In an attempt to make revenue collection appear non-adversarial, the government has gagged the income tax (I-T) department from sharing information on tax investigations or assessment with the media. The decision, sources said, was taken with a view to ensure that the I-T establishment did not appear as an agency bent on hounding and maligning companies and individuals for tax realization. 

To drive home the seriousness with which it views the matter, the government has threatened action under Section 138 of the Income Tax Act in case its directives are not followed by I-T officials. Section 138 deals with disclosure of information and the circumstances in which the same is to be done. 

"While not sharing information with the media was a standing instruction earlier too, the new regime is stricter with enforcement. We have been threatened with action under Section 138 of the I-T Act. There are strict instructions from CBDT not to disclose information. Journalists are not even being allowed to meet officers. Only authorized spokespersons will release information. Government wants to appear non-adversarial and not sensational while dealing with tax realization," an I-T official said. 

Sources said the trigger for such instructions was the case of Yadav Singh, former engineer-in-chief of Noida Authority. The I-T department had raided as many as 20 properties belong to Singh in Noida, Ghaziabad and Delhi in November last year and recovered Rs 10 crore in cash apart from documents revealing properties worth hundreds of crores. 

After the raids, the I-T top brass in Lucknow was seen freely giving bytes to the media. This, sources said, upset CBDT which called senior I-T officers from Lucknow to Delhi and reprimanded them. The gag instructions followed shortly. 

Sources said the Union budget is just about a month away has only contributed to the gag. "To prevent leaks related to the budget, government is a little strict on sharing of information related to financial matters during the time the budget is being prepared. However, the fresh instructions are not guided by just this," said another I-T official. (Times of India)