Everything about Income Tax Inspector (4600 GP)

INCOME TAX INSPECTOR (ITI)

Job Code: J

Grade Pay: 4600

Salary in X city: Rs.42000          

Salary in Y city: Rs.38000

Salary in Z city: Rs.36000

Vacancies in 2014: 410

Job Description

As soon as you join the Office as an Income Tax Inspector, you will be greatly respected by general public, relatives, friends and even unknown people you meet for the first time. ITI is post with strongest social influence, eg. You can show your card to Police and can get away with pity offences like red light jumping, talking on phone while driving etc.

Coming to the position inside your office; for the starting 3-4 years you shall most probably be allotted clerical work. But that is a phase where you learn a lot about your job function so you must make full use of that. This learning while on job shall help you in your life long career in the IT department. Fresh it is don’t get much respect in the department until they get promoted to ITO. And same applies to the extra money opportunities.

Most people who think that from the day of becoming ITI, they shall be feared/respected everywhere and can earn under the table, these people start complaining as soon as they join the Office.  However, after getting promoted to ITO there would be a drastic change in your overall life. You shall be allotted your own cabin, would have staff directly reporting to you, and you will have complete jurisdiction in an assigned area. You will become a Gazetted officer under Pay grade 4800. Normally it takes 5-7 years to become ITO depending on your zone.  After that, another 10-12 years to Assistant Commissioner of Income tax .Then in every 4-5 years you will get a promotion. One can go up to the level of Additional Commissioner if he/she joins at an early age.

Infrastructure and Technology wise, IT department is considered best amongst all the govt. departments. Workload varies from zone to zone but overall the workload is directly proportional to your appetite to earn. You can even manage to get time to prepare for other exams (like State PSC, UPSC). IT offices are mostly in urban or semi urban areas, so location wise also it’s a good choice.

Overall it’s not a very adventurous job as depicted. Even when you go on raids, mostly you raid on businessmen, govt. employees or politicians who can’t harm you in any way as they fear the IT sleuths themselves.

So overall it’s a balanced job. You get power, money, fame, time for family and good infrastructure but you won’t get anything in excess. Also you shouldn’t expect all these things before becoming an ITO. So people who have patience and can learn for first few years can opt for this profile but those who wants instant money and power from the first year itself should avoid opting for ITI post.

You are eligible for petrol reimbursements, free SIM card (with data) and govt. accommodation. Income tax department has many Income Tax colonies in most cities with flat system for accommodation of its staff. Additionally, you get a fixed amount from the department when you go with the raiding teams. Please note the large scale raids can extend for 24-48 hours during which you cannot leave the raid spot and have to compile all the findings before going home. However, in lieu of that time, you are granted a substitute off day.

Being an ITI you can get assessment or non assessment work profile. When you are posted in non assessment profile, you do the clerical work of handling the files while on assessment assignments you can accompany Raid teams. Also, PAN card department is also a sub-branch of IT department which comes under non-assessment posting.

 

Here are reviews of people already working as an ITI (we are posting them without editing):

• Income Tax Inspector 1

”Personally I feel if have to stay and work in India then ITI is much respected and powerful post for the outside world though you may not encounter such treatment within the department. One can get to ITO in around 7 yrs. time, from ITO post, the actual power starts, and he/she is the controlling officer of a complete ward. So, any case that comes there, he/she has the authority to deal those cases. AC promotion in around 13-14yrs which heads an entire circle, so dealing with bigger cases independently, and public interface is there in this job. A job with public interface have more value since you get to build contacts with all segments of the society. You get the chance to go on raids as well. So, if u want something relatively respectful and authority then choose ITI. Within 7yrs ITO, in next 6-7yrs Asst. Commissioner, then in next 4 yrs. Deputy Commissioner, then next 4 Joint Commissioner, then Addl. Commissioner. One can get promoted to Addl. commissioner if get into ITI job at a young age. If u want to prepare for civils then again it’s quite good, not much work if u don’t wish to do. Demerits of ITI - you may feel in starting there is no such value of inspector in the dept. But let’s be realistic, you can’t compare IT inspector with police inspector.”

 

• Income Tax Inspector 2

”Power and influence of ITI is more in smaller area and lesser in places like Delhi. In the eyes of general public you would get respect, as they wouldn't know what goes inside the IT dept. Police guys would respect you. Overall, a respectable job and one in which you are supposed to be powerful. But then you can only act as per the law and your jurisdiction, your profile and place/area you are posted to. So in all after getting your posting, you would only know what your power is. Which is always debatable until you become ITO. As inspector is the only one who doesn't needs to sign anywhere and is practically unaccountable hence no realistic power in work as an ITI. In general the power is on decline over the years as things becoming more transparent and people becoming more aware. Thus, ITI is not as powerful a post as it was 10-15 years ago, but it is still the best among all the posts available”

 

• Income Tax Inspector 3

One guy after working as ITI said he wants to go back to Excise (He left Excise inspector and joined ITI after working for 1.5yrs in Excise dept.) from ITI as in excise from day one. An Excise Inspector gets the signing authority. Signing authority means more respect, more power and more opportunities to earn. But yes, then there are promotion issues in Excise as per him.