Commercial tax dept not making optimum use of staff: Sources

HYDERABAD: The commercial taxes department that has been posting record revenues is not making the optimum use of the manpower at its disposal. Of the 146 Assistant Commercial Tax Officers (ACTOs) trained after their appointment in 2019, only 50 got postings. The rest 96 have been sans postings for the past three-and-a-half years now, though they are being paid salaries regularly.

Sources in the department say without postings they do not have any powers and are continuing in their roles as trainee ACTOs. The postings kept pending owing to a lack of clarity on the presidential order on zones that was cleared with a new order in 2018 but was implemented only in December 2021. All the appointments were not completed as per GO 317 and are pending.

An ACTO, who did not wish to be identified, said, “We are coming to the office as we have to give a thumb impression for attendance. We are all well qualified and trained and if used properly can generate more revenue for the department. Some old employees with no zeal to work are being allowed to occupy 2 to 3 posts. Is that not a loss to the department?”

Apart from this, many employees who have been promoted in March 2021, are being kept in their old postings though they are receiving their increased pay scales. This has been witnessed across the officer ranks. Certain superintendents have been placed in training for CTO in addition to being in charge of certain sections. This has been done in the name of administrative convenience. The sources allege vested interests are behind the move. Even transfer requests of spouses are being kept pending in the department.