White paper on black money issue: Pranab

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New Delhi, Dec 14: The government would bring out a white paper on the issue of black money, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Wednesday. He also dismissed reports that an MP was amongst the rich Indians with black money stashed away abroad.

There is no MP in the list, Mukherjee asserted, replying to a debate in the Lok Sabha on the huge quantum of black money deposited by Indians in foreign banks.

Stating that there would be a white paper on the issue, Mukherjee said the government was working ‘to prevent the menace and bring back’ the money that had not been credibly quantified.

‘We have 36,000 pieces of information, names of persons… But we cannot disclose the names,’ Mukherjee said, citing legalities involved in maintaining confidentiality on the matter.

‘Tomorrow same nations (that have shared information) can tell us, minister you have violated international agreements… we won’t give it to you now,’ the finance minister said.

He said the government’s efforts to deal with the issue had shown some results and sought the opposition’s support to fight the problem jointly.

Mukherjee said tax treaties with 60 foreign countries were amended; this would enable the government to track the black money.

IANS