Newspapers, agencies must pay staff's income taxes

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a wage board provision that instructed the owners of newspapers and news agencies to pay income tax of their journalists and employees.

The four-member bench of the Appellate Division gave the verdict after hearing an appeal filed by the government against a High Court judgment.

The HC in 1998 scrapped the provision of the fourth wage board that asked the media owners to pay their employees' income tax.

The HC had delivered the verdict following a writ petition filed by the owners of five national dailies -- the Ittefaq, the Sangbad, the Inqilab, the Kohbor and the Azadi challenging the provision of the fourth wage board. In 2003, following a government petition, the SC permitted it to move an appeal before it challenging the HC verdict. The government the same year filed an appeal with the SC. 

After hearing the appeal, the Appellate Division yesterday cancelled the HC judgment and upheld the fourth wage board provision, Deputy Attorney General Rashed Jahangir told The Daily Star. No lawyer appeared for the writ petitioners.