Judges, court employees protest tax increase on their allowances
Judges and court employees in Cebu City and Cebu province wore black shirts today as they joined the nationwide silent protest against the government’s move to raise tax deductions on their allowances.
Rank and file employees said they were shocked when their annual “anniversary bonus” was slashed to 30 percent last June.
“Sakit kaayo na sa among dughan. Dako na baya kaayo na og tabang alang namo. (It really hurts. The amount deducted from our allowances could have given us a huge lift),” said a court clerk who requested anonymity.
The court clerk, a single mother with five children, said the government should have raised their allowances or salaries after they spent much transferring to Qimonda IT Center.
The center serves as Cebu City’s temporary courthouse after last year’s earthquake. “If they continue to deduct our allowances, what will be left of us?,” the court clerk said.
The deductions were made based on a memorandum order dated June 18, 2014 that was issued by the Supreme Court in compliance with instructions from the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Based on the high court’s directive, an employee who is supposed to receive financial benefits of P10,000 will only take home P6,800 due to taxes.
Judge Simeon Dumdum of the Regional Trial Court Branch 7 said the increase in tax deductions won’t just affect rank and file employees but judges as well.
“Definitely, if our benefits are reduced, judges would somehow lose what has been a source of financial support,” he said.
When he was appointed trial court judge in 2000, Dumdum admitted that he was a bit discouraged due to the small income judges receive despite the volume of work they need to do.
“I had regrets when I joined the judiciary. I told myself, it would have been better if I was a practicing lawyer who earns much. But later on, I realized that I’m here to serve the public,” he said.
Dumdum, who will retire in December this year, said allowances are meant to free them of financial anxiety.
“The (financial) benefits we receive (from the government) have been a big help to us. There are several judges who are sickly. Some have children to send to school. So the government should understand that we are not living luxurious lives here,” he said.
Justices, judges and court officials are receiving every month a Special Allowance for the Judiciary (SAJ) that is equivalent to 100 percent of their basic monthly salary rate.
The SAJ is funded from legal fees and other collections. RTC judges get a basic salary of P73,000, representation and transportation (RATA) allowance of P20,000, personal economic relief allowance (PERA) of P2,000, extraordinary allowance (EOA) of P10,000 and special allowance for the judiciary (SAJ) of P25,000.
Metropolitan Trial Court Judges get a basic salary of P67,000, RAT allowance of P18,000, PERA of P2,000, EOA of P9,000 and SAJ od P24,000.
For Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) judges, they get P62,000 basic salary, RATA allowance of P17,000, PERA of P2,000, EOA of P7,000 and SAJ of P23,000.
Meanwhile Municipal Trial Court (MTC) judges get P58,000 basic salary , P15,000 RATA allowance, P2,000 PERA, P7,000 EOA and P22,000 SAJ.
In Cebu City, Regional Trial Court judges are receiving P20,0000 each from the Cebu City government and P12,000 from the Cebu provincial government.
MTCC judges and appellate court justices in Cebu City also receive any allowance from the local government unit.
Only Court of Appeals Executive Justice Gabriel Ingles refused to accept an allowance from the LGU, saying he wants to maintain independence “in reality and public perception.”
The grant of allowances by Local Government Units (LGU) is practiced by those that can afford it. But the Supreme Court is reviewing the setup amid questions raised that a stipend would affect judicial independence.
Court employees, on the other hand, are receiving allowances like the Judiciary Development Fund (JDF) which amounts to P2,000 to P3,000 every month, clothing allowance (P4,000), Christmas bonus (depends on the rank), and anniversary bonus (P13,000).
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