Ministry of Finance, Government of India has commissioned an in-depth and fresh study, engaging three top national level institutions for estimation of unaccounted income and wealth held within and outside India. This study will bring out the nature of activities that encourage money laundering and its ramifications on national security. The study has already commenced in March, 2011 and is expected to be completed within a period of 18 months.

The study is being undertaken by the following national institutes:-

a) National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP);
b) National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM) ; and
c) National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER).

The terms of reference of the study are as follows:-

(i) To assess/survey unaccounted income and wealth both inside and outside the country.
(ii) To profile the nature of activities engendering money laundering both inside and outside the country with its ramifications on national security.
(iii) To identify important sectors of economy in which unaccounted money is generated and examine causes and conditions that result in generation of unaccounted money.
(iv) To examine the methods employed in generation of unaccounted money and conversion of the same into accounted money.
(v) To suggest ways and means for detection and prevention of unaccounted money and bringing the same into the mainstream of economy.
(vi) To suggest methods to be employed for bringing to tax unaccounted money kept outside India. (vii) To estimate the quantum of non-payment of tax due to evasion by registered corporate bodies.

The issue of black money has attracted a lot of public and media attention in the recent past. So far there are no reliable estimates of black money generated and held within and outside the country. The different estimates on quantum of black money range between USD 500 billion to USD 1,400 billion. A recent study by Global Financial Integrity has estimated the illicit money outflow to be USD 462 billion. These estimates are based on various unverifiable assumptions and approximations. Government has been seized of the matter and has, therefore, commissioned these institutions to get an estimation and sense of the quantum of illicit fund generated and held within and outside the country.

Estimation of unaccounted income and wealth prompts national study to analyze money laundering drivers and tax recovery measures. Commissioning of a comprehensive national study to estimate unaccounted income and wealth held within and outside the country, engaging three designated national institutes, to survey quantum, profile money laundering activities and national security ramifications, identify sectors and causal conditions, examine generation and conversion methods, and suggest detection, prevention, mainstreaming and taxation measures, including estimating tax non payment by registered corporate bodies due to evasion.