Ninety seven per cent employees and officers of the Income- Tax Department will observe a nation-wide strike on October 8 demanding filling up of vacant posts.
According to the Joint Council of Action of Income-Tax Associations, an umbrella body of Income-Tax Department employees and officers, the absence of field level officers were hampering tax collections.
The government mandated collection targets too were being impacted because of absence of personnel and infrastructure.
“The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has obtained Cabinet approval for creation of 20,751 new posts across different cadres. However, 50 per cent of these, across Groups A, B and C are yet to be filled up,” Sumit Kumar Bose, Convenor of the West Bengal chapter of the association told reporters during a press meet.
The remaining three per cent of the Income-Tax employees – who are not part of the association – are IRS officers.