Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Pensioners’ plight

The Central government has been kind enough to give 20 per cent of the revised basic pension as additional quantum to pensioners who complete 80 years of age. But this has led to certain anomalies. A pensioner who gets Rs.2.25 lakh total income during this financial year is exempt from income-tax. The moment he gets the 20 per cent pension extra, he will fall into the tax slab and will be obliged to pay 20 per cent tax plus education cess, etc., which will result in his getting lower emoluments than before. Surely, it is not the intention of the government. This anomaly needs to be rectified.

The government exempted Group D employees from tax on total pension arrears due (even though only 40 per cent is paid during this financial year). Pensioners who are senior citizens also deserve a similar consideration, to save them from the ordeal of getting revised statements of emoluments from banks for previous years, and filing revised returns for reopening past assessments, and having to claim refund or pay tax for the previous years, as the case may be.

S. Balasubramanian,

New Delhi

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