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“Working in the Income Tax Department is a fun job”, said an Inspector posted in Mumbai’s Income Tax (IT) Department office. The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) recruits inspectors for IT through the Combined Graduate Level Exam (CGLE) every year. The results of SSC CGL Tier 2 2016 are expected to be declared on February 28, 2017.
Speaking to PaGaLGuY, the Inspector said, “By fun I mean the job offers a unique position from which one can understand the ‘behind the scenes’ activity happening in the economy.”
There are sub-divisions in IT which deal with different aspects of tax administration. For example, Appeals, Administration, Investigation and Prosecution among others. The responsibilities of an Inspector vary from conducting raids to scrutinising tax returns filed by citizens. The IT department’s jurisdiction is organised on area-basis. So, there are different City Commissioners under whom IT officers function.
Hierarchy of officers in Income Tax
| Rank | Pay Scale |
|---|---|
| Principal Chief Commissioner of IT | Rs. 80,000 |
| Chief Commissioner | Rs. 75,550-80,000 |
| Principal Commissioner | Rs. 67,000-79,000 |
| Commissioner | Rs. 37,400-67,000 + grade pay of Rs. 10,000 |
| Additional/Joint Commissioner | Rs. 37,400-67,000 + grade pay of Rs. 8,700/ Rs. 15,600-39,100 + grade pay of Rs. 7,600 |
| Deputy Commissioner | Rs. 15,600-39,100 + grade pay of Rs. 6,600 |
| Assistant Commissioner | Rs. 15,600-39,100 + grade pay of Rs. 5,400 |
| Income Tax Officer | Rs. 9,300-34,800 + grade pay of Rs. 4,800/Rs. 5,400 |
| Inspector | Rs. 9,300-34,800 + grade pay of Rs. 4,600 |
“Officers who join as Inspectors reach the level of Additional/Joint Commissioner by the end of their career” said, the Inspector.
Training
After selection, Inspectors undergo training at the Direct Taxes Regional Training Institute (DTRTI) in the region to which they have been allotted. The training is for a duration of 12 weeks. In these 12 weeks, trainees are given exposure to different tax laws, administrative procedures, and investigation skills.
In-service experience
Sharing his experience, the Inspector said, “It is a satisfying feeling considering you are part of a team which brings to books those who evade taxes. However, the ingenious ways our citizens come up with to evade taxes is mind numbing.” One difficulty that the IT department faces is a shortage of manpower said the officer. The amount of scrutiny to be done is humongous, for example only 1-2 per cent of a company’s accounts can be scrutinised at a time. This is the volume of work that the department deals with. Sometimes, it so happens that despite knowing the intentions, an accused may go scot-free because he has created an endless trail of multiple accounts to evade taxes. Though the department is doing everything it can, the officer agreed that there is a need for more stringent punishment under the laws.
But on a positive note, it is an interesting job which beckons the youth to participate in a different way of nation-building.