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Last Updated : 2024-05-19 23:42:00
3 January 2024 03:39 am - 19 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Colombo, Jan 3 (Daily Mirror) - In the face of having to collect additional tax revenue of staggering Rs.160 million per day from 1st January owing to the new VAT regulations, the Excise Department of Sri Lanka is on the brink of collapsing as its entire top rung of uniform staff are scheduled to retire in the coming three months, the Daily Mirror learns.
Being one of the country’s three main revenuegenerating arms, the Department of Excise is already facing a severe short of staff in the top rung of officials and is likely to become dysfunctional by March this year, as the remaining senior officials are also to go on retirement in completion of 60 years of age including its chief the Excise Commissioner General.
Except for the positions of the ECG and two Excise Commissioners that come from Sri Lanka Administrative Service and three other officials from Sri Lanka Accountants Service, the higher organisation structure of the department should be comprised of a uniform staff of an Additional Excise Commissioner General (AECG), two Excise Commissioners (EC), seven Deputy Excise Commissioners and over 10 Assistant Excise Commissioners.
The top uniform staff of the Excise Department including several assistant commissioners is based at the Excise Headquarters in Rajagiriya, which is responsible for the entire operations of the department including revenue collection and law enforcement.
According to inside sources, out of the stipulated amount of senior cadre the entire operations were manned by only one Excise Commissioner who had also covered the duties of the AECG, one Deputy Commissioner and four Assistant Commissioners who had also covered the duties of six Deputy Commissioners for the past year.
However, the situation worsened when the only remaining uniform staff Deputy Commissioner went on retirement in early December last year and the only Excise Commissioner who even covered the duties of Additional Excise Commissioner General went on retirement from December 31.
Out of the only remaining senior uniform staff, which were the four Assistant Commissioners (who were even covering duties of the deputy commissioners) one would go on retirement in late February, another in March and another in April. The incumbent Excise Chief Saman Jayasinghe will go on retirement in March.
All these senior uniform staff officials have an experience of over 35 years and when they all go on retirement in the next three months the operations have to be run by the remaining fresh assistant commissioners who had been promoted in the recent past from the rank of Excise Superintendent with merely a service of only 25 years, which is not sufficient at all for the demanding service requirements of a department that is more than 100 years, the sources said.
The major gap in the service structure has risen as a result of the mismanagement of the governments which ruled the country in 1970’s by absorbing most officers from the Excise Department to man the other state departments.
The senior Excise officials have brought the situation to the knowledge of the department’s competent authority, the Ministry of Finance on many occasions but the response had been negative, the sources said.
As of December 31 the amount of tax revenue to be collected by the department was Rs.500 million but with the latest value added tax, the amount has increased up to Rs.660 million from January 1, 2024 and the officials are deeply concerned how to meet the required targets with a severe shortage of experienced staff.
With a 30% shortage of staff in the entire organisation, sections of the Department of Excise head office already looked deserted with empty offices of several top rung officials, the sources said.
Bonna Oana Prash Nayak Wednesday, 03 January 2024 05:09 AM
promote from the younger juniors immediately and get them to shadow the seniors that they have to replace for the next three months. Give the seniors a task to drain them and make it a KPI for the next three months. Hire all the seniors as consultants when they retire and their only job will be to build capacity and do training for a further 3 months. it is questionable why a 25 year experience is deemed not enough? Act Now. In rhe meantime over the next 18 months immediately get juniors earmarked for the senior posts and get them to shadow the seniors fir 6 months. extend service if needed fir 3 months of the retiring staff by retaining them as consultants. buy a workflow engine and a ERP solution and fully digitalise the entire department. this will release some more junior staff, use them for capacity building.
Spadework International Wednesday, 03 January 2024 05:13 AM
It is the fault of these elderly senior officers if they have not trained juniors to do their job when they retire. The self centered nature of many in our society is gradually destroying us as a nation.
Fred Wednesday, 03 January 2024 06:00 AM
Everything is a problem in SL. usually it is the lack of revenue here it is the collection
Dinruta Wednesday, 03 January 2024 06:18 AM
Can the Govt transfer some of the suitable officers say, from Tri Forces, Wildlife department or even from CEB, Petroleum etc that are supposed to be having excess staff. They can be trained in this 3 months. At least they can do some admin work in the excise department?
Dee Wednesday, 03 January 2024 06:24 AM
A future NPP government will fill the department with all those protesting graduates!
Christo255 Wednesday, 03 January 2024 06:30 AM
Recruit staff ASAP but ensure they are ideologically Country first people. Women and JVP cadre are the most suitable as they tend to be harder to corrupt
DOT Wednesday, 03 January 2024 06:53 AM
I see plenty of new job opportunities for youngers!
ravin Wednesday, 03 January 2024 07:11 AM
Select suitable within the existing staff with out any influence will solve the problem.
Green Tree Wednesday, 03 January 2024 07:54 AM
As someone who knows the industry, The Dept itself is anti digitalisation.. This is their biggest downfall.. Revenue leakages can be avoided if they brought in online payment , permit systems. Otherwise it is staff fulfillment is a never ending gap
Pathrage Wednesday, 03 January 2024 08:02 AM
So what, they can some young honest officers to carryout the job. There is no rocket science in their operations. Very senior people only teach corruption in most of the government revenue earnings departments. Even they can recruit some officers from armed forces.
VJ Wednesday, 03 January 2024 08:03 AM
Another feather on the cap for the incompetent administration. Isn’t there a HR unit for the excise department? What were they doing without filling vacant posts? Is the excise department under finance ministry? Demand the resignation of the minister concerned.
Public Ukthiya operation Wednesday, 03 January 2024 09:41 AM
Expose their correct identity with other details. Public take over the judicial part and relevant punishment to be meted out without delay. Impose travel ban immediatley.
Sokrates Wednesday, 03 January 2024 10:01 AM
In Sri Lanka, after 25 years of service, an officer has still not achieved the competence and qualifications to hold a higher office? Furthermore, it is now finally time to abolish the old colonial excise laws. This would mean that there would be enough officers to carry out the remaining tasks.
Lakmal Pilapitiya Wednesday, 03 January 2024 11:00 AM
There are so many skillfull officers in line. Now it's time to break the time barriers and let them work.
NV Jen Wednesday, 03 January 2024 11:29 AM
Sometime back many locomotive drivers retired parallelly creating havoc. Now excise dept. Lack of governance is the reason for failure in succession planning. For the concerned ministers and bureaucrats who are busy in filling their pockets, these are trivial matters.
Wiraj Wednesday, 03 January 2024 11:33 AM
Either it's overstaffing or it's lack of staff is the hall mark of govt. departments coupled with the usual inefficiency and corruption. Restructure all these units and transfer excessive suitable staff to other dept.'s.
Avery Markham Wednesday, 03 January 2024 02:43 PM
Make all liquor sales cashless, simple.
Shalani Tharaka Wednesday, 03 January 2024 02:43 PM
Uncle Jayantha Dharmadasa could have done better.
Tissa Fernando Thursday, 04 January 2024 01:16 AM
They can also take some boose .
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