Income Tax Dept conducts searches on Bengaluru-based pharmaceutical firm

New Delhi [India], July 13 (ANI): The Income Tax Department said on Wednesday it has conducted search and seizure operations against a Bengaluru-based pharmaceutical firm for alleged irregularities and tax evasion.
The Department carried out search and seizure operations at 36 premises of the company spread across nine states on July 6. The company, engaged in the business of manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API), has a presence in over 50 countries.
During the course of the search operations, substantial incriminating evidence in the form of documents and digital data, has been found and seized, according to an official statement released by the Central Board of Direct Taxes.
The initial gleaning of the evidence has revealed that the group has been debiting in its books of account unallowable expenses on account of the distribution of freebies to the medical professionals under the head "Sales and Promotion".
These freebies included travel expenses, perquisites and gifts to doctors and medical professionals for promoting the group's products under the heads "Promotion and Propaganda", "Seminars and Symposiums", "Medical Advisories" etc.
The evidence indicates that the group has adopted unethical practices to promote its products/ brands. The quantum of such freebies detected is estimated to be around Rs 1,000 crore, the statement said.
The group is also found to have claimed artificially inflated deduction under special provisions in respect of certain incomes, by "resorting to suppression of expenses and over-appropriation of revenue to the unit eligible for such deduction".
Various other means of tax evasion, including inadequate allocation of research and development expenses to eligible units and inflated claim of weighted deduction under section 35 (2AB), have also been detected. The quantum of tax sought to be evaded through such means is estimated to be over Rs 300 crore.
Instances of violation of provisions of tax deduction at source under section 194C of the Income-tax Act, 1961 have also been detected in respect of transactions under contracts entered into with the third-party bulk drug manufacturers.
During the search action, unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 1.20 crore and unaccounted gold and diamond jewellery worth more than Rs 1.40 crore have also been seized. Further investigations are in progress, the CBDT said. (ANI)