BSP, NCP yet to file contribution reports to avail tax rebate: CEC

Lucknow, Aug 19 (UNI) Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswasmi today said Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were the two national political parties which were yet to file their contribution reports to the Election Commission to avail tax rebates.

Addressing participants at the 4th Annual National Conference on Elections and Political Process Reforms, the CEC said out of six national parties, BSP and NCP have so far not filed their annual contribution reports before the EC.

Form 24 A should be filed with the EC before the due date for furnishing a return of the political party's income of the concerned financial year under Section 139 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 and a certificate to this effect should be attached with the income tax to claim exemption under the IT Act.

The CEC pointed out that similarly, out of the 45 state political parties in country, only nine have filed the contribution report.

There are a total of 909 recognised political parties in the country with three parties seeking recognition every week. ''There was one Dharmarth Party...when the authorities checked its credentials, we came to know that there was no signboard...there were only two chairs and a table and all the money it received as political party was invested in shares and debentures,'' he said, adding that more swarth (vested interest) was involved in it than 'dharmarth' (religious work).

UNI