Punjab Congress Chief Amarinder Singh today warned the Income Tax department not to resort to "tax terrorism" to complete revenue targets.
"The IT department is free to ensure lawful and legal compliance but "bullying" and "terrorising" traders and businessmen in "an extortionist" manner was unacceptable," he said meeting a delegation of businessmen at his residence.
The delegation alleged officials were forcing them to declare their incomes in IT surveys and for the first time the IT department was resorting to such "extreme", "forcible" and "arm-twisting" tactics.
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Amarinder assured he will take up the matter with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to ensure harassment stops.
"Better not unleash your income tax department on businessmen, lest they are forced to wind up and shut down," he warned Jaitely.
"The government of India has failed to bring back black money from foreign banks. Now it is trying to use intimidating and arm-twisting tactics to make the small traders and businessmen shell out money, which is not acceptable and simply amounts to extortion and taxation terror," he alleged.
Claiming business in Punjab to be under severe strain, he alleged, "The IT department's "extreme" and "draconian" measures" will force businesses to shut down."
"We are trying hard to restore confidence of the state's business community. But the IT department is playing spoilsport", he alleged.
He accused the current government of resorting to "draconian dictatorship" on businessmen through the IT department.
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