Mounting Pendency of Appeals before CsIT(A) & tardy disposal by CsIT(A) - Performance appraisal of CsIT(A)
LETTER [F.NO. 279/M - 73/2012-ITJ], DATED 25-10-2012
Kindly refer to the above.
2. Mounting pendency of appeals before CIT(A) and
huge amounts disputed therein has been a matter of serious concern for
the Department. The C&AG, Standing Committee on Finance, PAC have
been adversely commenting upon this issue and calling upon the
department to take up
the issue on priority to clear the pendency and liquidate the demand
locked up in the appeals, urgently.
3. CAG in its report No. 20 of 2009-10 on 'The
Appeal Process' recommended steps for managing inventory of appeals
(paragraphs 2.1 to 2.8). One of the recommendations read as under:
"reasons for low disposal of appeals by CsIT(A) need to
be analysed; wherever pendency is due to lower efficiency, strict
administrative measures need to be taken."
4. In terms of Para 4.2 of the Central Action Plan
for F.Y. 2012-13 relating to disposal of appeals by CsIT(A), the
exercise of redistribution of workload and communication of annual and
quarterly targets (basket wise) for each CIT(A), must have been
completed by all the CCsI(CCA). The Board is yet to receive the reports
from some of the CCsIT(CCA).
5. An analysis of the disposal of appeals by
CsIT(A) for FY 2011-12 shows that the average disposal per CIT(A) was
312 (including B-1 appeals). However, 99 CsIT(A) could not reach the
average disposal of 312. 64 CsIT(A) disposed
of appeals in the range of 300-400 and an equal number of CsIT(A)
disposed of appeals in the range of 400-500. 14 CsIT(A) disposed
of more than 500 appeals and 3 of than disposed of more than 600 appeals
in the year.
6. Taking note of the situation, it has been
decided by the Board that the CCsIT may hold quarterly, reviews in
October 2012, January 2013 and April 2013 to review the work of CsIT(A)
functioning under them and bring the fact of shortfall in the disposals,
lack of quality in the orders etc. to the notice of the officer(s)
concerned with a copy to the Zonal Member.
7. It has been further decided that the CCsIT while recording the APAR should consider.
Inter-alia, the disposal of appeals from the perspective of the
all India average number of appeals disposed of. It is to be noted that
while doing so the CCsIT shall give due weightage to High Demand Appeals
and the appeals related to Transfer pricing in the ratio of 2:1 and 4:1
in comparison to other appeals.
8. In case of CsIT(A) who have been transferred to other charges during the recent AGT, the disposal by them
vis-a-vis the targets fixed for them for the period they worked
in that charge, may be communicated to the new Reporting Officer for
incorporation in the APAR.
