rewrite this title and make it good for SEOTaxman to get more teeth, authorities will be able to access your social media handles, email & bank accounts

In what may come across as shocking news to some income tax assessees, from April 1, 2026, the Income Tax Department will be ready and legally permitted to peep into not just your social media accounts but also your bank and trading accounts, if found suspicious. Additionally, the taxman will also be able to access your email inbox and even other related information.

The news comes two days after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman defended the idea of granting access to individuals’ digital records as part of the incoming Income Tax Bill. Such a provision is necessary to fight tax evasion and prevent financial fraud, according to the finance minister.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, on Tuesday, Sitharaman admitted that tax authorities are already utilising personal information available on apps like WhatsApp (messaging app) and Google Maps (road navigation app) in conducting investigations and must also be recognised formally in law.

The existing tax law, governed under the Income Tax Act of 1961, primarily refers to physical books of accounts, ledgers and manually recorded financial data, which makes it legally challenging for tax authorities to access digital records during its raids. 

“Right now, people argue, ‘I have shown my ledger, why do you want my passcode?’ This gap is being addressed in the new bill (the new Income Tax Bill) before the select committee,” the finance minister told the Lok Sabha.