Forum for Good Governance President M Padmanabha Reddy said using government funds to pay the income taxes of high-ranking officials needed to stop.
Forum for Good Governance President M Padmanabha Reddy today called on the Chief Secretary of Telangana Santhi Kumari to halt the practice of using government funds to pay the income taxes of high-ranking officials, including the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, other ministers, corporation chairpersons, and advisors with cabinet rank.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, Reddy mentioned that the practice violated the constitutional principle of equality before the law.
He said that previous representations to the Chief Secretary on this matter had gone unanswered, and when the FGG sought details from the General Administration Department (GAD) regarding income tax payments made from public funds, the request was denied on the grounds of personal privacy.
Reddy contended that since taxpayer money was used for these payments, the public had a right to access this information.
Reddy also criticized the GAD for allegedly miscalculating taxable incomes by including private agricultural and business profits, leading to inflated tax payments from government funds.
He cited GO Rt No 917, dated March 25, 2015, which authorized the payment of income tax for eight individuals based on erroneous calculations. Specifically, he pointed out that for the financial year 2014-15, the amount paid as the Chief Minister's income tax was Rs 15,39,111.
According to Reddy, the Chief Minister, who assumed office in June 2014, was entitled to a monthly salary of Rs 16,000 and a special allowance of Rs 8,000. Other allowances, totalling Rs 1,74,000 per month, were intended to cover official expenses and, therefore, should not be subject to income tax. Thus, Rs 15,39,111 was a completely wrong number, he claimed.
Reddy also argued that Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Haryana had already dispensed with the practice, while crores of rupees were being paid as income tax for about 60 functionaries in Telangana.
He also recommended that the government should publish details of the income tax payments made on behalf of the Chief Minister and others on its official website to ensure transparency.