cesa-mumbai

Central  Excise Superintendents’ Association, Mumbai Unit of AIACEGEO ( Recognized under F. No. B-12017/10/206-Ad-IV A dtd. 21-01-2008 ).    V.A. Kolhatkar, President                     A.K. Sasmal-General Secretary

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Mumbai I,  II,  III, V,  Thane I, II, Belapur, Raigad, Customs Prev,, Service Tax – I & II Comm’te & L.T.U. Mumbai.

Ref : CESA/37/2013

Dtd : 12.07.2013

Ms. Praveen Mahajan

Hon’ble Chairperson,

C. B. E. C., Ministry of Finance,

North Block, New Delhi.

Sub:   Providing staff proportionate to work load and revenue growth in Excise &

            Service Tax, Mumbai – reg.

Respected Madam,

            In Mumbai, there are two Zones of Central Excise handling the work of Central Excise and Service tax revenue collection. In addition Commissioner Customs Marine Preventive wing is also manned by the Central Excise Staff and various Directorates, Commissioner Appeals, Adjudications etc are also there wherein the staff is catered by the Central Excise Officers.

            In Central Excise Mumbai Zone – II there are only 4 Central Excise Commissionerate viz. Mumbai – II & III, Belapur and Raigad. The Maritime Commissionerate for exports of JNPT and Mulund CFS, and Raigad Service Tax Division is also there. The work of all these formation is managed by the Zone – II, with the existing staff though the Maritime and Service Tax Divisions added to the zone without any extra sanction of staff for the same.

            In Central Excise Mumbai Zone – I there are 4 Central Excise, two Service Tax Commissionerates, DGST, LTU, Commissioner Adjudication, Appeals, Maritime Commissionerate for Export of Mumbai Port and various protocol duties, the existing staff is managing all the work of this formation. The work of two service tax Commissionerates have increased so much and is visible from the swelling exchequer with every passing year and after introduction of the concept of negative list. At present in Service tax more than 3.5 lakhs assessee are there and revenue is approx Rs.45000 Crores. Needless to state here that the work of all these assessee in Service tax and Excise also is managed by the Skelton staff diverted from excise formations, and they are not even provided any kind of leave including Saturday & Sunday which is contrary to the DOPT guidelines on prescribed hours of working.

            An indicator to the shortage of staff and its affects on exchequer is visible from the tax evasion cases detected by Anti Evasion wings in service tax and the units remained to be unaudited, pending scrutiny of returns and other item of work, which shows that if proper work force is involved there may be many such cases and revenue will be augmented more.

Thus due to shortage of staff, lack of infrastructure, and lastly by stagnation marred the revenue interests and service to the honest tax payer also. This has to be a matter of concern for any prudent tax collector, and probably the basic reason why in ancient tax collection system utmost importance was given to the officers of the Revenue department.

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Address for correspondence

Shiv-Gaurav, Flat No. 10, Plot No. 16, Shiv Ganga Nagar, Ambernath (E) – 421 501.

e-mail : sasmal2011@gmail.com Tel. : (0251) 2603806; Cell : 09820950885

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CESA earnestly request, that Authorities should take immediate steps to increase the staff in service tax to cater the need of tax collection system and check evasion as well as provide proper service to the honest tax payers. There is need of increase of not only of Inspectors and Superintendents but other supervisory staff as well as supporting staff for better tax administration in Mumbai. We suggest in this regard the following for consideration:

A.     Increased the staff in all cadre as per Assessee base and Revenue collection.

B.     Increased the Number of Audit Groups and anti evasion staff

C.     Provide supporting staff in all Divisions.

D.   Administrative control of Service tax Commissionerate be divided in both the zones by amending the jurisdiction of Chief Commissioners of Mumbai Zone I & II.

E.    Association request that the above request be considered immediately as due to shortage of staff, the existing staff is unable to cop-up with the ever increasing work load. The side effects is quit visible in this metro city where apart from service-stress there are other hazards like commutation and family issues and resulting many officers suffering from health problems and even unable to bear it and are succumbing to it leaving behind their families to cry.

Expecting a prompt action in this regard.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely

A.K. Sasmal

General Secretary

Copy to:

1.   Hon’ble Chief Commissioner Central Excise Mumbai Zone – I & Zone - II Mumbai for information and with a request to demand more staff for proper Administration for Central Excise and Service Tax, Mumbai.