Sir, my reason in moving this amendment and specifically mentioning in the Constitution that the President and the Governor’s salaries shall be subject to income-tax is this: Although the honourable the Mover, Dr. Ambedkar has stated that their salaries are subject to income-tax it is a common rule and practice that the income- tax has to be recovered from everyone, even if it is not mentioned. It is very clear, I have no doubt about that; but despite that I am anxious that this should be mentioned for this reason. At present our Governor-General was drawing a salary which was not subject to income-tax. You know, Sir, when he was drawing Rs. 20,000 he was subject to income-tax and yet people did not know what he was actually drawing; in as much as in the Parliament when the subject came up for discussion then most of the Members did not know that his salary was subject to income-tax. This matter was discussed from one end of the country to the other and the people thought that our Governor-General was drawing in cash Rs 20,000 and putting it into his pocket, whereas actually he drew only Rs. 8,000 or 9,000. The Legislative Assembly subsequently resolved that his salary should be Rs. 5,500 without any tax. Now, if you raise it today to Rs. 10,000 and do not let the people know-the people do not generally go by the income-tax or that so much is deducted by so many other taxes, they will state that President’s salary is increased from 5,500 to 10,000. People only go by the figure. They ask what is the Governor-General drawing, and the masses say that he draws Rs. 10,000. I therefore desire that this should be made very clear to the masses. Any time you may argue with the masses that the Governor-General and the Governor are subject to the payment of Income-tax. Sometimes, they hesitate to believe. When they hesitate to believe, if this is mentioned in the Constitution, they may be refuted with a definite reply. 1, therefore, feel, Sir, that, though it may be redundant, though it may not be necessary, to avoid unnecessary criticism that the President and Governors draw fat salaries. the insertion of the words mentioned in my amendment is very essential.
