Nayagarh: It has been 26 years since the office of the Assistant Commissioner of Commercial Taxes (ACCT) has been running from a rented accommodation.
Besides, the office is plagued by acute shortage of staff including the ACCT, the head of the office.
While the office affairs are somehow being managed, traders allege they don’t get proper services due to the staff crunch.
On the other hand, with a handful of employees, the tax inspectors fail to raid commercial establishments that are involved in unethical practices, it was learnt.
Apart from the post of ACCT, other posts including assistant commercial tax officer (ACTO), additional commercial tax officer, senor clerk and stenographer are also lying vacant. Two ACTOs are managing the job of 4 in Nayagarh circle of the commercial tax department.
The office had been functioning at Nua Rajbati since 1992 in a rented thatched house. A concrete house replaced the thatched one in 2008 while no step has been taken to set up its own building.
In the absence of the assistant commissioner, commercial tax officer Saroj Kishre Hansda is in charge of the post.
The department has collected Rs 84.74 crore in last three years under Nayagarh tax circle against a target of Rs 86.10 crore.
Traders alleged they don’t get required assistance from the office. Several businessmen have been thronging the office to know details of GST since its rollout but they don’t get any support from the office.
Acknowledging the problems, Hansda said shortage of staff has affected operations. The government has been requested to fill up commissioner’s post as soon as possible. PNN