The employees of the income tax department are going on a nationwide strike on Thursday to protest the delay in promotions and appointments of tax officers in the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

The strike organised by two prominent associations — Income Tax Employees Federation (ITEF) and Income Tax Gazetted Officers’ Association (ITGOA) who are both a part of the Joint Council of Action (JCA) has asked for promotions in the cadre of assistant commissioners, adequate infrastructure, filling up of all vacant posts, regularisation of casual workers and notification of recruitment rules for grade B and C employees.

The two associations—ITEF and ITGOA represent about 97 per cent of the total workforce of the tax authority.“More than 700 posts of assistant commissioners are lying vacant since the restructuring of the department. Some of the employees have been waiting for promotions for over 15 years. It’s time they accept our demands,” said Ravi Shankar, general secretary of ITGOA. A circular issued by JCA said employees started a non-co-operation movement on September 9 and since then have stopped all scrutiny assessments of tax returns and work pertaining to widening of tax base in the country among others.

Earlier in June, the government asked the income tax department to take urgent steps to widen the tax base and add at least 25 lakh new assesses every month during the current financial year 2015-16. The government has set the direct tax target for the current fiscal at Rs 7.98 lakh crore and such strikes could potentially impair tax collection in the country. (Indian Express)