Lavish weddings: I-T sleuths have a ball

THOSE WHO lavishly solemnised the marriage of their sons and daughters during the recent ?shahalak? (wedding season) are in for trouble.

THOSE WHO lavishly solemnised the marriage of their sons and daughters during the recent ‘shahalak’ (wedding season) are in for trouble.

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The Income Tax Department, which had its sleuths present in such marriages as ‘unwelcomed and uninvited’ guests, may soon issue notices to the people who splurged lakhs on the occasion.

In many such marriages that took place in expensively decorated pandals, costliest liquor was served and dresses were bought from well-known designers.

Little did they know about the presence of some ‘uninvited’ guests, who roamed around tasting and appreciating the food while asking for the visiting cards of the caterers. The same strategy was adopted to collect the visiting cards of interior decorators, pandalwalas and even the videographers.

Later, all those involved in the marriage preparations were served notices asking for various details, including mode of payment of bills, number of invitees and the cost of pandals, decoration and other expenses. Some videographers were even asked to submit a copy of the video recordings.

The Income Tax Department enjoys the power to summon any individual and ask for any material required for investigation purposes, or to trace tax evasion. The department is now busy assessing the actual expenses on these weddings.

In certain cases, lakhs of rupees were spent on pandals and its interiors.

Caterers were called from other places. The department will now ask these tax-evaders to show the actual expenses on the marriages and their source of income. Also, income tax returns of these ‘tax-evaders’ are being scrutinised to prepare new recovery notices based on their undisclosed income or black money.