Haj tax return row: Haj Committee tacitly tells Hajjis to ignore the legislation

Since November, Muslim clerics have been demanding that the 5% GST levied on Haj pilgrimage and the necessary submitting of Income Tax return be exempt. Earlier in 2020, the Haj Committee of India had petitioned Central Government’s Ministry of Finance to exempt the Haj Pilgrims from the necessary submitting of the earnings tax return, nonetheless, the problem appears to be removed from resolved.
According to a report in Siasat, the Chief Executive Officer of Haj Committee of India Dr Maqsood Ahmed Khan has stated that the final date of submitting the returns was on the thirty first of December 2020, and there may be “anguish” amongst Muslims because the Finance Ministry has not responded.
Interestingly, from his response to Siasat, it seems that the Muslim clerics and the Haj Committee has instructed Muslims tacitly to not file the earnings tax return even because the due date was thirty first. Khan has stated, ‘If any Haj Pilgrim submits earnings tax return on his personal, will probably be thought-about as his prerogative and the Haj Committee shall not information him on this regard”.
This would primarily imply that the Haj Committee is not going to information Muslims in the event that they select to file their tax return as per the legislation, thereby tacitly exalting them to defy the legislation to their very own detriment.
According to Siasat, Dr Khan stated, “Haj Committee of India had brought the issue to the notice of Minister of Minority Affairs Abbas Naqvi who wrote to the Finance Ministry to look into the matter. We are sure the Haj pilgrims, as before, shall be exempted from submitting income tax return”.
It is pertinent to notice that in response to the brand new Finance invoice (amended), all those that undertake journey exterior the nation and incur expenditure above Rs.2 lakhs should compulsorily file an earnings tax return.  
The demand to exempt Haj pilgrims from submitting tax returns was raised in November, TMC MP had written to Finance Minister
It was again in November 2020 that Muslim clerics and the Haj Committee had raised the demand that pilgrims to Haj must be exempt from submitting their returns and paying any type of tax on the pilgrimage, together with the 5% GST. In November, the calls for had been made at a gathering of the Hajj division of the Islamic Centre of India.
In November, Head of Islamic Centre of India, Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali stated that whereas all pilgrimages must be exempt from taxation and the requirement of submitting returns, Haj Pilgrims ought to get monetary concerns from the federal government of India.
Of course, the tax demand was not all and additional calls for had been additionally made in November. It was demanded that first, that the pilgrimages must be transported in each attainable manner and second, GST and all sorts of taxes must be eliminated for the pilgrimage of Haj. The Islamic Centre additionally demanded that the situation of filling the earnings tax return for the Hajis must be abolished.
At the time, a number of politicians had raised a ruckus over the problem. Samajwadi Party (SP) had supported the calls for of the Muslim clerics and so had Trinamool Congress (TMC).
In November itself, TMC MP had written to the Finance Minister to take away the necessary requirement of submitting IT return for Haj Pilgrims.
“The government of India has imposed a mandatory ITR filing for the intended Haj pilgrims. This decision may be the reformation of the taxation system. On the other hand, this mandatory provision is full of difficulties for the Haj pilgrims,” Sajda Ahmed had stated.
The letter had additional stated, “You may be aware that some poor people living under the low-income line also perform Haj… I request you to pull back the mandatory condition of filing ITR for Haj pilgrims and think about pausing GST for Haj services”.
It is relatively fascinating to notice that whereas the opposition events have supported specials favours to Haj Pilgrims, now, the clerics have declared that if Muslims find yourself complying with the legislation of the land, they won’t obtain any assist from the Haj Committee within the course of.