CPM spikes party levy: Working class party membership turns dearer
Synopsis
Over 40% of the CPM's income is attributed to membership levy. The last time the CPM increased the levy was in 2012.
Being a member of the working class party is not so easy as you might think. With the recent spike in the levy of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM), the party membership has become dearer. Even though the party contends that the nation is facing severe financial turmoil, the 'recession-like situation prevailing in the countr,' was not a deterrent for the party to increase the burden on its members by raising the levy many times.
The CPM increased the annual levy from ₹939 to ₹3,600 for members who earn ₹10,000 to 20,000 per month. Party members with a monthly income of ₹ 60,000 and above will have to pay ₹ 48,000, Matrubhumi reported quoting CPM central committee documents.
The members will be divided into 11 categories according to their monthly income to fix the levy. The people's representatives of the party will have to shell out 15% of their monthly honorarium to as party levy. As per an estimation, over 40% of the party's income is from levy remitted by members. CPM has more than one million members.
In 2000, the Central Committee of the party had decided to slash the levy considerably to reduce the burden on its members.
The last time the CPM increased the levy was in 2012. But in 2000, the Central Committee of the party had decided to slash the levy considerably to reduce the burden on its members. Then the party decided to cut the levy from 3% to 2% for members earning between ₹3,000 to ₹5,000.
As per party documents, the income received in 2011-12 as the levy is ₹41,63,37,169 (40.09% of the total income of the Party) and the membership fee is Rs. 20,91,262 (0.20%). In the financial year 2013-14 the income from the levy stood at ₹4,48,531,905. As per the affidavit submitted with the Election Commission, the total income (in FY 2013-14) of the party was ₹ 1,218,738,362 as against ₹ 1,03,84,65,122 in 2011-12.
As per the party constitution, every CPM member must pay a monthly levy as laid down by the Central Committee at the beginning of the season or at the beginning of every quarter. If a member fails to deposit levy within three months after it is due, his or her name would be removed from the Party rolls.