THE
Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Mr S S Palanimanickam, in a letter
to Dr. Subramanyan Swamy informed him that information received under the DTAA
cannot be made public and can be used only for tax purposes. This clearly shows
that the plea taken by the Solicitor General of India on behalf of Government of
India before the Supreme Court is in accordance with law.
The
Minister also informed Dr. Swamy that the German authorities, while actually
handing over the information, have emphasized that the information is subject to
the confidentiality provisions of the DTAA and may be used only for the tax
purposes specified therein. It is however assured that once prosecution is
launched, the names would become public!
|