Bangladeshi cabinet approves proposal to bring ministers into income tax net

The Bangladeshi cabinet Thursday approved two proposals to levy taxes on salaries of ministers, state ministers, and deputy ministers. The cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina approved the proposals. If the proposals are passed in the parliament, all the cabinet members including the PM will come under the income tax net, the PM's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told reporters at a press conference after the cabinet meeting. He said the proposals were about amendments to "The Prime Minister (Remuneration and Privileges) Act-1975" and "The Ministers, Ministers of State, Deputy Ministers (Remuneration and Privileges) Act-1973". During the last budget session of Bangladesh in June this year, Hasina announced that ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers' salaries will be taxed. Hasina's cabinet, formed in January 2009 after her landslide victory in the December 2008 parliamentary elections, includes 24 ministers and 19 state ministers.