Adnan Sami is angry...very angry; find out why

Beleaguered musician-singer Adnan Sami has had just about enough of the bureaucratic pressures, the latest being the service tax that he is now paying up. Says Adnan, “The only reason why I was unable to pay my service tax is because the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) has frozen my bank accounts. So now I’m getting another organization which owes me service tax to give the money directly to the Indian government rather than pay me.” Adnan says that the money in his frozen accounts was all legal. “It was all declared money. So I don’t know why it was frozen. I don’t know why I am being subjected to this constant scrutiny and suspicion when I am as Indian as any citizen. I’ve lived in India for 14 years. This is my home. You will be shocked to know that I have no property anywhere in any part of the world except the one that I occupy in Mumbai. So to those who want me to go from India, I want to ask, where do I go?” Taking a deep breath Adnan says, “I’m constantly making every effort to pay all my taxes on time. But how do I do it if my bank accounts are frozen? I asked the authorities permission to let me open a bank account. They said to approach them through the bank I wish to open my account with. It’s been months since the bank asked the Indian government’s permission to let me open an account. There has been no response from the government in spite of repeated reminders. What do I do? I am told by the government to pay taxes. I want to pay up. But my accounts are frozen.” Losing his cool Adnan says, “The last thing on my mind is to evade taxes or do anything that is beyond the law. Here I am. I’ve been living in India for 14 years. I’ve applied for Indian citizenship. I am not a non-resident citizen. I live in Mumbai. I pay all my taxes. I am still hounded constantly. Other foreigners get citizenship in 7 years. I haven’t got it in 14 years. Ab bahot gaya...Please let me live in peace in a country that I consider my home.”