Sri Lanka’s Inland Revenue Department (IRD) is to scrap the post of tax officer, a category which has some 400 officers, and absorb them to higher-level positions, officials said.
There are some 2,000 officers in the entire Department.
This is in line with major changes being effected following the introduction of the new Service Minutes. The Department’s administration and cadre will be restructured to implement tax reforms in a more streamlined manner in accordance with these reforms, Finance Ministry sources said. The IRD Service Minute is now with the Salaries and Cadre Commission for its approval.
The sources revealed that the post of tax officers will be scrapped in accordance with the new Service Minute, and they will be promoted to the post of Assessors. They will have to carry out both the duties of tax officers and Assessors.
Several IRD officials told the Sunday Times that this change will create administrative problems and the work at the Department will also be affected by this move. They urged the authorities to do a proper assessment on available human resources before scrapping these positions.
When contacted by the Sunday Times, Ms. M. Samarasekera, Senior Deputy Commissioner General noted that according to the new Service Minutes the names of all posts will be changed but declined to comment on the issue of scrapping the post of tax officer.
A senior IRD official said deciding the cadre and the promotion of tax officers should be done after giving serious consideration to the future of the IRD. It should not make ad hoc promotions, which will result with negative impact on the government revenue. If the cadre of Assessors is increased, then it is essential to increase the cadre of other posts comparatively, he added.
Graduates have been recruited as tax officers since 1974. The duties of tax officers are not simple and it is a responsible job. A departmental procedure has been laid out defining their duties which includes auditing and evaluating audited accounts of companies.
Tax officers are expected to assist Assessors in field audits. A considerable knowledge in Commerce, Economics, Accounting, Auditing and knowledge in specified fields is required for a tax officer. Under this setup there is no justification in scrapping this post and it will put the whole IRD administration in a mess, he said.
Duties of the IRD have to be carried out by both Assessors and tax officers. Without tax officers it will be difficult to efficiently manage the department, the IRD official said. |
E-mail
