The BBC said it is fully cooperating with tax authorities. “The Income Tax authorities are currently at offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and we are fully cooperating. We hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible,” the press office of the BBC said on Twitter.
Income Tax officials are carrying out a survey at the BBC’s Delhi and Mumbai offices and have seized employees’ phones. The UK government said it is “closely monitoring” the inquiries against the broadcaster as 19 hours on, the survey is still ongoing, reported India Today.
The survey operations began at around 11 am yesterday at the BBC’s offices in Delhi, Mumbai and two other locations as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion.
WHY THE SURVEY?
The Income Tax department said the survey was being carried out to investigate issues related to international taxation and transfer pricing of BBC subsidiary companies.
It also alleged that the broadcaster was served with notices in the past, but was “defiant and non-compliant” and had significantly diverted its profits.
I-T officials are looking at documents related to the business operations of the company and those related to its Indian arm. Tax officials insisted that this was a survey, not a search and that the phones would be returned.
WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE SURVEY?
The survey began at the BBC India office at around 11 am on Tuesday. Income-Tax officials took all the electronic equipment on the premises into their custody and checked the employees’ mobile phones.
The mobile phones of the employees working at the Delhi office were seized and they were asked to go home. Those working on the afternoon shift were asked to work from home.
The IT officials searched for four keywords on the systems including shell company, fund transfer and foreign transfer, sources told India Today. Many employees are present at the BBC India office as the survey continues.
UK MONITORING SITUATION
While there has been no official statement related to the action, British government sources said they are “closely monitoring” reports of tax surveys conducted at the offices of the BBC in India.
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JOURNALISM CONTINUES AS NORMAL: BBC
The BBC said it is fully cooperating with tax authorities. “The Income Tax authorities are currently at offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and we are fully cooperating. We hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible,” the press office of the BBC said on Twitter.
An update on the situation in India. pic.twitter.com/FYVFwdQWxE
— BBC News Press Team (@BBCNewsPR) February 14, 2023
“We are supporting our staff during this time and continue to hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible. Our output and journalism continue as normal and we are committed to serving our audiences in India,” the BBC said in a statement.
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