The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) said on Monday it has given marching orders to 22 senior officers following an investigation into charges of corruption against them. It has compulsorily retired these officers of the rank of superintendent/AO under Fundamental Rule 56 (J) in public interest due to corruption and other charges besides traps laid by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The move is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation on Independence Day. “Some black sheep in the tax administration may have misused their powers and harassed taxpayers, either by targeting honest assesses or by taking excessive action for minor or procedural violations,” he had said. A CBIC official said: “We have recently taken the bold step of compulsorily retiring a significant number of tax officials, and we will not tolerate this type of behaviour.” On June 27, high-ranking Indian Revenue Service officers including 12 officers from the Central Board of Direct Taxes were compulsorily retired. Authorities have also been trying to maximise revenue collection and enlarge the basket of tax-paying people in the country. The government wants to enhance this base so that more people pay legitimate taxes on their income.
