The Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime is going to be detrimental to the interests of thousands of Commercial Tax department employees and officials though the new policy would simplify tax structure to benefit the traders, according to the top officials of the Commercial Tax department. For the first time, senior most officials, including deputy commissioner rank bureaucrats, are up in arms against the Union government for curtailing their responsibilities and duties throughout AP along with their counterparts in other States.
A majority of the assessees would go under the jurisdiction of the Central Excise and Customs department from the next financial year — 2017-18 — when the new GST regime comes into force.
Vizianagaram Commercial Taxes Department, which has jurisdiction both in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts, has virtually halted its functions for the last few days with the growing resentment among the officials, including CTOs and ACTOs. Their main demand is that the State government officials and employees should be allowed to monitor and collect Service Tax under GST regime. They are strongly against enhancing the powers of the Central Excise and Customs Department.
‘No work, no new jobs’
“Almost all the officers and employees will have little work if the Union government curtails the powers of the State’s Commercial Tax Department. In the long run, there will be no promotions and creation of new jobs in the department,” said N. Srinivasa Rao, Deputy Commissioner of the department at Vizianagaram while speaking to The Hindu . Assistant Commissioner P. Satyakumar, Commercial Tax officers V. Paradesi Naidu, Employees’ Association president Chowdary Purushottam Naidu, treasurer PVBLR Varma and others said they had no option except to go on a nation-wide strike following the call given by the All India Confederation of Commercial Taxes Association (AICCTA).
State govt.’s support sought
So far, all the tax payers below the annual turnover of Rs. 1.5 crore are under the jurisdiction of the State governments. “Now, Union government-controlled Central Excise and Customs will have the powers to ‘intrude’ in the jurisdiction of the Commercial Taxes department. Agitations have been continuing in Srikakulam office too. We may have to take up a long-term agitation if the GST Council failed to address the grievances of the AICCTA,” said Mr. Purushottam Naidu.
According to him, a delegation of the association has already met AP Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu seeking his support for the protection of interests of the department as well as Andhra Pradesh. “The State government is expected to convey the feelings of the officials and employees to the GST Council. Our demand is legitimate and to protect the revenues of AP,” he added.
