raees Ahmed received a similar income tax notice of Rs 7.79 crore, which surprised him.
Local income tax department officials said the notices were sent from Delhi and “nothing can be done here”. A senior income tax lawyer from Aligarh said such cases of “digital fraud” point to large-scale systematic misuse of the digital identity system.
What should you do if you get a wrong notice?
If you have also received a notice from the Income Tax Department for more tax dues, then there is no need to panic. Read it carefully and understand why this notice has been sent to you. The notice will state how much additional tax you have to pay and which assessment year it is related to. Also, it will also be told under which section this notice has been issued, such as section 143 (1), 147, 156 etc. Check your filed Income Tax Return (ITR) again. Check with Form 26AS and AIS (Annual Information Statement) whether your income and TDS are matching correctly or not. Many times interest income or other income from the bank is not reported correctly, which can cause errors.
If you feel that the information given in the notice is not correct, you can revise the ITR online or file a response. If the matter is complicated or you are having trouble understanding the notice, consult a CA (Chartered Accountant) or tax expert. If you do not agree with the decision of the Income Tax Department, you can appeal to the CIT (Appeals).
