Indian authorities accuse BBC of tax evasion after searches

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s Finance Ministry has accused the BBC of tax evasion, saying that it had not fully declared its income and profits from its operations in the country. Tax authorities ended three days of searches of the British broadcaster’s New Delhi and Mumbai offices on Thursday night. Opposition political parties and other media organizations have criticized the searches as an attempt to intimidate the media. The ministry said tax officials found evidence indicating that “tax has not been paid on certain remittances which have not been disclosed as income in India.” There was no immediate comment from the BBC. It said on Thursday that it would continue to cooperate with Indian authorities and hoped that the matter could be resolved as soon as possible.