« Top Headlines » Open DEMAT Account in 24 hrs  Delhi HC Rules GST Registration Cannot Be Cancelled Retrospectively Without a Clear Show Cause Notice (SCN)  Belated income tax return AY 2026-27: How to file, late filing charges and what you may lose  Major Financial Changes from August 1, 2026: ITR Deadline, RBI MPC Meeting, Tatkal Ticket Rules & More  Government proposes to ease tax relief conditions for offshore funds  TallyPrime Connected Banking: Automating Banking and Accounting  ITR Filing Deadline 2026: Is July 31 the Last Date to File Your Income Tax Return? Latest Official Update  ITR filing deadline nears: How to file income tax return online on e-filing portal - quick 15-step guide  Will the ITR Filing Deadline Be Extended Beyond July 31 for FY 2025-26? Here's the Latest Update for Taxpayers  Income Tax Refund Delayed for AY 2026-27? 5 Common Reasons Your Refund May Be Stuck and How to Fix It  ITR Filing 2026: FM Nirmala Sitharaman Asks Tax Officials to Let Honest Taxpayers Correct Genuine Mistakes  Will Your FCNR Deposit Stay Tax-Free After Returning to India? Tax Rules Explained for NRIs «  Cos should deduct TDS on director loans... Structural audit made mandatory for Greater Mumbai buildings... » I-T owes informers Rs 1,200 cr August, 14th 2007 On September 3, passersby outside Scindia House at Ballard Estate here will see an unusual satyagraha a fast unto death by an elderly man whom the income-tax department owes money. Whats unusual here apart from the fact that the dues amount to an eye-goggling Rs 25 crore is that the man will be masked. No, Kunj Bihari Gupta isnt an industrialist or a Bollywood superstar whose refund tots up to such an enormous tally. Hes an income-tax informer, one among a close-knit community of 20 to 25 members who provide insider information to revenue departments like sales, customs and I-T to help them unearth the concealed income of individuals and companies. And thats the reason his face will be covered he cant risk letting out his identity. Its a dangerous thing to do, no doubt, but the 70-year-old Gupta (obviously not his real name) says he has no choice, disclosing hesitantly that most of his income has been spent on his daughters weddings and paying for his sons alcoholism. The government owes him his cut for 11 successful raids which earned it crores of rupees. My sources have been threatening to kill me, he says. They refuse to believe that the I-T department has not paid me for cases as old as 15 years. Gupta believes other informers will support him, as the department never pays heed to their post-raid claims. Indeed, the money owed by the government to the 60-odd informers in India totals a staggering Rs 1,200 crore. There are no written rules, only guidelines, for rewarding them. Usually, an informer gets 10% of the income recovered from a raid but the money flows only after the tax assessment is complete, which could take six to seven years. Just Rs 1 lakh is paid immediately if the raid yields Rs 25 lakh or more. There is no deadline for paying the remainder. It drags on and on if the matter enters litigation.