I am an ordinary working person. Working in the office from morning to evening every day, it is often difficult to meet the expenses of myself and my family with the small salary I get at the end of the month. On top of that, there is tax in the name of the government—which is deducted from the salary at the beginning of the month. At first, paying taxes felt good, I thought it would be useful for the country, and the society would develop. But as time passed, the question arose—what am I getting in return for the taxes I pay?
The tax system in Bangladesh is very complicated and one-sided. Many of those who have a large source of income evade taxes in various ways. However, ordinary people like us who want to live honestly are forced to pay taxes. On the one hand, we suffer under the pressure of government taxes, on the other hand, the poor condition of the roads, mismanagement in the medical sector, questions about the quality of education—everything suffers constantly. Then I feel like a citizen who has cheated himself.
The biggest thing is as much as the government is interested in collecting taxes, there is not enough initiative to ensure the proper use of that tax money. If we see that new hospitals have been built with tax money, electricity has reached villages, roads are being repaired, or employment is being created for the youth—then we might have happily paid taxes. But seeing the news of corruption, waste, and the real picture of underdevelopment, paying taxes becomes a burden.
Another thing is—tax awareness in Bangladesh is still very low. Most people do not know how to pay taxes or what the benefits of paying taxes are. The tax system is also often incomprehensible and frightening. Many people are harassed while paying taxes. Therefore, if the government makes the tax system simpler, transparent, and accountable, the confidence of the common people will increase.
My personal opinion is—tax is not a bad thing. Rather, it is an important means of development for the country. But this tax should not fall only on a few classes. Only if everyone pays taxes according to their ability and if that tax is used properly, then it will be possible to build a healthy, beautiful, and prosperous Bangladesh.
Hopefully, one day the government will understand that taxes should not be a burden, but rather a part of pride. And that is only possible if people see that a beautiful future is being built with their money.