Defending the move of sending tax notices to about 100 FIIs totaling $5-6 billion, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asserted that legitimate tax demand cannot be considered 'tax terrorism' because India is not a tax haven. The minister clarified that the country was not so vulnerable that every legitimate tax demand was considered as tax terrorism and neither was the country a tax haven.
The minister further highlighted that though some decisions of the past have made the taxation regime adversarial, however an emerging economy that counts on investment could-not indulge in something that has been referred as tax terrorism or very aggressive tax laws.
In the biggest-ever tax demand, nearly 100 foreign funds have been asked to cough up an estimated $5-6 billion for 'untaxed gains' made by them in the Indian markets over the past years. This has triggered huge protest from foreign investors since ‘Budget 2015-16’ announced foreign institutional investors (FIIs) would be exempt from minimum alternate tax (MAT) from 2015-16. However, several MAT notices have been issued to FIIs for assessment year 2011-12 and earlier. Overall, pending MAT demands from the tax department are said to stand at about Rs 37,000 crore.
Further, on black money issue, the minister highlighted there would be a grace period for companies and individuals to come clean on their overseas assets and that every suggestion regarding the compliance window (for black money) was welcomed.
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