Madhya Pradesh cabinet revokes 52-year-old rule, ministers now have to pay their Income Tax

Mohan Yadav

In an attempt to establish  parity between the citizens and the government officials, the Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday decided that state ministers will have to pay their Income Tax, instead of the state government bearing such burden.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav in a statement said the cabinet has taken a decision to strike off the 1972 rule, under which the state government was paying the Income Tax on the salaries and perks of ministers.

The decision comes days after the Assam government in a bid to end the 'VIP culture', announced that ministers and government officials will have to pay for their electricity consumption.

Additionally, the Assam chief minister emphasized the state's commitment to energy conservation, explaining that they have launched a program to automatically disconnect electricity at all government offices, except for the Chief Minister Secretariat, Home, and Finance Departments, at 8 PM.

The cabinet decided that all ministers will pay the Income Tax on their salaries and allowances, Yadav said. State Urban Administration Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said during the cabinet meeting, the chief minister gave a suggestion that the ministers themselves pay their Income Tax.