Mr. Prime Minister,
You have been the recipient of my hard earned taxes for the past 8 years. There are millions of people like me who have been religiously paying their taxes at the appointed time with the appointed amount of money, as and when you have wanted. Never even once was my opinion taken into account in defining the taxes that I pay religiously and above all, what you will do with that money. That is the blind faith I put into your administration, hoping that you will do your job because that IS your job - of utilizing my money I pay as taxes responsibly. There are millions of people like me who put that blind faith into your administration. A faith that presumes that with the money I pay as taxes, I will be provided that security which is sufficient to make me sleep peacefully in the night. A security which does not make me sigh with relief every time I enter into my apartment every day after a hard day in office, happy that I returned in one piece. I pay taxes, damnit and I want an explanation for the lack of services that I am getting in the name of police force that you have left for me. The NSG of course is for people like you.
I may sound like a disgruntled customer to you and by god, that’s exactly what I am today. A disgruntled customer. I pay taxes for the services that you provide to me. You are no different from the mobile services provider who provides me with itemized bills without fault, without fail every month and of course dependable service that every time I dial a number, I will be put through to the other end. That’s professionalism and I am happy to pay for that professionalism. But I am not at all happy with the way my money that I pay as taxes is being squandered by your administration. I pay taxes and this is what I get in return - a few neighbours waltz on to our shores and make merry with the weapons that THEY can afford but not my policeman. Please do not tell me that with the taxes that I pay, all you can afford for my policeman is a humble bamboo lathi. Every time an incident like this happens when people lose their lives, doesn't it hurt your conscience? Do you sleep peacefully in the night?
I am sure you must have assumed that we have more blood in our veins that can be wasted ad nauseum. And since I am a 'Resilient Mumbaikar', you can say, “Oh, he is a jolly Resilient Mumbaikar, he will be up and running in no time and will earn me taxes”. Well I’m sorry to say this but I have no choice but to pay you taxes. And continue to pay you taxes. Not because I am spineless, but because I am a researcher by education and profession. Had I been a soldier, it would have been a different story. You enforce conscription on every male above 18 and not physically disabled and I will be glad to pick up arms. Hand me an Automatic Kalashnikov and I assure you I will be able to handle it. I may not be able to achieve the levels of your snipers but I can be good enough to take care of me and my family’s security, if compromised. Each one has to do his duty to have a functional society. Ergo, if I pay you taxes, it becomes your duty to utilize it responsibly. Otherwise, you would be no different from a Gabbar Singh who forces money out of hard working professionals and does not give them their due. I pay taxes, damnit, and therefore I am, and, by God, I should be. And so should the millions be who pay you taxes. Otherwise I would be another dead body lying on the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus or a dead body on the sixth floor of the Taj Palace thanks to the way you fritter away my money I pay as taxes.
I promise to continue doing my job responsibly and I expect you to do the same. That’s how we will have a functional and solid society that no waltzing-brainwashed-marauder-kid can dislodge.
You have been the recipient of my hard earned taxes for the past 8 years. There are millions of people like me who have been religiously paying their taxes at the appointed time with the appointed amount of money, as and when you have wanted. Never even once was my opinion taken into account in defining the taxes that I pay religiously and above all, what you will do with that money. That is the blind faith I put into your administration, hoping that you will do your job because that IS your job - of utilizing my money I pay as taxes responsibly. There are millions of people like me who put that blind faith into your administration. A faith that presumes that with the money I pay as taxes, I will be provided that security which is sufficient to make me sleep peacefully in the night. A security which does not make me sigh with relief every time I enter into my apartment every day after a hard day in office, happy that I returned in one piece. I pay taxes, damnit and I want an explanation for the lack of services that I am getting in the name of police force that you have left for me. The NSG of course is for people like you.
I may sound like a disgruntled customer to you and by god, that’s exactly what I am today. A disgruntled customer. I pay taxes for the services that you provide to me. You are no different from the mobile services provider who provides me with itemized bills without fault, without fail every month and of course dependable service that every time I dial a number, I will be put through to the other end. That’s professionalism and I am happy to pay for that professionalism. But I am not at all happy with the way my money that I pay as taxes is being squandered by your administration. I pay taxes and this is what I get in return - a few neighbours waltz on to our shores and make merry with the weapons that THEY can afford but not my policeman. Please do not tell me that with the taxes that I pay, all you can afford for my policeman is a humble bamboo lathi. Every time an incident like this happens when people lose their lives, doesn't it hurt your conscience? Do you sleep peacefully in the night?
I am sure you must have assumed that we have more blood in our veins that can be wasted ad nauseum. And since I am a 'Resilient Mumbaikar', you can say, “Oh, he is a jolly Resilient Mumbaikar, he will be up and running in no time and will earn me taxes”. Well I’m sorry to say this but I have no choice but to pay you taxes. And continue to pay you taxes. Not because I am spineless, but because I am a researcher by education and profession. Had I been a soldier, it would have been a different story. You enforce conscription on every male above 18 and not physically disabled and I will be glad to pick up arms. Hand me an Automatic Kalashnikov and I assure you I will be able to handle it. I may not be able to achieve the levels of your snipers but I can be good enough to take care of me and my family’s security, if compromised. Each one has to do his duty to have a functional society. Ergo, if I pay you taxes, it becomes your duty to utilize it responsibly. Otherwise, you would be no different from a Gabbar Singh who forces money out of hard working professionals and does not give them their due. I pay taxes, damnit, and therefore I am, and, by God, I should be. And so should the millions be who pay you taxes. Otherwise I would be another dead body lying on the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus or a dead body on the sixth floor of the Taj Palace thanks to the way you fritter away my money I pay as taxes.
I promise to continue doing my job responsibly and I expect you to do the same. That’s how we will have a functional and solid society that no waltzing-brainwashed-marauder-kid can dislodge.
Yours etc.
2 comments:
accountability is tricky business.... RTI is something that can be easily used to find out where your taxes went if just finding out where the money went is what you want to do!
The real solution is to, as a nation, become "professional" in our approach to life in general and work in particular. Lawlessness starts the moment we wake up and waste water in the bathroom, not use car pools, wear the seatbelt only when approaching a traffic policeman, over speed, overtake from the wrong side, honk, park on the street and not in the designated areas.... we go through our lives saying "it's ok, not a big deal".... well guess what it is not ok ...it all adds up. The guy on the side of the street sees you overspeeding and learns that it's ok.... next you know he is a terrorist.... so yeah everything adds up and it adds up to lawlessness. The entropy change triggers small fights, small fights snow ball into bigger and more meaner fights and all that adds up...... And then we cry about chaos.
You think a change in government will save our souls? Think again, think Kargil, think akshardham, think Parliament attacks.... politicians do not have the answers, period. You and I have the answers. Become professional! The "chalta hai"(it's ok) attitude has to go. In it's place one has to start asking questions and providing answers. Politicians are non-performing-liabilities good enuf only to take care of dance bars and film stars smoking on screen. They cannot and will not step in to tackle the real issues..... they'd sooner shit there starched dhotis and calvin klien undies than work out a solution to the terror problem...... bottom line the government/politicians do not give a rats shrivelled arse for our security. No wonder you never hear of a politicians son who is in the armed forces (or of a politician having committed suicide ever)..... these politicians will cry themselves hoarse about farmer suicides or the north Indian invasion and then turn around and drive 200 kilometers in an Audi Q7 which gives them a mileage of 6kmpl to return a book they borrowed from a tottering politician uncle...... courier it u dolt the money ou burnt could've been enough to save a farmers life besides for all you know the book's available at a book store near you for a fraction of the price..... but then who can ask them
Taxation per se has to change. It has to become a postpaid system. At the start of financial year ask citizens to give a list of things they want done in there area(roads, water supply, security etc.), then provide with the timelines, reviews all thru the year and at the end of the year based on the assesment of quality of "sticking to promises" the taxes are calculated. Then again if there is a political will things can be made to work even within the framework we have right now.....
Hey Rohit,
Very aptly put in by you. Also I salute Major Unnikrishnan for laying down his life for us. I also salute his father, who showed us his courage by kicking the potbellied politicians from his house and calling them with their right name "The Dogs" thats what they are.
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