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VOL. 2, ISSUE 2 (2026)
The tax, transparency, and democracy dilemma: A comparative analysis of electoral bonds in India
Authors
Vikas kabeer
Abstract
Electoral bonds, issued in India only in 2018,
has already made considerable changes to the situation in political financing.
As a tool meant to maintain clean and qualitative funding in political parties,
electoral bonds drew quite some flak for making political funding less
transparent and more corporate-dominated. In the same way, although electoral
bonds seek to curb the effects of black money in the political system and
provide tax exemptions under the Income Tax Act, it is highly opaque and even
breeds tax fraud and other vices. This paper discusses the effects of electoral
bonds in corporate political contribution, their role in increasing
transparency and impact on democracy. In this paper we consider the tax
obligations of electoral bonds, more specifically, we look at the impact of
electoral bonds both to the Party Donor and to the Political Parties and
examine the concept of electoral bonds and the involvement of shell companies
in the political financing system of India. In the assessment of this study,
electoral bonds are viewed to limit democratic processes or fulfil their role
depending on prior evidence, reports and case studies.
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Pages:5-18
How to cite this article:
Vikas kabeer "The tax, transparency, and democracy dilemma: A comparative analysis of electoral bonds in India". World Journal of Law, Vol 2, Issue 2, 2026, Pages 5-18
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