Appeal Court extends interim order preventing PAYE tax on judges

The Court of Appeal yesterday extended the interim order delaying the imposition of the PAYE tax on the salaries of judges till the relevant petition is supported.

The order was issued when the case was taken up before a three-judge bench, comprising Judges; Dhammika Ganepola, Neil Iddawela and its Chair Sobhitha Rajakaruna yesterday.

A motion filed by the petitioners requesting that the case be heard before the full Court of Appeal bench is due to be considered before the President of the Court of Appeal on 21 February.

An interim order was issued by the Court of Appeal on 25 January, preventing the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) from collecting PAYE taxes from judges following the consideration of a petition filed by an association of Sri Lanka’s District Judges and Magistrates’.



The association filed the petition on the grounds that deducting such a tax from the salaries of judges is not ‘appropriate’, and is against the constitutional law, and has named the Chief Accountant and the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice as respondents.

The order was issued by the Appellate Court Bench, comprising Judges Sobhitha Rajakaruna and Dhammika Ganepola.

Justices, Attorney General and Judges are the highest paid State professionals in Sri Lanka. The take-home salary including allowances comes to around Rs. 530,000 per month. This is excluding the non-cash benefits.