Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Indirect Taxes)
| Logo of IRS (C&IT) | |
| Service overview | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1919 (as Imperial Customs Service) 1953 (as Indian Revenue Service Customs and Central Excise) |
| Headquarters | North Block, New Delhi |
| Country | India |
| Staff colleges | National Academy of Customs Indirect Taxes and Narcotics, NH-44, Palasamudram, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Cadre controlling authority | Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance |
| Minister responsible | Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance |
| Legal personality | Governmental Civil service |
| Website: | cbic |
| Cadre strength | 5583 (Customs and Indirect Taxes) |
| Selection | Civil Services Examination |
| Associations | IRS (Customs & Indirect Taxes) Association |
| Service chief | |
| Chairperson, CBIC | Sanjay Agarwal, IRS |
| Head of the civil services | |
| Cabinet Secretary | T. V. Somanathan, IAS |
The Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Indirect Taxes) is a part of central civil service of the government of India. It is a part of the Indian Revenue Service and functions under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Department of Revenue of the Ministry of Finance. It is under the administrative direction of the Revenue Secretary and the ministerial command of the Minister of Finance. The IRS (C&IT) is primarily responsible for collecting and administering indirect taxes accruing to the government of India. It is one of the largest civil service amongst the organised civil services in the Indian government and serves the nation through discharging sovereign functions of collection of revenue for development, security and governance.
As with other countries that follow the Westminster system of government, the IRS is part of the permanent bureaucracy of the nation, and is an inseparable part of the executive of the Government of India. As such, the bureaucracy remains politically neutral and guarantees administrative continuity to the ruling party.
The duties of the IRS (C&IT) include formulation and enforcement of policy concerning the Goods and Services Tax, prevention of smuggling and administration of matters related to customs and narcotics.