It has been five years since the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was launched with the motto on ‘One nation, One tax’. The main objective behind the GST was to create a win-win situation for all stakeholders, including the Central and State Governments, taxpayers and the tax administrators.

But as the country is all set to celebrate fifth anniversary of the biggest tax reform on July 1. The Superintendents of Central Tax who are the main field officers in the Central GST have decided to keep themselves away from the GST Day celebrations.

As per the call of the All-India Association of Superintendents of Central Tax (AIASCT), the only association recognised by the Union Finance Ministry to represent the cadre of Superintendents, the working conditions under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) is adversely affecting the implementation of GST in the long run.

The association highlighted that the Central GST Organisation not being placed on a comparable footing with that of the GST organisations of the State and Union Territories in matters of infrastructure, duties and responsibilities and pay scales of identical and comparable cadres, to enable it to work to its potential.

The cadres in the GST are not assigned proper duties and responsibilities and most of the work and responsibilities are being burdened on the Superintendents, without any assistance, it said in statement.

The body further said that poor and inadequate IT and other infrastructure is also affecting the tax regime.

The Board has failed even to fill up the existing vacancies of more than 2000 AC posts and they have not issued even the All-India Seniority list of Superintendents way back from 1.1.2007 for enabling promotion to these vacant posts, while officers are retiring with a single promotion.

“If the CBIC is not going to take the concerns of our cadre seriously and address them at least now, the association will be compelled to decide on methods to protect the interest of its members by asking them to keep away from any unspecified duties in future,” it added.