Govt reappoints Ravi Agrawal as CBDT Chairman for six months

On Tuesday, the government sanctioned the re‑appointment of Ravi Agrawal as CBDT Chairman on a contractual basis for six months.

The Cabinet’s Appointments Committee (ACC) endorsed Agrawal’s new term, set to run from July 1 to December 31 2026, or until further notice, whichever comes first.

The ACC backed the proposal to keep Agrawal at the helm of the top direct‑tax authority, thereby maintaining continuity in CBDT operations.

The order noted that the re‑appointment follows the standard terms for re‑employed central government officials, with a relaxation of the recruitment rules.

“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the re‑appointment of Ravi Agrawal as Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on a contractual basis for six months, effective from July 1 to December 31 or until further orders, whichever is earlier, on the usual terms applicable to re‑employed Central Government officers, with relaxation of the Recruitment Rules,” the official order stated.

Agrawal, an IRS officer from the 1988 batch in the Income Tax cadre, took over as CBDT Chairman in June 2024, succeeding Nitin Gupta.

Prior to assuming the chairmanship, he served as the CBDT’s Member (Administration) from July 2023, and later secured a one‑year extension from July 1 2025 to June 30 2026.

The CBDT, which serves as the top policy‑making organ of the Income Tax Department under the Department of Revenue, is led by a chairman and may include up to six members holding the rank of Special Secretary to the Government of India.

Its mandate covers the administration of direct tax legislation, the formulation of tax policy, enhancing compliance, and upgrading taxpayer services.

The re‑appointment occurs amid sustained healthy growth in direct tax collections.

The Income Tax Department reports that net direct tax collections climbed 14.64 % year‑on‑year to ₹5.21 lakh crore for the April 1–June 17 span of the current fiscal year.