Inland Revenue Dept to recruit 1,136 graduates

COLOMBO: The Inland Revenue Department will recruit 1,136 graduates before the end of this year to expand the scope of activities of the Department, a release from the President's Office said.

This was disclosed when the President convened a discussion with Inland Revenue Department officials to assess the progress the Department made during the last six months and to discuss problems the Department confronts in the collection of taxes.

The discussion at Temple Trees on Tuesday was chaired by President Rajapaksa.

At the discussion, the Commissioner General of Inland Revenue A. A. Wijepala brought to the President's notice difficulties his officers undergo to recover the Rs. 41 billion loss of revenue following the Tax Amnesty Act enforced in 2002.

The President instructed the Inland Revenue Commissioner General to take action to recover the lost income tax revenue.

According to Wijepala, the Income Tax Revenue expected for the current year is Rs. 260 billion. The total number of income tax payers is 332,078 of whom 137,148 are personal tax payers while the balance 194,930 are wage earners. He expects to bring the total figure to 500,000 within the next three years.