PROBES INTO CASES OF INCOME TAX EVASION Total ban on info not good: CIC TIMES NEWS NETWORK http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/skins/TOINEW/navigator.asp?Daily=TOIBG&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI New Delhi: Voicing concern that a blanket ban on disclosure of information related to action taken on tax evasion complaints was not advisable, the Central Information Commission (CIC) said it was not in the best interest of transparency or state revenues.
Acknowledging that the investigation wing of income tax department was exempted from the purview of RTI Act, CIC said such blanket ban would "dis-enthuse" whistleblowers. The case relates to RTI applicant Brij Ballabh Singh who had sought information about the action taken on a complaint made by him on a
tax evasion case at the Lucknow office of investigative wing of Director General Income Tax (DGIT) which rejected it citing the exemption clause.
While agreeing that the exemption sought was correct, information commissioner M L Sharma said, "It is also to be noted that blanket ban on disclosure of information regarding action taken on tax evasion complaints may not always be in the best interest of state revenues."
He added, "Information-givers are generally keen to know whether the information provided by them has been of some value to the authorities or not... Feedback in this regard would motivate the information-givers and thereby enable them to curb tax". | 
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