Ravings of a Taxpayer

I’ve always tried to convince myself that honesty and paying the correct taxes is good as it generates jobs, sends poor and deserving kids to school, provides social assistance and housing to displaced families, blardy-blardy-blar. And as the Great Master said, give to Ceasar what is due Ceasar, and give God what is due Him.

That’s why when I was working as some sort of an OFW (I won’t go into the details because it’s complicated), I would set aside a portion of my salary for taxes. I even sought the help of a lawyer on how to pay my taxes since the BIR’s rules on taxation were unclear for someone with my situation. I insisted, because I thought it was the right thing to do, and I didn’t want any trouble 10 years down the road. I insisted on paying them even if the lawyers thought me crazy.

Maybe they were right. Maybe I was crazy.

Because five years after, things have not improved one bit. In fact, they have worsened exponentially. The city roads (still) have potholes and uneven pavements. Hello!! Potholes on a city road???

Because five years after, tuition fees have increased but the quality of education has dwindled (and it still is).  If it takes a first year high school student two minutes to mentally solve for the product of 5 and 25 and says Mathematics are her favorite subject, one is inclined to ask where his taxes have gone.

I almost had a infarction when I learned that one needs at least P24,000 to send a kid to high school.

So much for committing to a lost cause.

Recently, the tax department wants to revive a pre-existing law that taxes the voluntary contributions (to SSS, Philhealth, Pag-Ibig) in excess of the maximum amount.

Whatever their reasons are for this new measure, I’m sorry but I just do not feel that they are justified, reasonable or practical. It’s already difficult as it is to stretch one’s net salary nowadays. And to add to the burden by increasing the deductibles and decreasing the take-home pay is just inhuman.

Everyone knows the solution to the drying coffers is not increased taxation, but efficient tax collection. If they just got their acts together and thought of better ways to monitor and run after tax evaders, then they would not have to think of these outrageous means to further bleed the citizens dry.

I do not mind paying my taxes, as long as I see where how it’s being managed. And I am sure the rest of the working population in the Philippines would not, either.

But alas! What to do? Deductions are automatic! And we all have to live with it.