Paying taxes for nothing has been troubling me ever since I started earning. And this pain is always increasing with each passing year. The problem is that we pay our hard earned money for nothing. My personal opinion is that we should pay taxes based on the facilities government is providing.
I came across a very interesting article in today’s times of india, which exactly voice my concerns and sentiments. Here it is….
TOI: Money for nothing! Give us a break please (11-Mar07)
If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street If you try to sit, I’ll tax the seat If you get too cold, I’ll tax the heat If you take a walk, I’ll tax your feet
Come March, almost everyone’s as unhappy with the taxman as the Beatles were. The salary slip’s missing quite a few zeroes, and you’ve suddenly woken up to the gaping void in your bank balance. It doesn’t seem so bad when they take it little by little, paycheque by paycheque. It’s only when you tot up the figures at the end of the financial year that you realise how much of your hard-earned money you’ve given away. And what really hurts is that all that money just seems to go down a bottomless pit. Scandinavians pay a lot more tax but they also get a whole lot of services. Free university tuition, universal no-cost healthcare, national day care…and, of course, basics like clean drinking water, adequate power and smooth roads.
Back home, it’s money for nothing, complain taxpayers. With public hospitals under-staffed, the roads potholed, the mass transport system either non-existent or decrepit and streets more crime-ridden than ever before, everyone’s beset with the feeling that they are paying more and more for less and less.
‘‘I spend more than a lakh a year in just school fees for my eight-year-old daughter. But I also know that there’s no question of sending her to anything but a private school since a government school education would compromise her future,’’ says Jayant Kumar, a software engineer who lives in Gurgaon. With a taxable salary of Rs 12,000 a month, Jayant is in the 30% tax bracket. ‘‘Except for home-cooked food, everything is taxed. Movies, eating out, petrol…But even after paying so much, one can’t rely on the government for even a basic thing like education,’’ he says.
Indirapuram resident Nandita Dutta is already dreading the 10 to 12 hours of power cuts that summer will bring. ‘‘Backup costs Rs 9 a unit and the builder is already talking of hiking charges,’’ says Nandita. The potholed and poorly lit roads that lead to her flat in a posh new highrise are another problem that the couple negotiate with daily.
If power’s the complaint in Gurgaon and Ghaziabad, it’s water that is burning a hole in the pockets of many Vasant Kunj residents. ‘‘The water problem in our area is so severe that I have to buy 3,000 litres of water a month. At a cost of Rs 100 for a 500-litre tanker that add ups to Rs 600 monthly. One also has to pay a bomb for private security, inverters, mineral water etc. Shouldn’t the government be using taxpayers’ rupee better?’’ complains Satya Anand, a retired government official who stays in Vasant Kunj.
Taxes are the price of civilisation, said Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. But it’s the price of healthcare that most senior citizens are complaining about. ‘‘We pay taxes our entire professional lives but we can’t even look forward to proper healthcare in our old age,’’ says Mrs Taneja, vice-president of the Federation of Senior Citizens. The 74-year-old retired teacher had to fork out Rs 5 lakh from her savings last month to pay for heart surgery and knee replacement at a private hospital. ‘‘No company is willing to insure people above 60. Our association is going to take up the matter of medical insurance for the elderly with the government,’’ she says. Yet to regain complete mobility, she says she can’t even venture out for a walk. “The doctor says I need the exercise but the roads are so potholed that I dare not risk a second fracture. It will only mean more expense.”
As India’s demographics change and more people grey, this issue is taking on urgency. ‘‘Logistics are a problem since the numbers are big but if countries like Cuba can ensure tertiary care for all, why can’t we?’’ asks Dr Samir Singh, a medical professional.
Only two things in life are certain — death and taxes, said Benjamin Franklin. Most people dread both. And till taxpayers get more bang for their buck, paying up will always be a wrench.
