Outlook:
New Delhi: Monday, 20 October 2014.
The
tax-exempted income of 13 major political parties of the country, in last two
years, amount to Rs 1,381 crore, according to an RTI query.
Of this the
Congress and BJP have cornered around 80 per cent.
During
2012-13 and 2013-14, the Congress had a tax- exempted income to the tune of Rs
743.76 crore whereas BJP in the same time span did for Rs 338.95 crore.
Congress in
2012-13 had income worth Rs 318.08 crore whereas the amount rose to Rs 425.68
crore in 2013-24, BJP though had an income of Rs 17.42 crore in 2012-13 and it
was Rs 321.53 crore for 2013-14.
According to
the Income-Tax department, Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party in UP had
tax-exempted income worth Rs 164 crore whereas their rival party Bahujan
Samajwadi party had registered only Rs 20.76 crore for the same period.
Among other
parties, CPI(M) registered an income of Rs 92.90 crore, CPI Rs 2.62 crore,
JD(U) Rs 13 crore and RLD Rs 4.48 crore, it said.
Lalu Prasad's
RJD party in 2013-14 had a tax-exempted income of Rs 41,411.
The figure
for the year 2012-13 for other parties were -- SP (Rs 30 crore), BSP (Rs 8.99
crore, CPI (Rs 1.55 crore), CPI(M) (Rs 40.73 crore), JD(U) (Rs 2.70 crore), RLD
(Rs 97.90 lakh), JD(S) (Rs 46.99 lakh).
Political
parties are exempted from tax on their income through section 13 A of IT Act 1961.
They have to, however, maintain a book of account for donations or income above
Rs 20,000.
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