'Proposed I-T cadre restructuring not helpful'

An income-tax officers' body on Thursday said the recently sanctioned cadre restructuring of the department would not be helpful in improving tax payer services and overall revenue collection, as promotion of officers would be stuck.

The Income Tax Gazetted Officers Association said vacancies in important positions of deputy commissioner and assistant commissioner would "remain unfilled for the next three to five years", as half the newly created posts will be filled by promotion in a phased manner, which is time consuming. The body has 9,000 members working in the I-T department across the country.

The government in May had approved a large scale and ambitious cadre restructuring of the I-T department and created 20,751 posts in various ranks.

The body has suggested some remedies to fill up vacant posts fast. "All new vacancies in ACIT created in the cadre restructuring could be filled by promotion and it must be in one go, as is proposed to be done in all the other cadres and also done in the restructuring 2001," ITGOA said in a statement.

However, Central Board of Direct Tax es (CBDT), the apex policy making body of the I-T department has already issued orders to amend and frame recruitment rules for these officers and their representations will be taken into account before operationalising the cadre restructuring process for the department.

According to the new blueprint of the I-T in this regard, the number of assessment units would be "increased by 1,080 from 3,420 to 4,500 for strengthening the tax administration". This step is expected to "bring additional revenue of Rs 25,756.04 crore per annum against an expenditure of Rs 449.71 crore per annum," the new blueprint said. The department has also decided to depute one more assessing officer in each I-T range and the number of administrative Commissioners (who look after tax collection work) will be enhanced from 228 to 250.