SC to hear Noab’s arguments on 9th Wage Board tomorrow

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) will hear arguments from the Newspapers Owners Association of Bangladesh (Noab) on a leave-to-appeal petition regarding the High Court judgment on the income tax of journalists and employees working in newspapers tomorrow (1 July).

A three-member bench of the SC’s Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan stated that an order will be issued in this regard tomorrow.

“The income tax, paid to journalists and press workers in favour of the benefits received, is paid as a marginal benefit by the newspaper owners or authorities. This was in force until the 8th Wage Board. The 9th Wage Board also recommended maintaining the same,” Barrister Salahuddin Dolon, lawyer of the petitioner, told journalists.

“The 9th Wage Board notification shows that a sub-committee of the Cabinet recommended that the journalists and employees of newspapers and news agencies themselves will pay their income taxes which was challenged and later rejected by the High Court that declared the cabinet committee’s recommendations were illegal,” the senior lawyer added.

Additional Attorney General Sheikh Mohammad Morshed and Deputy Attorney General Samarendra Nath Biswas appeared before the court on behalf of the state.