Govt orders redeployment of IRS officers to meet tax target

New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) Crippled by an acute shortageof Indian Revenue Service officers at crucial posts in theIncome Tax department during the tax collection season, thegovernment has ordered that they be re-deployed.

The department, which is racing to meet the budgetedtarget of Rs 4.30 lakh crore tax collection in this fiscal,has been ordered by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)to immediately rejig the officials at Additional and JointCommissioners rank level to revenue collection duties andconcerned ranges.

The Additional and Joint Commissioners are the cuttingedge level ranks of the I-T department which ensure andregulate tax collection and other functions of the departmentlike issuing refunds and carrying out investigations againsttax evaders.

"In view of the crippling shortage of Addl/Joint CITs,no Chief Commissioners of Income Tax and Director Generals ofIncome Tax will have any Addl/Jt CITs in his/her headquarters.

CCITs (Cadre Controlling) may be directed to immediatelywithdraw Addl/Joint CITs from the headquarters of CCITs andDGITs and deploy them at places where they are most required.

This is necessary to augment revenue collection by optimallyutilising our scarce human resources," an order by CBDTChairman to all the field formations of the I-T departmentsaid.

The order specifically mentions that compliance on theorder should be ensured by January 21 without fail.

According to the latest data of the Finance Ministry,the department is facing a shortage of 33.51 per cent in theAdditional and Joint Commissioners (I-T) ranks as only 833officers are working against a sanctioned strength of 1253.

This is incidentally the largest shortage of officers in aparticular rank in the department.

At the Deputy and Assistant Commissioners level, theI-T department is facing a shortage of 24.26 per cent as only1591 officers are working against the sanctioned strength of2098.

Sources said as Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjeewhile addressing the top brass of the department has recentlyasked them to raise the budgeted tax collection target by Rs20,000 crore to Rs 4.50 lakh crore, the present collectiontarget of 4.30 lakh crore is a challenge which has to beaccomplished.

The department has collected about Rs 2.99 lakh croreas direct tax income till December last year.

"The rejig of these posts was essential to meet thecurrent revenue collection kitty. The department has alreadysent proposals to augment and increase the manpower but theproposal is still to get functional," a senior I-T officersaid.

However, officials in crucial roles of investigationsand raising tax demands would not be transferred, the officeradded.

"Among the issues that require our earnest attentionand remedial action, the foremost is the shortage of manpoweracross various operational levels," a recent official letterfrom the department to the Finance Ministry said.