On Tuesday, hours after the news surfaced that the Income Tax Department was conducting a survey at the Delhi headquarters of BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), the state-sponsored media of the United Kingdom, the Editors Guild of India issued a press release expressing “deep concerns” over it.
EGI is deeply concerned about the IT “surveys” being carried out at the offices of BBC India. Is distressed by the continuing trend of government agencies being used to intimidate and harass news organisations that are critical of ruling establishment. pic.twitter.com/hM7ZkrdOiq
— Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) February 14, 2023
While the editors’ body has condemned the survey, calling it a political witch hunt against the media outlet, it is worth noting that the survey was conducted on BBC premises in light of BBC’s deliberate non-compliance with the Transfer Pricing Rules and its massive profit diversion.
“EGI is deeply concerned about the IT “surveys” being carried out at the offices of BBC India. Is distressed by the continuing trend of government agencies being used to intimidate and harass news organizations that are critical of the ruling establishment,” read the Tweet posted by the organization supposedly representing the ‘editors’.
The Editors’ Guild stated in its press release on Tuesday that the IT department’s surveys are part of a trend of utilizing government institutions to intimidate and harass media organizations that are critical of government policies or the ruling establishment.
The Editors Guild went on to say that the action taken against the foreign media channel was the consequence of the BJP’s vendetta following the release of the BBC documentary on the 2002 violence in Gujarat and the contemporary plight of minorities in India.
The Income Tax Dept carries out a survey at BBC office in Delhi
The IT survey was carried out at the BBC premises in view of the BBC’s deliberate non-compliance with the Transfer Pricing Rules and its vast diversion of profits. Transfer Pricing essentially ensures that the transaction between ‘related’ parties is at a price that would be comparable if the transaction was occurring between unrelated parties.
The key focus of these surveys is to look into the manipulation of prices for unauthorized benefits, including tax advantages. These surveys have been undertaken due to BBC’s persistent non-compliance with the norms, making it a repeat offender.
