90% of I-T arrears owed by just 12 people: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General has said that 90 per cent of the country's income tax (I-T) arrears are owed by just a dozen individuals, led by Pune-based stud farm owner Hasan Ali Khan.

Government auditor CAG also noted in a report that these demands are "unrealisable 100 per cent".

Khan, with a tax arrear demand of Rs 50,345.73 crore (Rs 503.46 billion) is followed by Chandrika Tapuriah, wife of his associate Kashi Nath Tapuria, with an outstanding of Rs 20,540.83 crore (Rs 205.41 billion), while late stock broker Harshad Mehta owes Rs 15,944.38 crore (Rs 159.44 billion) in arrears.

"The demand against individuals is highly skewed, with 12 individuals (4.3 per cent of the total cases) accounting for 90 per cent of the arrear demand.

One individual Hasan Ali Khan accounts for 43 per cent of the total arrear demand... interestingly all of this demand is categorised as unrealisable," CAG said in the report tabled in Parliament.

Khan, along with the Tapuriah couple, is embroiled in a number of cases ranging from money laundering, tax evasion and passport forgery which are being probed by various agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department.

The government, in August this year, had also disclosed the names of the "top 10 individual defaulters" for Income Tax assessment year 2009-10.

Apart from Hasan Ali and Harshad Mehta, they included Kashinath Tapuriah (Rs 602.80 crore), A D Narrotam (Rs 5,781.86 crore), Hiten P Dalal (Rs 4,200.04 crore), Jyoti H Mehta (Rs 1,739.57 crore), Ashwin S Mehta (Rs 1,595.51 crore), B C Dalal (1,535.89 crore), S Ramaswamy (Rs 1,122.48 crore) and Uday M Acharya (Rs 683.22 crore).

CAG said the government has a huge tax demand of Rs 1.96 lakh crore, of which 84 per cent can't be realised due to various reasons like death, insolvency and liquidation of company.

Source : Rediff.com

ITGOA agitation for promotion and cadre review : An Update

It is learnt from ITGOA site that CBDT called Secretary General of ITGOA and informed that they are puruing the matter with UPSC and DOPT for an early promotion. The Secy Gen. insisted for adhoc promotion for withdrawal of ongoing agitattion.
A reliable source also informed that adhoc promotion from ITO to ACIT is likely to be materialize in the last week of December.

ITGOA continues agitation to fill up more than 700 ACIT posts

The Income Tax Gazetted Officers Association, the organization representing about 8,500 promottee officers of the Income Tax Department, has embarked upon an agitation programme from 25/10/2011, demanding filling up of more than 700 posts of Assistant Commissioners of Income Tax. Vacancy for the years 2010-11 and 2011-12 have not been filled up, with a delay of 17  months and 7 months respectively. The department is already facing acute shortage of manpower both at the staff and officers level, especially at the cutting edge level i.e. Assistant Commissioners of Income Tax, who are looking after the very big assessments, thus play a very crucial role in revenue collection.

            These vacant positions are being shared by the existing officers, by holding additional charges, which due to acute shortage of staff members results in unmanageable workload, causing disruption in tax payer service and revenue collection. The much needed cadre review & restructuring exercise to provide additional manpower, to meet growing number assesses and related assessment work, has been pending for more than two years.

            Considering the utter frustration of Income Tax Officers who are languishing without any promotion for around 13/14 years, despite sufficient vacancies, ITGOA had served a notice dated 10-10-2011, on the Chairman, CBDT informing about the proposed agitation starting from 25-10-2011, if the promotion from ITO to ACIT is not granted by that date. As the CBDT has failed to meet the deadline, ITGOA is constrained to adopt the following mode of agitation :

a.  Boycott & protest in front of Chairman & Members-CBDT on their official visits.

b.  Non-submission of statistical reports including dossier reports.

c.  Only time-barring assessment work to be undertaken.

d.  Black-badge & Candle-light march on 03-11-2011.

e.  Non-conduct of Survey u/s.133-A including TDS Survey/Verification etc.

f.   Mass Walk-out from 2.00 PM on 15-11-2011

The agitation will be further intensified thereafter, including strike.

            ITEF (Income Tax Employees Federation) has committed moral support for the above agitation, as the promotion from ITO to ACIT will be percolating upto the juniormost official in the Department and Cadre Review & Restructuring will provide adequate staff & officers, thereby taking care of the work-load. Besides, these demand will surely boost the Revenue, which is primary for sustaining the developmental work undertaken by the Government.

(Rajesh Menon)

Secretary General

ORDER NO. 175 OF 2011- Ad. VI.(adhoc promotion to the grade of JCIT (OSD))

Long awaited promotion from DCIT to JCIT released
ORDER NO. 175 OF 2011- Ad. VI.(adhoc promotion to the grade of JCIT (OSD))

New form for PAN application, with two colour photos.

Income Tax Dept has notified new form and instruction for PAN application. This will come into effect from 1st day of November 2011

View the Notification

View the Instructions

Download New Form 49A for PAN application