Govt\'s goodwill runs employees into tax problem

TPURAM: Kerala Governments goodwill gesture to disburse salary for April before the last week of March in view of Easter have run IT paying employees into trouble as they will have to pay 13 months tax if they drew their salary in advance.

Kerala Finance Minister T M Tomas Isaac, however, clarified Saturday that the Government would not impose the decision as the choice was theirs to take the pay home earlier or not.

Those who want to wait till April first, they could do so, Isaac said in Thrissur.

A couple of days back, he had said that the salary for employees and teachers would be disbursed between March 22 and 24 in view of the Holy Week and Easter.

While Easter is on April four (Sunday), the preceding Thursday (Maundy Thursday) and Friday (Good Friday) are holidays for the state employees.

This was one reason that made the Government to give away the salaries in advance, Government sources said.

However, only a section of the government employees would be coming in the IT bracket.