Income Tax

Original Post Date - 10 Jan 2011

For some reason, I hate unethical but legal practices more than illegal but ethical once.

e.g. Income tax – lol

On serious note, I have some views and counter views for paying income tax.

Views-

First of all, I wonder how come govt decides on the magic figure of 30% tax.

Here are my reasons that why I don’t deserve to pay that much tax..

• I have my own house purchased from private builder (I have no flat in Adarsh society or similar, I swear!). Neither my house is from MHADA, CISCO or HUDCO.
• I have taken loan from bank, with market interest rate and I am paying that back also.
• I purchase drinking water (cane) and utility water (tanker).
• My family is using private hospitals for any health problems. We have not seen any govt hospital till date (luckily!).
• My kids are going to private schools and no subsidy in fees.
• I am paying toll on almost each and every good road when I use it.
• Government is no longer giving me high subsidy in Petrol and LPG.
• I am paying electricity bills with highest per unit rate as I use it lot! (Thanks to load shedding which try to save some units)
• I am paying for parking on road, malls, multiplexes
• I am not entitled to use “rationed” food as I am not BPL
• I have private security at my complex.
• I am paying fat ticket prices for travelling as I go by private travels.

So, all in all, other than securing borders and keeping law and order in city, I rarely get any returns out of my 30%. I should pay taxes but not that much.

And again, why 30%, why government doesn’t make it 50% or 70%? Who will stop them?

Counter view –

I just returned from my college’s Alumni function. It is fully government aided college in Mumbai. Now even those fees have increased, but during my time, I took education with very less than private (even art and science) colleges.

I have used (and misused) pure corporation water for many years.

If not me, but my many poor countrymen need government hospitals.

If not my children, but next generation of my nation need education.

May be I don’t need MHADA house, but my dear solders and policemen need it.

With this, I accept that I must pay taxes but I wish that those are fully utilized for my nation and should not go to few people’s pocket.

May be this 30% will come down to 10%, when all my countrymen are self sufficient and are eligible to pay taxes. And more importantly all shop owners, businessmen, doctors, lawyers, film actors, sports persons CAs pay correct taxes.

Jai-Hind!!

Sanjay Sonar