Tax, Why are You Such a Burden?

It is December. It means not only Christmas celebrations, parties and vacations but also big tax deductions.

Since it is the last month of the year, it is expected that everyone especially those who are employed would receive their bonuses and extra compensations. It sounds like a lot of money, right? That was my impression before. Every time I heard my teachers complaining about their payrolls every December. I thought they were only being greedy. Now, it turns out I am the ones blubbering about what I saw on my pay slip. The world really is round!

Perfect attendance cash reward, Sick Leave and Vacation Leave conversions and 13th month pay are some of the things people expect to receive during this particular month. Of course, I am no exception. And speaking of which, I just received these extra compensations. Wohow! When I was in queue at the accounting window, I noticed people have a common reaction. The moment they open the slit of the envelope, their eyes grow big. There were expressions of shock and disappointment. My total deduction was a 5-digit figure.  Ouch! That’s a lot of money. Of course where else would it go other than the government?

I am very thankful of what I received, of course. Anything we receive is a blessing and every blessing is worth thanking.

I have seen in the news that there are a lot of big-time earners who are accused of tax evasion. I can’t blame them for hiding their total income. If I were in their shoes, perhaps I would do the same. The millions they have are the fruit of their hard labor. And seeing our sweat gone waste is a heartache. Paying tax doesn’t make sense if that will always be the case.

Having in mind that all those deductions from all employees would go to waste makes me heavy-hearted. If we could only see a Singapore-like improvement in our infrastructures and all government agencies, taxpayers wouldn’t feel robbed every December.

Our highway roads for example are a reflection of a turtle-moving system in the country. Teachers of all professions are the lowest paid. How could we keep competent teachers from leaving the country if we couldn’t provide them what they need? There are still so many public schools that almost look like pigpens. Look at some of our public airports and seaports. I don’t think those who are in charge even visit these places. I always hear it’s due to budget constraints. This is supposedly where our officials would show off their leadership skills and not on putting their names on public projects. 

It seemed like the only improvement that is very evident is the private property of MANY (but not all) government officials. They reap what they don’t sow… that is so unfair!