Nearly 97 per cent of employees and officers of Income Tax department would observe a nation-wide strike on October eight to press for filling up of vacant posts.

The Joint Council of Action of Income Tax Associations, an umbrella body of Income Tax employees and officers, said that targetted tax collection of the government was getting hampered due to inadequate personnel.

Convenor of the West Bengal chapter of the association Sumit Kumar Bose told reporters that in 2013 the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) got the cabinet's approval for creation of 20,751 new posts across different cadres.

However, 50 per cent of the posts were yet to be filled by CBDT.

Mr Bose alleged that only top level officers starting from the Chief Commissioner's to Commissioner's level were getting the benefits of promotion while others were being deprived.

Three per cent of the IT employees are IRS officers and not members of the association.