I-T staff's month-long strike costs city R2,000 cr

With Income-Tax Department officials refusing to conduct raids and surveys in the past one month, Mumbai has lost R 2,000 crore in revenue.

With Income-Tax Department officials refusing to conduct raids and surveys in the past one month, Mumbai has lost R 2,000 crore in revenue.

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The nationwide protest, which began on July 20, has resulted in a loss of R5,500 crore to the country. About 15 per cent of the total income tax collected is through raids and surveys.

"Revenue collection is affected because deputy commissioners (DC), assistant commissioners (AC), income tax officers (ITOs) and inspectors part of the protest. They are the main officials who carry out raids and surveys," a senior official said.

In Mumbai, senior authorities met on Wednesday to discuss the issue. Alarmed by the revenue loss, senior officials are contemplating conducting raids themselves, at least in some of the bigger cases.

However, there is a problem in this plan. "Raids and surveys require manpower, which is less at such senior levels," a commissioner said, on condition of anonymity. "We might ask senior officials from other sections to chip in."

Protesting officials do not want to end the strike till their demands are met. Santosh Kadampat, general secretary of Income-Tax Gazetted Officers' Association, Mumbai unit, said the Central Board of Direct Taxes, which controls the I-T department, has assured that action is being taken to meet their demands. "But they have not yet delivered anything."