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Jul 17, 2025
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Unfettered access to WhatsApp: Parliamentary panel accepts Income Tax Bill provisions; suggests 285 changes
The Parliament's Select Committee examining the Income Tax Bill, 2025 on Wednesday is learnt to have cleared the proposed legislation without any substantial change, including the contentious provision allowing officers access to communication channels (like WhatsApp) of tax payers facing search or seizure, paving the way for its introduction in the Monsoon Session.
Sources said the Select Committee headed by senior BJP MP Baijayant Panda met here and unanimously adopted the report on the Bill, which was tabled in Lok Sabha on February 13. The panel is expected to table its report on Monday, the first day of the Monsoon Session, and the government is likely to go ahead passing it during the Session that is scheduled to end on August 21.
The government aims to implement the new Income Tax law, which it says would simplify language, eliminate redundancy, and streamline procedures and processes to enhance the taxpayer experience, from April 1, 2026 by replacing the Income Tax Act, 1961. The 1961 Act has been amended 65 times and around 4,000 amendments have been made to its provisions.
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