Commercial tax officers want 4 zones in UP

LUCKNOW: Commercial tax officers in Uttar Pradesh have demanded, among other things, division of the state in four tax zones for departmental restructuring on the pattern of the power distribution companies (discoms).

They want each zone to be headed by an IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer.

The Uttar Pradesh Vanijya Kar Adhikari Seva Sangh has written a letter to additional chief secretary (commercial tax) Sanjiv Mittal, pressing for longpending restructuring of the department to enhance revenue collection by effectively plugging leakages without harassing innocent traders.

“We have submitted some important suggestions to the government, keeping in mind the necessity of making the commercial tax department more sensitive, more energetic and more result-oriented in the GST (Goods and Services Tax) era,” association president Sunil Verma said.

The association has also suggested that IPS officers lead the enforcement work in each tax zone even as the commissioner will continue be the state-level departmental boss at the headquarters.

“Such an arrangement already exists in the power department, where four discoms function under the UP Power Corporation Ltd,” Verma said.

The association also demanded a system of singlesource recruitment of commercial tax officers and assistant commercial tax commissioners, as also recommended by the cadre restructuring committee under the Indian Institute Management-Lucknow (IIM-L).

The association suggested an integrated system be developed that it would act on the basis of important intelligence leads.

“It is sad that restructuring of the commercial tax department, which alone brings around 70 per cent of the state’s total revenue, has been pending even more than two years of the state ushering in the Goods and Services Tax regime,” Verma said.