Only officers with clean image, committed to achieving targets be given tax dept field posts: UP CM

Emphasising that field postings in the state tax department will be based solely on performance, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday directed that only officers with a clean image and commitment to achieving targets be assigned the role.

Adityanath reviewed the tax department's revenue performance and interacted directly with zonal officers via video conference during the day, the UP government said in a statement.

Officials informed the chief minister that by September of fiscal year 2025-26, the state tax department had collected a total of Rs 55,000 crore, including Rs 40,000 crore from GST and Rs 15,000 crore from VAT/non-GST sources.

During the same period last year, the collection stood at Rs 55,136.29 crore.

For the current fiscal year, the department has been assigned a target of Rs 1.75 lakh crore, which is approximately Rs 18,700 crore higher than the previous year's target of Rs 1,56,982 crore.

Adityanath emphasised that Uttar Pradesh should become a leading contributor to national GST collections through well-planned efforts.

After recent reforms in GST, the market has shown a positive momentum, with effects expected to become more visible in the coming months, he said.

He also directed officials to refrain from unnecessary inspections or raids during Dhanteras and Diwali, emphasising that traders and entrepreneurs should not face any harassment.

During the review meeting, it was reported that zones like Bareilly (64.2 per cent), Saharanpur (63.7 per cent), Meerut (63 per cent), Gorakhpur (62.5 per cent), and Jhansi (62.1 per cent) performed relatively better, while some zones achieved only 55-58 per cent of their targets, indicating scope for improvement.

Adityanath reviewed the performance of all zones, including Varanasi-I & II, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Lucknow-I & II, Kanpur-I & II, Etawah, Jhansi, Agra, Aligarh, Moradabad, Meerut, Ghaziabad-I & II, Gautam Buddh Nagar, and Saharanpur, the statement said.

He directed zonal officers to explain the reasons for divisions with less than 50 per cent revenue collection and prepare immediate corrective action plans.

The CM expressed satisfaction that Bareilly, Jhansi, and Kanpur-I zones had no divisions with below-50 per cent collection. However, he ordered that accountability be fixed for zones showing unsatisfactory performance.

He underlined that revenue growth is the foundation of the state's economic progress. He called upon all officers to work with determination toward 100 per cent target achievement.

Adityanath urged senior officers to personally visit markets, conduct market mapping, meet traders, and understand their expectations.