00:00New Income Tax Bill
00:07The New Income Tax Bill is in a lot of discussion these days.
00:11Many major changes have been made to it and the laws have been made easy.
00:15But there is also a big change in it that during the investigation,
00:19income tax officials will reach your social media account.
00:23Yes, if there is any doubt in the tax investigation,
00:27the officials can take your Facebook, Instagram account and even send you an email.
00:32And for this, they will legally have the right.
00:35In simple words, through the new tax bill,
00:39they can ask for access to the taxpayers' digital assets.
00:43Under the Income Tax Act of 1961,
00:46during the tax investigation, it is permitted to search for IT officials and seize bank accounts.
00:52However, officials can ask for a laptop, hard drive or email.
00:56But they have to face it legally.
00:59But it will be applicable from April 1, 2026.
01:02And with this, the IT officials will reach the virtual digital space.
01:06That is, they will have the legal right to search for computer, email and social media accounts.
01:11In fact, if a taxpayer refuses to support the investigation
01:15or refuses to provide details of the email or social media account,
01:20then the officials can bypass the password of their account
01:24and overwrite the safety settings.
01:26And they can also unlock the files.
01:29As per Article 247 of the New IT Act,
01:32the Income Tax Officials will get this right only in some special cases.
01:38This will not apply to all taxpayers.
01:40In fact, it will apply to such taxpayers
01:42on whom there will be a doubt of tax evasion or tax payment on illegal properties.
01:49In such cases, the officials will have the right to reach emails, social media accounts,
01:52bank details and investment accounts.
01:55However, it is clear from the draft of the new tax bill
01:57that this right will be included in special cases.
02:00But the government of the legal expert does not seem to be happy with this step.
02:04According to Nangia Anderson, LLP's partner Vishwas Panjyar,
02:07this is a big change from the existing Income Tax Act 1961.
02:11She warned that personal data can cause unnecessary investigation
02:17if the government provides it to the officials without a strict security measure.
02:21After that, Sanjay Sanghvi, a partner of Khetanand Company, said
02:25that the tax officials have already asked to reach the digital space,
02:29but the law has never clearly given permission for it.
02:33But in the new act, they will also have the legal right to do so.
02:36So what is your opinion on this whole news?
02:38Give us your opinion in the comment box.
02:40And keep watching Good Returns for such updates.
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