TAX officials are threatening to take industrial action if the Government does not lift its embargo on public sector recruitment.
The 1,450 officials involved work closely with tax inspectors and they could seriously disrupt the services of the Revenue Commissioners.
They form almost a quarter of IMPACT's membership in the civil service, all of whom are currently balloting for industrial action over the embargo, which only allows one vacancy in three to be filled.
Department of Finance sources said yesterday it was looking at alternative ways to shed civil service numbers because of opposition from public sector unions to the embargo. If greater flexibility could be obtained in some areas it might be possible "to keep the lid on numbers", one source said, without recourse to the embargo.
Addressing the annual general meeting of the tax officials' branch of IMPACT in Killarney last night, the branch president Mr Peter Murphy, said: "While many of the Government's social policies are excellent, their attitude to the public service stinks.
"The economy has boomed like it has never boomed before, largely due to pay restraint by public servants and other PAYE earners. But still the big squeeze is on.
He questioned the Government's priorities. The civil service was being asked to accept the loss of jobs to curb expenditure, while calls for tax reform by PAYE workers had been ignored.
"It matters not whether the economy is stagnant or booming; whether interest rates are high or low; whether unemployment is rising or falling. There is always come reason why the PAYE sector must wait another year."
Whenever there was a crisis it was public servants who felt the squeeze, Mr Murphy added.