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Black Money in India

Where Black Money Comes From

How under-reporting of sales, inflated expenses, bribes and political funding generate black money, and why cash-heavy sectors are most affected.

Black money has many sources.

Business

  • Under-reporting sales.
  • Inflating expenses.
  • Fake invoices.

Corruption

Bribes to officials.

Political funding

Cash donations to parties, historically hard to trace.

Cash-heavy sectors

  • Real estate.
  • Jewellery.
  • Education (capitation fees).
  • Weddings.

Why people evade

  • High tax rates in the past.
  • Low chance of being caught.
  • Complex rules.

Economics

Evasion rises when benefits exceed expected penalties.

The capitation fee

A private college demands an unrecorded cash payment for a seat, generating black money.

Thinking only big businesses create black money

Many small transactions do too.

Key takeaways
  • Under-reporting and fake invoices create it.
  • Bribes and cash donations add to it.
  • Real estate and jewellery are cash-heavy.
  • Low detection encourages evasion.
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