Chandigarh: In view of the severe financial constraints faced by the Punjab government, chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday suggested that all elected representatives in the state, including ministers and MLAs, should pay their own income-tax.

Punjab is possibly the only state in the country to follow the system of the government paying taxes for all ministers and MLAs. The Punjab government spends Rs 11.08 crore annually on this account.

The payment of taxes is draining the exchequer of the much needed funds, the chief minister pointed out, mooting the proposal for self-payment of taxes by all elected representatives, including himself.

The amount of income-tax of legislators paid by the state government adds to Rs 72 lakh, disclosed an official spokesperson after a meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Fiscal Management, where the proposal was mooted by the chief minister.

The suggestion, if implemented, will lead to a saving of this entire Rs 11.08 crore amount, which the state can use for development and welfare schemes, many of which are facing serious hurdles due to paucity of funds.

In a bid to boost savings for the state government, the chief minister also reiterated his appeal to party colleagues and rich farmers to give up the free power subsidy. Captain Amarinder had first made this appeal during the Vidhan Sabha session in June last year, when he personally set an example by giving up his own subsidy.