Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015
The recovery of black money stashed abroad—undisclosed income often funneled through tax havens and shell companies—remains a critical economic priority for developing nations like India. Governments have launched systematic efforts to unearth these funds through legislative acts, international information exchange, and specialized enforcement units.
: The Income Tax Department uses high-quality intelligence and digital data to send targeted emails/SMS to taxpayers with detected but unreported offshore assets, encouraging them to revise their filings to avoid harsher penalties.
: Programs like the Income Declaration Scheme (IDS) offered immunity from prosecution for citizens who voluntarily declared hidden assets while paying significant taxes and penalties (roughly 45%).
: The Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 empowers the Indian government to specifically tax and penalize undisclosed foreign holdings.