Hasan Ali Khan leads the list of top ten tax defaulters for 2008-09

NEW DELHI: Stud farm owner Hasan Ali Khan leads the list of top ten income tax defaulters in financial year 2008-09 in the country, who together owe more than Rs 80,000 crores in taxes, the government said in Parliament today.

The businessman owes Rs 50,345.73 crore in taxes for Income Tax assessment year 2009-10. He and his associates will now have to pay the government Rs 89,000 crore, including the penalties, according to the details furnished by government in the Lok Sabha.

Accused of stashing away USD eight billion of unaccounted money in foreign banks, Pune-based Khan is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate for money laundering.

Khan, his associate Kashinath Tapuriah and eight others have been named in the "top ten individual defaulters" for Income Tax assessment year 2009-10, the government said today.

Tapuriah owes government Rs 602.80 crore in taxes. Late Harshad Mehta (12,719.14 cr), A D Narrotam (Rs 5,781.86 cr), Hiten P Dalal (Rs 4,200.04 cr), Jyoti H Mehta (Rs 1,739.57 cr), Ashwin S Mehta (Rs 1,595.51 cr), B C Dalal (1,535.89 cr), S Ramaswamy (Rs 1,122.48 cr) and Uday M Acharya (Rs 683.22 cr) are also mentioned in the list.

"Under the Income Tax Law, there are different categories of assessees, including individuals. No data is centrally maintained in the Ministry regarding tax-evasion assessee wise," Minister of State for Finance S S Palanimanickam said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.