Deficit Budget! We all need to pay our fair share of taxes

EDITOR: The Estimates of Income and Expenditure may look good on paper but perhaps better could be done if we listen to the taxpayers. Teachers, civil servants, police, nurses, and the payers of Value Added Taxes complain that it is not fair for them to bear the brunt of the tax burden while so many apparently go free.

Whether their complaints are legitimate or not, some explanation needs to be proffered to appease the public.

They say that lawyers, some of whom are parliamentarians do not pay their fair share of taxes. They charge hefty fees for their services, utilize the courts financed by taxpayers, and any failure to pay their fair share of taxes constitutes injustice.

Doctors too need to pay their fair share of taxes. While we cannot be certain that this diagnosis is accurate, paying their fair share of taxes will help to put medicine in our health facilities and aid their healing work. A goodly portion of workers have health insurance and the companies should cover the cost of services rendered by our health facilities.

Accountants and business people may know the loopholes, but they too need to pay their fair share of taxes. Allowing large companies to incur large debts to state-owned utility companies without paying constitutes a tax on poor people and should not be permitted.

Why are rich foreign investors given tax breaks? Shouldn’t they be glad to make their fair contribution to our country that they have made into their paradise? In many cases those who are given tax exemption are the ones who can afford to pay.

For those receiving benefits from the state, requiring good citizenship certificates (bills paid up to date) from the National Insurance Services, Income
tax department, and utility companies may help the collection processes.

I was unpleasantly surprised to learn that some workers in the sanitation services are apparently not paying the environmental fees.

If we all pay our fair share we can reduce or eliminate the budget deficit and have more services and capital projects financed once we can eliminate corruption.

Anthony G. Stewart, PhD