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Why Punjab and Haryana pay Income Tax of salaries of its MLAs and ministers

Kashmir Times. Dated: 2/17/2018 3:48:33 PM

Dear Editor,
It refers to Punjab government following Haryana government by deciding to pay Income Tax for salaries of its ministers and MLAs. It may be that some other states may also be doing so. It is definitely a wrong practice where all other sections of society including government-employees and Parliamentarians have to pay Income tax from their respective earnings including salaries received from public-exchequers. It may be argued that Haryana government might have been doing so because salaries of Haryana MLAs were about half (rupees 40000) of salaries received by Punjab MLAs (rupees 84000). Now decision of Punjab government to pay Income Tax on salaries of MLAs, can make Haryana government upward revise salaries of its MLAs. Centre should ask state-governments for not allowing wrong practice of Income Tax on salaries of MLAs and ministers being paid from state-exchequers.
All such disparity in pay, perks, pensions and post-retirement benefits to MLAs and ministers in states is due to federal structure of Constitution. Central government should coordinate with all state governments to reach on a consensus for providing pay, perks, pensions and facilities including post-retirement ones for all MLAs, ministers and Chief Ministers, like all decisions on GST are taken by consensus between all states and the Centre. It is wrong that several Chief Ministers get legislated and construct post-retirement palatial bungalows for their post-retirement full-time life.
Salaries and other benefits of MLAs, ministers and Chief Ministers must be linked with salaries of bureaucrats to be revised as per recommendations of Pay Commissions.
—Subhash Chandra Agrawal,
1775 Kucha Lattushah
Dariba, Chandni Chowk Delhi.