Employers will have to pay journalists' income tax: HC

The owners of newspapers and other media institutions will have to pay the income tax of their journalists and other employees, the High Court ruled on Sunday.

The HC bench of Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Md Shohrowardi passed the order declaring the Cabinet recommendation on gratuity and income tax in the 9th wage board as illegal.

As per the rule, journalist-employees would get two gratuities in a year equal to the basic salary of a month.

Lawyer Kazi Aktar Hamid and lawyer Didarul Alam appeared for the writ petitioner while Deputy Attorney General Kazi Mainul Hasan for the state.

On 29 January in 2018, the 9th Wage Board of 13 members was formed headed by retired Justice Md Nizamul Huq of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.

Later, Justice Nizamul submitted a report to the then Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu on 4 November of the same year, recommending a maximum increase of 85% in the salaries of journalists.

Then in January 2019, the Cabinet Committee related to the implementation of the 9th Wage Board was reconstituted, making Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader convener of the board.

The government announced the 9th Wage Board through gazette notification on 12 September, 2019.

But, according to chapter 12 of the notification regarding the cabinet committee recommendations for the 9th Wage Board, journalists and employees have to pay income tax from their own income and will receive a gratuity yearly equal to the basic salary of a month.

On 23 November 2020, Mohammad Mahbubuzzaman, general secretary of the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) employees' association, filed a writ petition with the HC challenging the cabinet committee recommendations.

On 25 November of the same year, the court issued a rule asking why the cabinet committee recommendations should not be declared illegal.

The information and labour secretaries were made respondents to the rule.