I-T wants 10,000 people to scan returns

On account of the growing number of assesses, annual information returns and duplicate PANs, the income tax(I-T) department is likely to seek government approval for recruiting around 10,000 employees.

The additional staff is likely to cost around Rs 200 crore to the government exchequer, finance ministry sources said.

The number of assesses is expected to touch 3.50 crore this year, up from 3.10 crore last year, the sources said, adding the increased workload also comes from a rise in the number of information on high spenders (18.84 lakh).