The purpose of paying tax is to help the government in handling different projects that could bring about development and enhance economic growth. However, it becomes a concern when taxpayers see nothing for what they are paying for. Tax is really taxing in this aspect of my country, Nigeria. It is indeed part of our civic duties as citizens to pay tax, so I am not complaining about this compulsory levy but only wish that the revenue generated from tax is utilized for its original purpose.
It will interest you to know that some people don't even know that they are paying tax indirectly, especially the self-employed, but obviously, every one of us is paying tax. From shopping in the mall to paying bills to charges from the banks, booking flights, and others.
I once visited ShopRite one time and watched a little drama from a young guy and the cashier. Obviously, the guy finished paying for the goods he purchased using his ATM card and started going through each item and its cost. At the bottom of his receipt, he saw VAT (value-added tax) and the amount he paid unknowingly, and then he started making troubles, lolz. He demanded a cash refund of #50 VAT he paid unknowingly. He insisted on seeing the manager of the mall, as he can't pay for any fucking VAT in a country like ours where there's almost zero infrastructure in important places. It took the intervention of an old educated man to convince the guy to be calm.
Many people in our society always react negatively when it comes to taxes, and the reason is glaring. Only if we can see the value of this generated revenue, most of us wouldn't be complaining. Sadly, it is what it is. Collecting money from citizens both directly and indirectly and diverting the generated fund for themselves. How can we be paying tax without a constant power supply? Imagine some localities staying for over one year in total blackout, yet they pay tax. How can we be paying tax without quality health care, standard roads, good education, and other basic amenities? Where are the funds generated from these taxes for God's sake?
When I did my internship, I noticed the high taxes that were collected from my salary, and I was like, if millions of civil servants contribute this amount and more monthly and the government actually put the money into the projects they claim to be using it for, then we as a country would have grown past the level we are currently operating. My friend in Europe said she doesn't complain about the high tax they pay over there because they see the value. Not like us, who pay taxes and still spend on what the tax should take care of. It's terrible, I must say. Nothing much to encourage the taxpayer to keep paying without being forced. Go to the market; you will see government reps taxing market men and women; most of them pay this tax with grudges, and it's well understandable.
To be fair enough, the government is working, but how much of the taxes we pay do we see in the infrastructure running in my country? Just a little of it, and the rest enter voicemail.
The tax system in my country is confronted with lots of issues, from bad administration to corruption among the tax officials, and this is limiting the purpose to which the income is generated for. I think one of the best ways the government can be made to put the taxes into good use is by applying transparency and accountability for the masses to see. Strengthening the tax audit could be helpful because when everything is made transparent enough, the tax officials will be forced to do the right thing, and the masses will know where their money is channeled into and, in turn, will be encouraged to keep up with their civic duties.
This post is in response to the #HiveLearners community contest on the topic titled, Tax is Taxing.
Images were taken from canva