Towards a lean tax department

Worries about vacant positions and their impact on tax collection may be misplaced in a world of technological disruptions

A news report in this newspaper published on July 14 had pointed out that almost 80 per cent of the posts of chief commissioners in the income tax department were lying vacant for several months. Some of the vacancies had not been filled for as long as about a year. What this essentially meant was that against 91 approved positions of chief commissioners, only 18 had been filled. These incumbents were holding additional responsibilities to discharge the functions of those that were vacant.

The problem of vacancies had surfaced not just at the level of chief commissioners, which is the second