In one of the biggest reshuffles of income tax commissioners so far, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has transferred 245 commissioners across the country. While performance was one of the main criteria for transferring officials in key positions and shifting out non-performers from significant charges, all those officers holding a post for two years or more have also been transferred, besides those facing vigilance or other disciplinary charges.

In a separate directive issued to its top officers on July 12, the CBDT asked regional heads of the I-T department to "develop a regional strategy in line with specific profile of their region" and use centrally disseminated intelligence data in increasing the tax base. Last year alone, the department had added 91 lakh new taxpayers.

The CBDT said with the new data analytics provided by the central office, it expects these officers to add taxpayers who have so far not been filing returns or disclosing their income.

CBDT chairman Sushil Chandra told his top officers that he will hold regional stocktaking meetings to review region-wise performance, starting in October and to be continued thereafter as a regular affair.