Due
to the introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) and the
increased registration of traders, the department of
commercial taxes has been restructured. In the process,
the number of divisions, circles and officials has been
increased.
Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, who heads the department,
said that VAT was introduced on April 1, 2005. Since
then, it had become incumbent to restructure the
department from the administrative and geographical
considerations, he added.
In
keeping with the same, the number of divisions has been
increased from six to eight and the number of circles
from 46 to 50 while 61 new posts of officials have been
created. The new posts include 52 of the assistant
commissioners, two of the deputy commissioners and seven
of the joint commissioners.
Accordingly, the total number of officials has increased
from 460 to 521. Earlier, the number of joint
commissioners was 16. It has now been increased to 23.
Similarly, the number of deputy commissioners has
increased from 50 to 52 while the number of assistant
commissioners has increased from 93 to 145.
The Patna division, which has yielded maximum revenue
returns, has been divided in two: Patna East and Patna
West divisions.
Earlier, Patna had five circles, which has now been
sub-divided into eight circles. The erstwhile Patna West
circle has been reconstituted into Patna West and Patna
Central circles, Patna North circle into Patna North and
Gandhi Maidan circles while Patna South circle has been
divided into Patna South and Kadamkuan circles.
The Patliputra circle has been kept under the control of
the central division of the department while the
Biharsharif circle has been brought under the
administrative control of the newly formed Patna East
division of the department.
The Muzaffarpur division, too, has been divided into
two: Tirhut division and Saran division, and Muzaffarpur
circle itself has been sub-divided into Muzaffarpur West
and Muzaffarpur East circles.
