American Embassy School at the helm of multi-crore tax scamTop Stories

January 17, 2014 10:40
American Embassy School at the helm of multi-crore tax scam},{American Embassy School at the helm of multi-crore tax scam

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Devyani Khobragade fracas not only turned the spotlight on the non-reciprocal advantages that the American diplomats have been enjoying in India for decades now, but also dredged up an enormous multi-year tax evasion scam by the American Embassy School (AES) in the country.

Call it a miracle, or God's own way of doing tit-for-tat, the Khobragade visa fraud case has now been atoned for by what seems to be an American tax fraud in India, that either went unnoticed or was ignored hitherto.

The Americans who hurled the rule book at Khobragade and pulpiteered visa ethics have now landed on the wrong side of the law in India. And Washington needs to be worried, extremely worried, on two cases.

First, credible sources reveal that American Embassy School (AES) has breached a slew of Indian laws and evaded income tax since 1972. The cumulative tax including penalties could easily run into scores of crores, if not less.

The American diplomats in India have also been yielding to institutionalized mechanism of visa and tax frauds for years now. And, unlike the Devyani Khobragade incident, which was just a one-off case, the AES scam has been routinely perpetrated at the behest of top officials of the US embassy in New Delhi, reports FirstPost.

Secondly, the New York Times report on the wrong-doings of AES has further increased the worries for the Americans. The NYT report quoted Indian officials as saying that 'at least 16 teachers in Delhi were working illegally, and that smaller American schools in Mumbai and Chennai probably had several more'. These 16 teachers are American diplomatic staff members who came to India with their spouses, providing false details in their visa applications.

With skeletons fast tumbling out of the drawer, it's U.S.'s time to save their face.

AW: Suchorita Choudhury

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