'Nudge campaign' for income disclosure yielding results: FM

Defending inclusion of digital elements in the Income-Tax Bill, 2025, the finance minister said existing provisions under the Income-Tax Act, 1961, primarily referred to physical records, leaving a gap in addressing digital data.

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"A provision to look at the data exists in the current environment, particularly in certain cases of search and seizure authorised by a competent authority. Now, it has been specifically mentioned in the new Income-Tax Bill because the 1961 Act does not account for digital records," she said. Citing instances where digital evidence had helped unearth tax evasion, she said: "Unaccounted money of ₹250 crore was detected when encryption was decoded. Evidence from WhatsApp messages revealed crypto transactions worth over ₹90 crore and a bogus billing syndicate worth ₹200 crore."