The Income Tax Department (ITD) raided the house of a YouTuber named Taslim in Uttar Pradesh on July 15, 2023. The ITD found ₹ 24 lakh cash during the raid, along with gold jewellery and other valuables. The ITD believes that Taslim has earned nearly ₹ 1 crore through his YouTube channel and other sources of income.
Taslim's brother, Feroze, has said that Taslim makes videos related to the share market and even pays income tax on his income. Feroze also said that Taslim manages the YouTube account 'Trading Hub 3.0'.
Feroze has said that the cash and jewellery found during the raid belonged to Taslim's parents. He has also said that Taslim has been paying income tax on his income from YouTube and other sources. He said that Taslim has already paid ₹ 4 lakh in taxes over his total YouTube income of ₹ 1.2 crore.
The ITD is investigating Taslim's tax returns and his sources of income. They are also probing whether he has evaded taxes. If Taslim is found to have evaded taxes, he could face prosecution.
This is not the first time that the ITD has raided the homes of YouTubers. In 2022, the ITD raided the homes of several YouTubers in Kerala. The ITD found that these YouTubers had not been paying taxes properly on their income from YouTube.
Indian YouTubers are required to pay income tax on their earnings. If their gross total income exceeds Rs 1 crore, then they are required to undergo a tax audit.
The ITD's raids on YouTubers are a sign that the government is taking a serious look at the issue of tax evasion by online content creators. It is likely that we will see more such raids in the future.
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