Ref: CESA/27/2015
Date:
05.05 2015.
Shri. Shaktikant
Das,
Hon’ble Revenue Secretary, Ministry of Finance,
Government of India, New Delhi.
Shri. Kaushal
Srivastav,
Hon’ble Chairman, CBEC,
Government of India, New Delhi.
Sub: Request for filling the post of Commissioners
in Central Excise & Service
Tax, and utilization of
manpower in a productive manner – reg.
Respected Sir,
This
is to bring to your kind notice, that after Cadre Restructuring and Reorganization
of the Commissionerates, new Commissionerates have been formed. Since October 2014, in Mumbai, 7 Service tax
Commissionerates, 3 Audit Commissionerates came into existence in Service tax
zone and 3 Audit Commissionerates in Central Excise and one Audit
Commissionerate in LTU were formed.
However even after a lapse of 6 months, many Commissionerates are still
in operation without regular Commissioners. This type of CR and reorganization
of the Commissionerates no one have imagined where there will be no
Commissioner’s & Inspector’s, subordinate staff and without infrastructure
and other facilities.
Mumbai Service Tax Zone collected
Service Tax exceeding the revenue target and the total collection of Service
Tax is around Rs. 56.5 thousand crores which is over and above the target fixed
for the Zone, and is 33% of the entire tax collection of the country. The performance of Audit Commissionerates of
Service Tax is also commendable. The expectations from officers are very high
but when question comes to deliver them the proper working condition we find
there is no accountability at any level. This is in the face of best efforts by
the local authorities. Things are not
moving ahead or stand still in various spheres like filling of vacant posts,
hiring of buildings for newly created offices and providing infrastructure for
working, etc.
In
Service Tax IV, V & VII, Commissionerates, no regular Commissioner has been
posted and the officer to whom the additional charge is entrusted is operating
from the office located at Churchgate, Mumbai. The field staff are sitting in
different location/ premises far away from Churchgate, e.g. Service Tax IV is situated in Lotus
Building, Parel, Service Tax V situated in BKC, and Service Tax VII is situated
at Dharavi. But Commissioners, who are
holding charge of these Commissionerates, sit at Churchgate office and all the
officers have to come all the way to Churchgate for office work, sanctions and
approvals. Terrible strain is caused on the officer and time is wasted for these
movements and many times the officers have to go around several times for a
simple approval. Not to mention the money an officer has to
spend from their pocket, as well as mental and physical exertion.
In
CBEC, there is no shortage of Officers in the rank of Commissioners, as
is in the case of Inspectors. Due to non posting of regular
Commissioners, the work of the Commissionerates are severely hampered from all
corners and the lower field staff are the worst victim of this disorganized way
of working, since they are held responsible for discharge of time-bound work
with or without proper facility. This
causes increase in stress level of the field officers, who are already
frustrated due to the poor prospects in their Career progression and forced to
attend all sorts of work in a time bound manner.
Mumbai gives the maximum Revenue and
has potential to fetch more as can be visualized the VCES Scheme declared for
tax evaders has crossed the expectation of the Ministry that itself shows that whatever
is coming is not on their own but just out of fear and what is evaded is far
more, as these evaders are aware that the Government mechanism is weak and
insufficient to book them for their evasion.
In Mumbai Zone, 3 executive
Service Tax Commissionerates, one Audit Commissionerate in Central Excise and
One Audit Commissionerate in Service Tax are vacant.
CESA
suggests that for better Tax Administration and to reduce the exertion to the
field staff, in carrying out nonproductive work of carrying files from one
office to another office and waiting before the authorities for hours together
for their instructions and directions, is non wisely and is not economical in
any aspect except creating pressure among the staff. In a short span more than 8 Superintendents
have expired on account of heart attack and many more officers are denied of
their leave, LTC, HTC, etc forcing them to work beyond office hours and on
holidays. Further, to motivate the
staff, all modules of the ACES system be made functional and be implemented
strictly, as this will save time and energy and bring in transparency and
improve the disposal rate. It is in the
knowledge of everyone concerned that the Department is short staffed in the
cadres of Inspectors and the entire force is exhausted and frustrated and is
likely to collapse as it has reached its saturation level from April to March,
each passing year.
CESA
hopes that your good self will intervene and will not allow to keep vacant any
post of Commissioners, executive or Audit Commissionerate in Central Excise and
Service Tax in Mumbai, for the sake of Revenue and to give relief to the field
officers, whose service can be utilized in a prudent manner.
Thanking you,
Yours Sincerely,
(A.K.SASMAL)
General Secretary
Copy to :
1. Ms. Joykumari Chander,
Hon’ble Member (P & V), CBEC, New Delhi, for kind information and also with
a request to post Commissioners in Mumbai Central Excise and Service Tax Zone.
2. Principal Chief
Commissioner, Central Excise and Service Tax, Mumbai Zone, for kind information
also with a request to report to the Board not to keep the post of
Commissioners, vacant in Mumbai Central Excise and Service Tax.
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