Your Taxes @ Work - Take Diversion
THIS is an interesting signboard put up by a Municipal Corporation right in the centre of a road under repair. Any tax payer passing through the road would have a feeling that his taxes, at least some of them, are put to good use. In many countries they have such boards at the entrances of bridges and buildings. The taxpayer gets a feeling that his taxes are put to good use. People would love to pay taxes if they know that their taxes are put to good use.
But in India, no tax payer gets satisfaction that his taxes are well spent. With our taxes, we expect the government to provide us basic facilities like security, health, education and infrastructure. And when we look at these facilities, many of us – the taxpayers would feel that we have been short-changed. We are afraid to go to the police, our infrastructure is in shambles, our public education is a shame and the government hospitals are hell on earth.
Recently I had the opportunity of being the victim in a premier government hospital. More than my torture, the plight of the doctors was miserable. They are the best doctors commanding enormous respect. In rank, most of them are equal to our Chief Commissioners. Two of them sit in a cubicle and the cubicle has no door – just a curtain washed years ago. Hundreds of patients with all kinds of diseases and infections visit them daily. It is a miracle that they are alive. (the doctors, not the patients). And look at the opulence a Chief Commissioner has!
Something wrong with the way we spend the tax payers' money. Today we carry an article by a little girl who had to spend five days in a government hospital fighting swine flu, in the company of rats and dogs – Papa, don't pay taxes ! See Guest Column