Income tax department cancels all leaves

The direct taxes target for the current fiscal is Rs 6.36 lakh crore

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has cancelled leave of all officials on tax collection duty and ordered 24x7 functioning of its offices till March 31 to ensure the remaining revenue of Rs 50,000 crore is collected before the end of the current financial year.     

The direct taxes target for the current financial year is Rs 6.36 lakh crore.

According to official data, as of March 20, the department needs to further achieve a net collection of Rs 50,204 crore before the current financial year closes this month-end.     

CBDT, in a recent meeting with I-T chief commissioners and directors-general, ordered that all “assessing officers and additional commissioners, commissioners and chief commissioners, involved in assessment work and collection of taxes shall not leave their headquarters till March 31”.     

In case of an emergency, the CBDT directed, the board member in-charge of the respective I-T zones  will be the only authority empowered to sanction leave or any other sort of detachment of the concerned official.

The video conference was chaired by CBDT Chairman R K Tewari, who has taken over the top job recently.

“It is positively believed the targeted direct taxes kitty would be achieved by March 31 as the growth trends have been encouraging. Everyone has been asked to tighten their belts.The department is also hopeful about the advance taxes payment,” a senior official privy to the development said.

The apex body of the I-T department (CBDT), has also issued orders that all I-T offices will be kept open on March 29 (Saturday), March 30 (Sunday) and 31st (Monday).

All head offices of the department were open yesterday to take a final decision on all cases of penalty and compounding of offences which will bring in additional and long-awaited revenue.

"Close to 5,000 crore could be achieved from under this head," the official said.