The Director of Public Prosecution, Jane Frances Abodo, has requested Parliament to amend section 21(1)(q) of the Income Tax Act to exempt state prosecutors from paying tax on their employment income, so as to motivate them in their work.
The DPP Abodo made the appeal while appearing before Parliament’s Finance Committee where she decried the selective enhancement of salaries within the Justice, Law, and Order sector that saw judicial officers walk away with hefty pay while casting other players in the industry aside.
While defending the request for the tax exemption, Abodo argued that the work of the public prosecutor directly contributes to the peace and security of the country by ensuring that the laws designed for the protection and preservation of the security of the persons and property are enforced.
She revealed that due to the meager pay at the DPP, many staff is abandoning work in preference for lucrative deals in the Judiciary, admitting that she has also applied thrice at the Judicial Service Commission to be posted as a judge, and her actions aren’t any similar from her team who approach her daily to sign recommendation letters for secondment of jobs in the Judiciary.
Government is likely to lose Shs6.827Bn in taxes should the tax exemption succeed, although this figure is disputed, by the Ministry of Finance which warned that the tax waiver is likely to cost Shs7.5Bn. Abodo Accused the Ministry of Finance of defying the Presidential directive to give prosecutors tax waivers.
Some committee members backed the request saying it will boost the morale of state prosecutors while carrying out their duties.
However others expressed reservations about the request for tax exemption wondering why the state prosecutors who made two requests for salary enhancement and tax exemptions don’t settle for one of the two items.
