Income Tax employees across India are boycotting official Income Tax Day celebrations today, July 24, 2025, to protest the Central Board of Direct Taxes’ (CBDT) “persistent apathy” towards their long-standing demands. The Joint Council of Action (JCA), representing the Income Tax Employees Federation (ITEF) and Income Tax Gazetted Officers Association (ITGOA), has announced escalating demonstrations that could significantly disrupt tax administration nationwide.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Why Are They Protesting?
The JCA highlights a range of unresolved issues affecting 97% of the department’s workforce. Key grievances include:
- Controversial Transfer Orders: Discontent over the July 16 Annual General Transfer (AGT) orders, which allegedly overlooked compassionate cases and ended the practice of returning officers to their home regions after cooling-off periods.
- Stagnation and Promotion Delays: Significant delays in cadre restructuring, acute stagnation in Group B and C levels, and pending promotions and regularisation—including for the 2024 Assistant Commissioners batch.
- Unresolved Seniority and Upgradation: Ongoing issues related to seniority and career advancement.
- Administrative Inefficiencies:
- Frequent and often unnecessary data requests with unreasonable deadlines.
- Delayed reorganisation of Junior Assessment Officer charges.
- A glaring lack of hardware support despite major digital initiatives like Taxnet 2.0 and ITBA 2.0. Over 1,000 newly promoted officers are reportedly still working without departmental laptops.
What’s Next for the Protests?
The demonstrations began yesterday, July 23, with protests at key tax offices across 18 regions. The planned escalation includes:
- July 29: Half-day “dharnas” (sit-ins), suspension of report submissions (except for parliamentary and court-related matters), and a boycott of all outreach programs and official meetings. Black flag protests are also planned if CBDT members visit field offices.
- August 5 to 7: Full-day dharnas and a complete halt to crucial search and survey operations.
- August 8: A full-day walkout.
Impact and Context
The unrest comes despite the recent reappointment of current CBDT Chairman Ravi Agrawal. While his reappointment initially raised hopes, the JCA stated that their “anticipations were belied” due to continued delays and the controversial transfer orders.
These protests are likely to impact various aspects of tax administration, potentially leading to delays in processing tax matters, reduced public engagement, and a slowdown in enforcement activities across the country.
