businessman making thumbs up
Emolument is a term used in many countries to describe remuneration received as a result of holding public office or a position that is related to public office in some way. Compensation includes wages or salaries, but may also include benefits such as travel expense reimbursement, health insurance, or any other monetary benefit received as part of holding public office. In many nations, limits are placed on the amount of fees that can be received, as well as the circumstances under which compensation can be paid.
One of the situations in which many nations prevent the emolument from occurring is the perception of compensation for electoral activity. This means that someone who holds public office is not free to receive money or some other form of compensation in exchange for voting a certain way on a certain law. Doing so is considered illegal and can lead to a variety of punitive actions, including urgent criminal action and removal from office. The idea behind restricting this type of emolument is to ensure that the public official is acting in the best interest of his or her electorate, not personally winning with special interest groups who want the vote to go in a specific direction.
It is also possible to receive a fee as compensation for some type of loss or damage suffered in the performance of duty. For example, if a public official is injured in the performance of his duties, a fee may be allowed in the form of payment for additional care during the recovery period. In the event that the employee is permanently disabled as a result of the injury, this may be grounds for providing some type of continuing emolument even after the person is no longer in the position.
Most jurisdictions have specific legislation that defines what types of compensation can be considered emoluments, as well as what sources of compensation for services rendered are considered legal. It is important to note that what is permitted in one jurisdiction may be considered improper in a different jurisdiction. For this reason, the strict definition of what type of compensation qualifies as a fee must be made in accordance with the laws and regulations prevailing within a particular jurisdiction. In addition, there may be some restrictions on the forms of emolument allowed for a particular public office.