ISKCON Bombay's Tax Exemption Loss -- Update 05 21 26

 

ISKCON BOMBAY'S INCOME TAX EXEMPTION REMOVED

PADA NOTE: This does not include ISKCON Bangalore.

Absent a temporary stay order by the India Income Tax Department, which does not seem to me to be forthcoming, corporations in India are not going to be able to continue to take charitable contribution deductions for donations to any of the ISKCON India Bureau (Bombay) group of organizations. 

See https://studycafe.in/reliance-iskcon-pd-hinduja-hospital-and-breach-candy-hospital-trust-to-income-tax-exemption-denial-over-commercial-activity-allegations-419586.html

Naming ISKCON, that article states, "These entities have been alleged to be involved in commercial activities, a key ground highlighted by the tax authorities to deny the Section 12AB registration renewal, as relief under the said section is only permissible for non-profit institutions."

A 2013 article in The Economic Times out of Mumbai reveals what may be part, if not all, of the current problems that are now reported - - restaurants. 

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/i-t-dept-questions-merit-in-granting-exemption-to-iskcons-restaurant-chain-govinda/articleshow/19177741.cms

An email from ISKCON India Bureau, which is affiliated with the ISKCON Mayapur GBC group, contains, "ISKCON has maintained uninterrupted 12A and 80G registration status for more than five decades, reflecting its long-standing compliance and continuity. However, this time, despite making sincere efforts and maintaining continuous correspondence and follow-up with the Income Tax Department, the renewal applications were unfortunately rejected." 

It does not appear that there will be a temporary stay order because that Studycafe.in article reported about a hospital, which was also featured in the article, "instead of granting temporary relief, the tribunal decided to hear the full appeal on priority." We know that many government administrative proceedings in India often take years, even when they are prioritized.

AI ANALYSIS

DD: I think this is really important news ... I asked a free AI and it gave me this information: 

-----Taxation in India for ISKCON and its possible tax exemption. Please consider carefully and provide me with references: 

----- Quick summary: ISKCON organizations in India are eligible for tax exemptions and 80G certificates for donors, but the exemption is subject to formal requirements (registration, limits on commercial activities, and the application of 85% of income to charitable purposes). Recent regulatory developments (new law 2025) have reformed the registration regime and may have led to local audits or revocations. charteredonline.in

Essential regulatory framework

Registration for exemption: Registration for exemptions is now governed by the new Section 332 of the Income-Tax Act (NPO Code), which replaces the previous Sections 12A/12AB; registration is conditional and subject to deadlines and controls.

Income application requirements: To maintain the exemption, an entity must apply at least 85% of its income to charitable / religious purposes. Setting aside and investing are regulated.

Restriction on commercial activities: In-kind trade / commerce activities are not considered charitable if they exceed 20% of annual income (a threshold that can result in the loss of status). Donor benefits: The donor deduction (Section 80G) is granted if the organization is registered for 80G; the percentage (e.g., 50%) depends on the organization's category.

Practical application to ISKCON

Many ISKCON chapters declare 80G/12A registrations at the local level and issue donor receipts (e.g., ISKCON Delhi, Kurukshetra, Dwarka). This means that donors can obtain deductions if the chapter is actually registered.

However, if the tax authority determines that commercial activities (restaurants, sales) exceed 20% of revenue, or that the entity does not apply 85% of its income to charitable purposes, the registration/exemption may be suspended or revoked — this appears to be the topic discussed in the Facebook post you opened.

Risks and recommended steps (for ISKCON or donors who wish to verify)

For the entity: verify registration status under Section 332/Form 105, maintain separate accounts for commercial activities, limit commercial income to below 20% or structure them as separate entities, comply with the 85% application, and submit required audits/forms.

For donors: request a copy of the 80G certificate and receipt with PAN/registration number before deducting; retain traceable proof of payment (no cash > ₹2,000 due to some rules). https://charteredonline.in/new-income-tax-act-2025.../ ---- https://taxguru.in/.../faqs-taxation-charitable-religious... ----- https://www.iskcondelhi.com/80g-tax-exemption-tax.../

Kdas: As far as I understand it, it is a move involving several charity groups in India. Specifically it is against their ancillary activities which function more or less like businesses (eg Govinda's restaurants).

PADA: Yes, this is excellent news. The GBC recently announced they were going to launch another $20,000,000 lawsuit against Bangalore, with Mayapur's Dayarama saying "we will spend $1,000,000 per year over the next 100 years if need be." 

Well now all of a sudden, they need to spend a lot of money in court -- appealing their tax exemption loss. Meanwhile Bangalore is the only authorized tax exempt ISKCON in India presently. This might also help our BBTI case in the Supreme Court as well. But yeah, this is a big hit for them, if they are taxable. They said this will be resolved in two months, hee hee, good luck with that in India. ys pd

GPD: Had to happen -- too much corruption for the wrong reasons against the objectives of the original plan of iskcon

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PREDATORS HIDE THEIR TRUE NATURE

Jagganath Nitya Dasi

𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐘, 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐒 — 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑

dambho darpo ’bhimānaś ca
krodhaḥ pāruṣyam eva ca
ajñānaṁ cābhijātasya
pārtha sampadam āsurīm
—Bhagavad Gita(16.4)

Hypocrisy, arrogance, pride, anger, harshness, and ignorance are the qualities of those with a demonic nature.

Toxic and abusive individuals hide behind false appearances while causing suffering to others.

“The scriptures warn that hypocrisy, arrogance, cruelty, and harshness are signs of a destructive nature hidden beneath outward appearances.”

𝐀 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆: 𝐏𝐀𝐘 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄

The most dangerous abusers do not come with warning labels; they hide behind a carefully crafted mask of deception. Do not blindly trust their words before marriage. Too often, those promises are nothing but a calculated, predatory trap, and in India -- designed solely to fulfill their selfish greed for dowry. 

One wrong belief — one fraudulent, characterless life partner paired with a family of abusive in-laws — can permanently damage the well-being of a woman and her children. Their only goal is to fulfill their dowry demands. 

From the very first day of marriage, deadly physical and mental torture begins. But it does not stop at abuse. They actively plot and eagerly wait for the moment when they can completely destroy the very existence of the innocent wife and her children. They systematically torture a righteous woman, inflicting such severe cruelty that it pushes both a mother and her innocent children to the absolute brink of suicide.

The most horrifying reality is that this evil bleeds directly into the lives of innocent children, forcing them to endure and witness unimaginable trauma. Toxic, wicked people, bereft of character, humanity, and empathy, will never change. They will only invent new, more vicious ways to break you and erase your family's existence.

𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠, 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬:

𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Do your deep research. Abusers are masters of illusion before the wedding. Look at how they treat others.

𝐃𝐨 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐈𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐬: If people warn you about a man and his family before the marriage, listen to them. Do not brush off the truth or believe the abusers' excuses over the warnings of others.

𝐃𝐨 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐞-𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: Promises mean absolutely nothing when they are spoken by predators looking to extract their selfish desires and inflict pain.

𝐎𝐁𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐀 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏.

#TemporaryPleasuresPermanentDisaster #BhagavadGita #TruthOfLife #ToxicRelationships #RedFlags #ChooseWisely #LawOfKarma #RealityOfLife #DarkTruth #LifeLessons #InnerCharacter #ToxicPeople #FakeFaces #Humanity #InnerPeace #RelationshipWarning

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PADA: Yeah China just said, ok this guy is changing USA's worldwide tariffs three times a day, he is not a stable person who we can make stable trade deals with. So China sent out teams to make stable and lasting trade deals with the rest of the world, includes Canada, and now China has a huge trade surplus and worldwide orders galore for its products. 

Trump has recently majorly escalated China's economic growth with his program to shut down Hormuz oil trade. That is making China's green products program have explosive demand and growth. At the same time, the idea that China is paying the tariff was always misleading. The persons who pay are the USA consumers -- and thus the tariff is really a hidden CONSUMER TAX. Increasing the size of government and increasing taxes was supposed to NOT be the conservative's economic platform, but it clearly is.

Normally, countries make trade deals that last 5-10 years, not 5-10 minutes. This was never going to end well for the USA. The result is -- countries all over the world CANCELLED their orders for USA made products, and made stable and lasting trade deals with other nations. Yep, it is always about making China great again! Told ya! ys pd 

Think you know what a real Guru is? Don't be misled by 'opinions.' Find out the scriptural test for a real spiritual guide. Watch till the end! pic.twitter.com/MUlhvYm4Xd

— Krishna Consciousness Society (@KCSociety_India) May 21, 2026