Financial Express: New Delhi: Monday,
October 24, 2016.
The Finance
Ministry has declined to share reports submitted to it nearly three years ago
on the quantum of black money held by Indians inside the country and abroad,
saying it will cause breach of privilege of Parliament.
The reports
are related to studies commissioned by the previous UPA government five years
ago. These were conducted by Delhi-based National Institute of Public Finance
and Policy (NIPFP), National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) and
National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM), Faridabad.
Replying to
an RTI query, the Ministry said study reports of NIPFP, NCAER and NIFM were
received by the government on December 30, 2013, July 18, 2014 and August 21,
2014 respectively.
When asked
about the copies of the reports and action taken on them, it said they are
under examination by the government.
“Information
is exempt from disclosure under Section 8 (1) (c) of the RTI Act, 2005, as the
study reports received from the three institutes are under examination of the
government and the same along with the government’s response on these reports
are yet to be taken to the Parliament through the Standing Committee on
Finance,” the Ministry said in reply to the RTI query filed by PTI.
The Section
bars disclosure of information “which would cause a breach of privilege of
Parliament or the state Legislature”.
There is at
present no official assessment on the quantum of black money within the country
and abroad.
The NDA
government at the Centre has been taking steps to unearth black money. About Rs
65,250 crore of undeclared income has been declared under the recently
concluded income Declaration Scheme– which provided an opportunity to people,
who had not paid full taxes in the past, to come forward and declare their
domestic undisclosed income and assets.
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