The
CBDT said the motive of the cadre review and restructuring exercise is
to enable and equip the
department to meet challenges of today and
tomorrow. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint
New Delhi: The
government has ordered a fresh cadre review and restructuring of the
income tax department with an aim to create a “caring but strict” direct
taxes regime in the country.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes
(CBDT), that frames policy for the I-T department, on Monday ordered the
creation of a 12-member committee of senior officials to accomplish the
task within the next three months.
The development assumes
significance as another committee or task force to draft a new direct
tax law to replace the existing Income Tax Act is already a work in
progress, and has been asked by the government to submit its report by
February 28. The new committee to undertake cadre review and
restructuring of the department has been given a specific four-point
charter to follow.
A copy of the terms of reference of the
committee has been accessed by PTI and it said the panel will suggest
ways to “organise the I-T department in a manner which will further
promote compliance with direct tax laws through caring taxpayer service
and strict enforcement.”
It will also “accordingly make advance
projections of man power requirement and propose appropriate
modifications in the extant organisational structure within the frame
work of government guidelines so as to facilitate filling up all the
posts in the department in a time-bound manner.
“The committee,
chaired by Delhi-based Principal Director General of Income Tax, S K
Dash, will also suggest ways to “bring about rationalisation of the
organisational structure for enhancing the effectiveness of the
department through improved efficiency and morale of its workforce.”
The
CBDT said the motive of the entire cadre review and restructuring
exercise is to “enable and equip the department to meet challenges of
today and tomorrow.”
”The last cadre restructuring of the
department was carried out by the government in 2013 that led to the
creation of 20,751 posts in various ranks. Officials said the latest
exercise was finalised by the government after a lot of deliberations
and keeping in mind two main ideas — vacancies in the post of assistant
commissioners and deputy commissioners that are to be filed by cadre
officers of the department and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s idea of
creating a regime where tax officials are friendly to honest taxpayers,
end the fear of the taxman and make India a more tax compliant society.
”It
is expected that the new direct tax law and cadre restructuring can be
ushered in together so that the new system takes over with uniformity
and in one go. However, the committee on cadre review and restructuring
will only recommend its proposals and the government and the finance
ministry will take the final call on what to pick and what to leave,” a
senior official said.
The CBDT has asked the committee to submit
its report “within a period of three months from the date of issuance of
the order (December 17, 2018).” The committee will also have members
from the three employee associations in the department — Indian Revenue
Service (IRS), I-T Gazetted Officers Association and I-T Employees
Federation.