Bhopal: Employees having annual salaries upto Rs 2.5 lakh have been exempted from Professional tax in Madhya Pradesh. This will benefit 40,000 employees of the state. However the employees are seeking a blanket exemption of professional tax asserting that they are cand not the professionals.
Decision was taken by the ex-Finance minister Jayant Mallaya but order has been issued on Thursday for its implementation. Employees unions have said that they will raise the long pending demand either for total exemption or a fixed percentage of annual salaries.
Similarly, Rs 1500 has been levied at annual income of Rs2.5 lakh to Rs3 lakh, and Rs 2000 for income group of Rs300,000 to Rs 400,000 while Rs2,500 for income above four lakh. Similarly, businessmen whose annual turnover is up to Rs2000,000 have also been exempted from professional tax.
But Rs2,500 will be imposed at annual turnover above Rs20 lakh. Madhya Pradesh Health employees general secretary Laxminarain Sharma said, “Decision was taken during budget session when Jayant Mallaya was Finance minister but it was not implemented. Now state government has implemented it and it will benefit 40,000 employees of the state.
We will demand at the time of budget for complete exemption of professional tax in the state.” Sudhir Nayak, Mantralayeen Employees union president, said, “We demand total exemption from professional tax or if government wants to charge, it should be in term of fixed percentage of annual salaries. So, chief secretary and four class employees were both paying Rs 2500 as professional tax. Whatever, relief has been given it is for new comers.”