We've been short-changed: I-T informers in Mumbai

Several informers of the income tax (I-T) department in Mumbai are unhappy, as they feel that the department has not given them the reward money they deserve.

“The minimum we could expect was 10-15% of the recovery which is done on the basis of the information we give. But after waiting for over a decade, it was quite a blow to receive barely 4-5%,” said an informer, requesting anonymity.

Last week, a group of informers was called to the I-T office to give them rewards that were pending for over a decade. Usually, a small share of the reward is paid soon after a raid is carried out based on leads from the informers. The complete reward money is given only after the case comes to a closure. This may often take from five to ten years.

“Most of us had been waiting for the reward for over a decade. We were made to run from one department to the other for our rewards, though some of the cases have been closed. How can the officers decide the amount when they don’t have to pay out of their pockets?” said one informer.

The informers’ main grouse is that they are expected to approach the I-T department only with impeccable documentary proofs and details, and they work hard to obtain these. “We were even told that we would be jailed if the information we provided proved wrong. But what are we getting for our foolproof information?” added another informer.

According to the I-T department, concerns of the informers are misplaced. “In most of the cases, the informers miscalculate the reward money. They think that the reward money should be based on the entire amount in contention.

According to the rules, the reward money is calculated on the income tax that the suspect pays. Also, litigation and court cases take years to conclude. This is not in the hands of the I-T department,” explained an I-T officer.