I was watching TV the other night, a panel discussion on one of the business news channels, and one of the panelist said in the course of his argument
"Mind your own business"
This phrase originated in the west. Over generations its implied meaning has metamorphosis into "Don't bother me"
But the literal meaning originated from the basic ethos of a Capitalist society. The fact that anyone could say to anyone "Mind your own business" because everyone had a business. There was no middle class and no salaried employees, no big corporates and no lobbies.
I am not an entrepreneur and my risk appetite is very low. And I still want to start my own business; for one simple reason.
I WANT MORE ROOM TO CUT CORNERS IN PAYING MY TAXES
It's a genuine reason. The Government milks us salaried class to the hilt because every penny we earn has a perfect paper trail. We have to show our investments, else we get screwed even before we get paid; fucking TDS. We have no source of unaccounted earnings.
I don't have anything against paying taxes per se. It's just that I don't think I owe my taxes to the Government. This is a democratic society, and barring extraordinary situations (war, epidemics, natural calamities etc) I want to know why my money is being wasted. I am not satisfied by the chalta hai attitude, saying that its India, we are a poor country, corruption is rampant, there is no inclusive growth blah blah blah.
I am a educated, concerned and aware citizen. These issues are real and must be addressed. But they are for the Government to solve. That's why they get elected. That's why they get all freebies and facilities from the State.
Subsidies never reach the intended people. Police and Legal system are hollow. their nexus with crime and politics gives no elbow room to straight people like me. Industrial lobbying and vote bank politics will always mean that a salaried honest middle class guy is bound to get screwed.
So, if I am not getting my money's worth (roads, healthcare, water, law & order, justice) I want to embark on an endeavor where I can use the loopholes in Government tax structure to cut myself a larger piece of pie.
Sometimes it is so frustrating that I feel I should have an option, there should be more than one Government, and I should be able to decide to whom should I pay my tax to. The noose around the neck of the salaried employee has tightened further after the introduction of PAN. I don't forsee any system in near future where business transactions will be effectively tracked. Maybe the day will come when Technology, change in voter demographics and generl increased levels of prosperity and education across sections of society will make things better. But I have a strong feeling I won't live to see that day, and my patience is running out.
Right now, I feel angry and used up. And so, I want to start my own business.
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7 comments:
Loved this post!!!
Ditto friend. Exactly ditto. I feel same most of the times, and then I feel like changing things. But sometimes I feel like pressing the avoid button. But in last few years the 'changing things' feeling got more n more stronger. So hopefully u ll b alive to see the changes, as hopefully I ll be able to do my part in changing things around. Whatever it will be, we should not lose hope. Hope, hope is a good thing ;)
"The fact that anyone could say to anyone "Mind your own business" because everyone had a business. There was no middle class and no salaried employees, no big corporates and no lobbies."
No employees?? So, everyone had a business and and did everything all by themselves?
anyway, nice post... will think on it more some other time.
Reply@ Chetan:
Actually I think the phrase originated way back when slavery was a regular way of life across US, hence presumed that the percentage of employees as such would have been very less. Another fact that supports this is that there was no Service sector in the economy as such back then, so no white collar professionals or knowledge workers either ...
~ Ankit Bhalerao ~
Well said! I agree with your frustantion.To an extent, it seems reasonable.But merely being business minded, would cover up the bigger picture."I am a educated, concerned and aware citizen. These issues are real and must be addressed. But they are for the Government to solve. That's why they get elected. That's why they get all freebies and facilities from the State." Do the issues exist only because of poor governance? Nopes! We as citizen, also have a big hand in crippling the pace of development work.Does merely paying taxes can ensure that you get the worth out of that? We talk of water scarcity,poor roads etc. How many times have we ensured that basic resources are not wasted? Things can change dramatically if we carry out small steps towards saving water, cleanliness etc.Well! how many times have we ensured that if we pee, we shouldn't empty the entire flushing tank! How many times we have ensured that we close the tap while shaving. These are basic activities which can help us save atleast a mug of water.Imagine if whole of India does this, we can save lot of water and thus the amount of water saved can reach those who need it.
Thnx , as I was searching 4 ur blogs ,Got this one liked it.
I loved the content ..Keep writing
marvelous piece of thinking...
The problem is that we have got so accustomed to the system that we have considered the framework in which we are to design our solutions as a "given".No one questions it, forget suggesting an alternative one. Even the newspaper editorials nowadays seem to be ignoring this role... which further augments my praise for this blog entry.
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