Career opportunities in Income Tax Department
If you’re good in Mathematics and wish to get a secure job that remains undisturbed by economic ups and downs, then taking a career in the income tax department is the right path. The Income Tax Department recruits at two levels. Direct recruitment is made to the Indian Revenue Service at the level of Assistant Commissioners of Income Tax, through an open examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. Recruitment at the level of Income Tax Inspectors and below is done by the Staff Selection Commission. The Income Tax Department administers a number of Direct Tax Acts, namely the Income Tax Act 1961, the Wealth Tax Act 1957, the Gift Tax Act 1958, Interest Tax Act 1974, Securities Transaction Tax Act 2004, Banking Cash Transaction Tax Act 2005 and Fringe Benefit Tax Act 2004, etc. There is a huge responsibility and an IT officer deals with all kinds of individuals and businesses.
Some of the qualities you need to become an Income Tax Officer are:
• Excellent communication skills
• Good organising capability
• Gregarious person and energetic personality
• Sound mathematical and logical skills
• Strong leadership skills
• Ability to work in new places
• Good awareness in general knowledge and current affairs
How to enter in to Income Tax Department
To enter in to Income Tax department there are two stages in the written examination 1) Preliminary and 2) final exam. If you qualify in the Preliminary examination, then you will be called for the final examination.
After you clear the final examination you will be called for an interview and personality test. If you are among the select few who manage to get through the ICS examination, then on the basis of your position in the merit list and your preference you will be allotted the various services like the IAS, IPS, IFS or the IRS.
You can also join in directly as an income tax inspector. For this you need to be a graduate in any discipline and between the age group of 20-25 years
PROSPECTS
IRS officers are concerned with the collection, administration and policy formation of direct (income, corporate, wealth, etc) and indirect (central excise, service tax and customs duty). These officers are the tax administrators of India. They are under the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
If you join in as an Income tax inspector, you can rise up to the level of an income tax officer grade II and then to grade I. If you join in as Assistant commissioner of Income tax, your career growth is as follows:
Joint/ Additional Commissioner of Income Tax: after 9 years of service
Commissioner of Income Tax: after 14 years of service
Joint/ Deputy Director of Income Tax: between 15 to 18 years of service
Director/Chief Commissioner of Income Tax: after 18 years of service
At the level of chief commissioner of income tax, you can get the opportunity to serve as a member of the Central Board of Direct Taxes. Here you can scale up to be the chairman of this board, which is a very prominent post.
Working for the Income Tax Department means that you are a part of a tax collection process that funds the country’s most vital programmes, from its security, social services, to maintaining its forests, environment, public facilities / infrastructure, education and many more.
Other Career Opportunities