Today we all are struggling with cash and card after our PM's decision to scrap 500 and 1000 notes and go forward with demonetization. Alongside where USA economy is expected to undergo changes because of their trump card everybody is wondering what next?
So like you and me when we face this ordeal of checking our pay cheque service at the end of every month with lots of deductions in name of tax x, tax y, tax z, i really wonder why do i pay tax?
I really hate this term tax!
Why do I pay tax to my government is all I wonder!
For dirty roads with potholes?
For stinking garbage and open gutters?
For overcrowded locals where people stack up like cattle to reach work on time?
For not even being covered for health services?
(Just check the condition of any government hospital once in my city! You wiil come out with more infections than you went inside with.)
Even after paying tax there is No guarantee if I will be able to put food on my table.
(If I something goes up or down with me and I wont be able to go to work.)
There is No guarantee that my children will get good education if I pay tax!
Am i paying tax for everyday THREAT of terrorist blasting local trains or open firing on me, my family, my friends, my near and dear ones, my countrymen and such monsters being provided tight security in jail for same? On whose expense?Tax payers!
Yes! I do compare to other countries where citizen are given all benefits and security for paying tax!
Do i have that in my country ?
I DO HAVE HOPE IN FUTURE THOUGH!
Plus whatever is left after deductions you pay into all forms of toll tax! excise tax! service tax! Entertainment tax! VAT tax etc...So in short word TAX is monstrous but cant escape!
This one incidence that I came across one day mellowed me down against my hatred of paying tax. It made me realize how blessed my tax money was and how did it influenced other people. It really made me happy and at peace once in my life for paying tax.just once!! And after that incident I do say sometimes it is not always bad to pay tax!
So this little shabbily clothed lanky 14 year old girl comes to my ward with extreme paleness,difficult breathing, tiredness and exertion.The girl was extremely anemic with hemoglobin levels of 4%! Yes please 4%! She comes in walking accompanied by her mom. My heart cried out to her. As per routine I admitted her under my supervision and proceeded further to her treatment after establishing diagnosis of IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA (most common in India). I planned blood transfusion to cope up with the emergency. To proceed I had to send her blood samples for blood grouping and cross matching. Like the government nurses who wouldn’t even get out of their chair as if stuck by fevicol over it, my ward wasn’t spared either. So after setting up treatment plan and completing other formalities of admission I go upto her bed! Her mom was at her bed-side, thin and lanky woman same as her.They look upto me with so many hopes and respect in their eyes and a look of helplessness which melts my heart. Girl gave me a limp smile and we started a little conversation to make her comfortable as i was hiding some pricky needles to draw her blood. At the back of my mind I was thinking how underprivileged the little girl was to have iron deficiency anemia bringing her to hospitalization at this age. Is this the situation of people where a balanced diet is also a dream?Biggest challenge comes here when I start withdrawing blood and the blood of girl flows like water which tells so low level of Hematocrit even before lab results!(she was highly anemic).This site shakes me inside out! How can be she be so deprived of basic food and diet that this was the condition of her body! I send her samples for labs. Here comes another challenge as in every hospital where blood banks will withhold blood bags for transfusion to poor patient and sell them to outsiders! Yes corruption even for human blood! So after lots of pressurizing and fighting I managed to get one bag of blood for my patient and we successfully transfused it. She started recovering with the days to follow getting back smile and color on her face and making me more happy every passing day.
Today when I look back I can see the simplicity and innocence of that girl, the helplessness of her mother, their hardships! We fail to see so many things around us! We fail to appreciate the things we get so easilty. The things that we take for granted are dreams for others.I thank god for all the luxury,comfort and resources he made available for me.I wish to contribute that back to society.
On that day,while walking back to home, I had a proud smile on my face because I could contribute something better for my patients life and yes this was only possible through hard earned tax money paid by all of us! Yes the government hospitals run on tax payers money. However bad condition they are in, they still provide meal to their patients.For whom the bread and milk provided there for breakfast is luxury, meal is royalty and dinner for them is dream! This gives me content that at the end of everything bad and corrupt something good is happening by my tax paid money which is nursing someone who is ill, feeding someone hungry, teaching an illiterate and not just decaying and paying luxury bills of corrupt and greedy officials and politicians.
So here i say again i am proud to be a hardworking honest tax payer and i respect you all for doing same. Lets us all do part of our bit and rise above greed and stink of corruption.
