Govt not disclosing names of tax defaulters: Jethmalani

Asks govt to produce all documents to bring back black money stashed away abroad

PTI | March 28, 2012



Former Law Minister Ram Jethmalani on Wednesday asked the Government to produce all documents and correspondence for agreements with various countries to bring back black money stashed away abroad.

Participating in the debate on General Budget in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP member accused the Government of not disclosing the names of tax defaulters who had their illegal money stashed abroad.

"The talk of democratic transparency is a myth. You have been talking of this for a long time" but have done nothing in this regard, he said.

Jethmalani said, "Have some belated sense now. Give names .... Don't say we are trying to recover the tax money. We want to know those tax defaulters," and hoped they were not the ones ruling the country.

He said he had made inquiries from all governments and they have said, "we have not imposed any such condition of not disclosing the names."

Jethmalani said had he been the Prime Minister or the Finance Minister, he would have rushed to Germany and got back the names of those tax defaulters who have their stolen money stashed abroad.

"Whom are we trying to cheat? Those whose guardians you pretend to be...kindly produce the Protocol signed with Swiss Government last year," he said.

He said, "Investigations have now revealed that money stolen from this country is to the extent of USD 1,500 billion and if brought back would enable a tax free budget for the next 30 years or provide Rs 2.5 lakh to every Indian family."

Jethmalani also accused various political parties of not providing equal reservation to women. "You are not prepared to give even 30 per cent and the malady prevails among all political parties," he said.

Comments

 

Other News

Who checks the books?

I read about the news about the Coimbatore library over coffee this morning. On the face of it, the headline was about a political ‘war’ between the DMK and TVK. But what stayed with me was something much more important than the blame game behind what had transpired. A writer walking through

Development paradox: Falling poverty miracle and an inequality problem

India’s reduction in poverty over the past decade is a development achievement of considerable significance. The World Bank’s April 2026 ‘India Development Update’ estimates that the share of Indians living below the international extreme-poverty line of $3.00 per person per day i

In Arunachal, a river we call mother

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Siang is not just a river. For many of us, especially the Adi people, it is part of our family. Our grandparents fished in it. Children learned to swim in it. Our farms drink from it. When someone says a huge dam will be built on it, we do not hear the word "project".

A new retelling of the Mahabharata delves into key moments

In a time when every decision carries consequences and questions of ambition, power, loyalty, identity and moral choice continue to shape our lives, Dr. Arun Krishnan’s new book, ‘Mahakshana’ (Penguin India) offers a strikingly relevant retelling of the Mahabharata.  

Cabinet approves viability gap funding to develop grid-scale energy storage systems

The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, has approved the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) Scheme for Development of Grid-Scale Energy Storage Systems, with a total financial support of Rs.14,500 crore for the period FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31. The scheme aims to support the development o

Cabinet creates a pathway to absorb Agniveers in Defence Forces

An objective assessment in terms of organisational requirements and operational efficiency has brought out the outstanding performance of Agniveers in terms of skills, motivation levels, physical fitness and technological prowess. As envisaged earlier, based on merit, 25% of Agniveers will be offered reg

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter