Taxation without benefit

There is no question that the salaried class is made to bear the disproportionate cost of keeping the wheels of government moving through their tax contributions. It often feels like the salaried are the only section being squeezed while the rich find ways not to pay taxes. No doubt, taxation is the financial backbone of democratic governance; without it no modern state can deliver on its social contract. Yet, the manner of their implementation has created deep alienation. The resentment is exacerbated by visible inefficiencies in public services. Taxpayers navigate potholed roads, send children to private schools, rely on private healthcare, and maintain private security and then wonder what exactly their tax money is funding. The silent message is that taxation is not your contribution to nation-building but your submission to state power.

Shafi Ahmed Khowaja

Hyderabad