By IANS
Ranchi : While Jharkhand’s big wigs were waiting to welcome Mahendra Singh Dhoni here Thursday, the Indian skipper was busy sorting out his tax problems with the Income Tax Department. After all, the swashbuckling cricketer is the state’s highest taxpayer.
Chief Minister Madhu Koda his cabinet colleagues, police chiefs and other VIPs were at the chief minister’s official residence to welcome Dhoni but the latter kept them waiting for an hour as he was busy meeting the Income Tax Commissioner.
Dhoni was scheduled to arrive at Koda’s residence at 1 p.m. but he arrived an hour late. When media persons asked him the reason for the delay, Dhoni said: “I was waiting to meet the IT commissioner. He was busy at a meeting and that is why I got delayed.”
The cricketer is not just the darling of the masses, but of the Income Tax Department too. According to sources in the Income Tax Department, till September this year Dhoni had paid Rs.7.3 million as advance tax.
“Dhoni has emerged as the highest tax payer in the current financial year. We expect that he will pay Rs.40 million as tax in 2007-2008,” said an official.