Former chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, Chandra is a 1973 batch IRS officer who has been a panellist at the UPSC for interviews conducted to select civil servants. He is reputed and widely admired in the government for making significant changes in the way Income Tax is administered.

During his term as the CBDT chairman, it was Chandra’s most talked about reforms that ensured that 50 lakh taxpayers received refunds in less than three months, thus clearing all backlogs. His other initiatives include exempting salaried employees with less income from filing mandatory returns. Video-conferencing with chief commissioners and directors general in field operations became a routine exercise during his tenure, a practise that was emulated by all departments as part of the digital administration.

He holds a law degree from the University of Allahabad, and post-retirement he has been enrolled as a member of the Bar Council of Delhi and a member of Supreme Court and Delhi High Court Bar Associations. 

He is founder of the ctar.in, a tax awareness initiative for the common man. 

Playing piano has been Chandra’s private passion.