Illegal fines?
Byron's front-page lead news published in your December 23 issue is a new surprising twist! Were the members of the caretaker government so ignorant that they ignored this very vital legal issue? What has the Adviser then in charge of the Law portfolio, got to say about it?
Any refund by the government has to be cautiously made; and as the Hon. Finance Minister has said that it will not be made, then possibly that may be the end of the story! Or is it? If factually it is "illegally earned income" as stated in the report, then this has to be confirmed through due legal process, and not through any directive or executive order. The whole matter, possibly on a case-by-case basis has to be legally taken up, and let the law decide the issue.
If any fine realised is considered not to be legal, then the government may pay it off in a number of instalments or allow the person or organisation to offset it against taxes and VAT payable yearly, till the outstanding is squared off. This will naturally decrease the pressure on the Exchequer at one go!
The government may even request those who may have to be legally refunded any amount to consider if they agree to forego, say, ten percent of the refund amount as their voluntary contribution for a future "Natural Calamity Fund" which is really needed for our calamity-prone country.
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