Cuttack, April 28: The Cuttack Tax Bar Association has strongly criticised the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)'s move to abolish the post of commissioner income tax (appeal) in Cuttack.

"We oppose the decision as it is not a good step. It will only cause problems for the assessed tax payers," tax bar association president Gopinath Padhi said today.

On April 13, CBDT had issued an order, which diverted posts of commissioner income tax (appeal) in 13 locations across the country for creation of a post in the same rank in various other locations. The order diverted the post of commissioner income tax (appeal) in Cuttack for creation of a post in the same rank in Bangalore.

CBDT had issued the order with approval of the finance minister Arun Jaitley.

"The diversion order has been issued when around 1,200 cases are pending before the commissioner income tax (appeal) in Cuttack. What is more disappointing is that the order has not been supplemented with any plan on the future of these pending cases," Padhi said.

As things stand today, there is one principal chief commissioner income tax in Odisha at Bhubaneswar. There are two principal commissioners income tax - one in Bhubaneswar and another in Cuttack. The one in Bhubaneswar is in the additional charge of the post in Berhampur, and the one in Cuttack is in the additional charge of the post in Sambalpur.

There are three posts of commissioner income tax (appeal) in Bhubaneswar and one post in Cuttack, which has been abolished.

The tax bar association members expected CBDT to "reconsider the order which has been passed, withdraw it and allow the post of commissioner income tax (appeal) to continue in Cuttack in the interest of the assessed taxpayers".

"The decision overlooks the territorial jurisdiction of commissioner income tax (appeal) Cuttack which covers 30 per cent of the geographical area of the state and 40 per cent of the assessed tax payers are in Cuttack," former CTBA president Pradip Patnaik said.

In a memorandum sent to Jaitley on April 25, Patnaik had urged reconsideration of the order.

"The assessed tax payers of 12 districts - Cuttack, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Balasore, Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj - will be affected as they depend on commissioner income tax (appeal) Cuttack for getting their grievances redressed," former tax bar association secretary Natabar Panda said.

The tax bar association members feel there is no justification for abolition of the post of commissioner income tax (appeal) when there is an income tax appellate tribunal in Cuttack.

Besides, the central government has not been incurring any extra expenditure, as it functioned from its own building Ayakar Bhavan at Shelter Square.