Government says it will tap phones of tax evaders

Your phone can be tapped if the government thinks you are evading tax. Home minister P Chidambaram clarified in Parliament on Thursday that government agencies were fully authorised to tap the phones of suspected tax evaders.

The law did not say that tapping should be restricted only to persons who were a threat to national security.Chidambaram said the Central Board for Direct Taxes (CBDT) and other enforcement agencies were empowered to intercept phones to detect cases of tax evasion. Howe…