Strike to affect commercial tax collection

The commercial tax collection of the Orissa government is likely to be hit as over 500 employees of the commercial tax department are observing a pen down strike since February 16, seeking fulfillment of their demands.

The commercial taxes account for about 70 per cent of the state’s total revenue and the state government had set a target to collect Rs 6,000 crore of commercial taxes in 2008-09.

However, the collections have dropped in the wake of economic slowdown and the government fears that the strike by the employees of commercial tax department may result in the state not meeting the targets in this regard. The overall collection of commercial taxes by the end of January during the current fiscal stood at Rs 4,113.20 crore as against Rs 3,516.42 crore in the corresponding period of the last fiscal. "The state is losing revenues due to the strike ", claimed Bijay Kumar Patnaik, vice-chairman of the Orissa State Commercial Taxes District Level Ministerial Officers' Association.

The major demands of the association are deletion of age limit for promotion of senior clerks to the post of assistant commercial tax officers, promotion of head clerks to the cadre of Orissa Finance Services (OFS) and Orissa Administrative Services (OAS), creation of posts of head clerks in the border check gates and vigilance wings and filling up of the base level posts.

"While the government has assured to meet the demands of the association at a meeting held at Cuttack, about four years back, no steps have been taken so far by the higher authorities to fulfill the same", Pradhan said.

Meanwhile, the chamber of commerce and the advocates of different bars are likely to extend their support to the strike, said Harekrushna Panda, president of the association.