Forum for Good Governance has written to Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumari, requesting her to stop the practice of paying income tax on the salaries of select government functionaries, which it called “irregular and obnoxious”.
Under clause (4) of Section 3 of the Andhra Pradesh (Telangana) Payment of Salaries and Pension and Removal of Disqualifications Act, 1953, income tax is paid by the government for all functionaries equal to a Cabinet Minister’s rank.
The functionaries include the Chief Minister, all ministers of the State government, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Legislative Council, all advisors of cabinet rank, all chairpersons of corporations having a cabinet rank, chief whip and whips in Assembly and Council, leaders of opposition in Assembly and Council and parliamentary secretaries.
