Tax! For what?

My parents pay tax! My friends pay tax! In my opinion, any responsible citizen of our country should pay tax. But in reality, only a handful, follow the norm. Are they wrong on their part? Aren't they proud of our nation? Are they being a bad advertisement for the welfare of the society? 

Before I answer these questions, we should first understand why do we pay taxes? The answer is pretty simple. It's for us only that we pay the taxes. Whatever money we pay in the form of various taxes, comes back to us in various forms - infrastructure (roads, flyovers, stadiums etc.), various schemes for the welfare of society, subsidies etc.

We pay taxes only to be benefited. But is it really happening? For a common man, it is not! Every now and then, we read, hear and speak about various scams. The word "Scam" has become a household name now. The CWG scam, the S-band scam, the Coal block scam, the housing scam, the PDS scam etc the list is too long. As tax payers, it hurts when we come to know that the money which should have been spent on us, the money that we earned after putting in our blood and sweat, actually went in the pockets of the corrupt. It makes us feel angry and acts as a deterrent to our willingness (if any left) to pay the exchequer. 

In my opinion, corruption is the biggest deterrent to the taxpayers' willingness to pay tax. According to some reports earlier this year, both the direct as well as indirect collection figures have seen a downfall. Government missed the targets for tax collections and this had some serious impact on the already dismal current account deficit numbers.

Also, the taxes an Indian pays, are quite high as compared to many other nations.

The Tax slabs speak for themselves:

India Income tax slabs 2012-2013 for General tax payers

Income tax slab (in Rs.)	Tax
0 to 2,00,000	No tax
2,00,001 to 5,00,000	10%
5,00,001 to 10,00,000	20%
Above 10,00,000	30%

India Income tax slabs 2012-2013 for Female tax payers

Income tax slab (in Rs.)	Tax
0 to 2,00,000	No tax
2,00,001 to 5,00,000	10%
5,00,001 to 10,00,000	20%
Above 10,00,000	30%

India Income tax slabs 2012-2013 for Senior citizens (Aged 60 years but less than 80 years)

Income tax slab (in Rs.)	Tax
0 to 2,50,000	No tax
2,50,001 to 5,00,000	10%
5,00,001 to 10,00,000	20%
Above 10,00,000	30%

India Income tax slabs 2012-2013 for very senior citizens (Aged 80 and above)

Income tax slab (in Rs.)	Tax
0 to 5,00,000	No tax
5,00,001 to 10,00,000	20%
Above 10,00,000

Already, the collection targets have been revised for the current fiscal. Government says that it hopes for a turnaround this year. They may be going for various schemes for early returns, they may try to attract taxpayers with certain discounts but in the long run, all these measures will fall short.

If we are really serious about the present situation then we need to hit the nail on its head. But at present the government doesn't seem to be bothered about the scenario. Had they been really serious, then we would have already seen some serious anti graft measures. The Lokpal bill would have received some serious thoughts and there would have been some serious discussions in the parliament. But can we expect this from our politicians who themselves are under fire? From Raja Bhaiya to P Chidambaram, no one seems to be clean. 

Today, there seems to be absolutely no confusion for what the government is asking for the taxes or where the hard earned money of the taxpayer go. Isn't it the case?

One should not expect too much but too less is simply unacceptable. Change won't happen in a single night, it will take time but looking at the present scenario, it seems as if we might have to wait for another 60 years before we will be able to enjoy freedom from our not so respected and tainted politicians. 

I may be sounding a bit pessimistic but unfortunately that's the truth. One could only hope for a turnaround but not an immediate one. Always remember, "Slow and steady wins the race", the problem is that we have been too slow and have never been steady in our approach. As a result, we have reached a point that could have been avoidable had we shown a bit of urgency and seriousness. But thankfully it’s neve too late! Jai Hind.

A Disabled System!

I came across a real life experience of Mr. Visshal, who got admission to one of the highest ranked institution in the field of Designing, National Institute of Design, Ahmadabad. But the poor state of infrastructure and facilities for the physically challenged, made it very difficult for Visshal's education.

Like Visshal, many deserving students lose out because of the disabled system we have in place. It's time to wake up and take actions. A petition has already been written by a responsible citizen of our nation, to the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Manmohan Singh. I am providing the link to the petition. Kindly sign the petition and contribute to the cause. After all, it's a question of our nation's future.

Link to the Petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/aagaaz/

Visshal's story in his words: http://vishalsaw.blogspot.in/2012/06/admission-at-national-institute-of.html?spref=tw

Hope we all will come forward to help and prove that unlike the authorities, we are not sleeping. Jai Hind.

Important Information!!!!!!!!!

On the occasion of 'World No Tobacco' day, Nicorette, manufacture of tobacco cessation products, launched 'National Tobacco Cessation Quit Line'. A gift to the entire nation, the helpline is toll-free.

Following, are the important points that we need to know:-

What is it?

A Quitline for all those who are serious about their lives and want to quit Tobacco. This quitline is designed to help tobacco users by answering their queries, formulating a personalised quit plan depending on their tobacco consumption pat-tern (cigarettes, beedis and other forms of chewing tobacco) and supporting them through the entire 12 week journey of quitting tobacco through a combination of phone calls, text messages, emails and hand deliveries. 

Helipline Number (Toll-free):- 1800 227787

When?

The national quitline can be reached daily from 9 am to 9 pm from May 31 onwards.  

Any charges?

No, absolutely free of charge!

Language, a barrier?

No, Callers will receive tobacco cessation counselling in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali.

Who can use?

All tobacco users, friends and families of tobacco users and even healthcare practitioners seeking to provide tobacco cessation therapy for their patients.

Media of Help!

To support the telephone counselling, callers wanting on-ground support will be referred to a local Tobacco Intervention Initiative (TII) center of the Indian Dental Association (IDA).  At each center, dentists trained

in tobacco cessation will help tobacco users give up their addiction and improve their health. Currently there are 500 TII centers across India. 

What's the proof?

o Studies show that proactive telephone counselling is an effective intervention for tobacco cessation and achieves 56 per cent increase in quit rates as compared to self-help, since a large number of tobacco users want to quit but do not know how to do it effectively. The World Health Organisation recommends quitlines as an essential part of any tobacco-control-effort since they are easily accessible, cost-effective and proven

tools to increase the quit suc-cess rate. 

o The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (2009-2010) shows that one third of all adults in India use tobacco in some form or the other and over 35 per cent of them want to quit this habit. However, inaccessibility to treatment, lack of support and low levels of awareness has been the major hindrances in determining

low success rates. 

How it works?

Nicorette is a stop-tobacco quit aid in the form of a sugar-free nicotine gum. It helps to reduce nicotine cravings that make quitting tobacco so hard. Nicorette, based on the principal of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), is nicotine bound to a sugarless chewing gum base. It provides therapeutic (clean) nicotine slowly and in lesser quantities than what a cigarette or chewing tobacco pro-vides but also just enough to

satisfy the cravings. Unlike chewing tobacco and cigarette smoke, it delivers nicotine which is devoid of any

harmful chemicals like tar, irritants, carbon monoxide and nitrosamines, and hence is safer.

So, what are you (tobacco users) waiting for? Just call and do yourself and others some good!

What a waste......

I am a Shah Rukh Khan (Aka SRK) fan. I watched all the Kolkata Knight Riders (Aka KKR) matches just because of him.(Though i reside in Delhi) I was happy that after four frustrating seasons, his team finally got over the line. Yes, KKR is now the IPL Champs!

So, it was time to celebrate. We saw SRK completely losing his mind in joy. He was dancing, hugging the KKR players, running the ground's lengths and more. He even did a couple of cartwheels for his fans.

Moreover, either out of joy or out of realization, he even apologized to his fans for his uncalled-for behavior at Wankhade Stadium. It's good that at least he did that. A man of his stature should act more responsibly than what he did.

But this is not what i am actually writing this post for. Last week, the world witnessed a state which is among the poorest in India, opening its safe (and its heart!) to celebrate and honor KKR staff, owners and the team. 

It's not a bad or a wrong thing that West Bengal Chief Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee herself hosted the event. It's also not wrong that it was only a franchise rather than the national team for which the celebrations were on! The viewers enjoyed the scenes. I have seen my friends posting pictures of the event on Facebook. I am not against the celebrations at all!

But what i am against is the fact that it was the taxpayers' money which was spent in organizing the event. Already, the tax slabs in our country (at the state level), appear as a burden. The situation is gruesome. People don't want to pay taxes. They say that their money is being plundered by our beloved netaji. Well, there is proof. The huge sums that our politicians have assimilated in the banks abroad are evident to what the common man's thinking is. 

But this time there was not the same old "stealing" thing. This was a whole different ball game! (how appropriate) After, KKR defeated Chennai Superkings (Aka CSK) in the final of DLF IPL 5, Trinamool congress (ruling party, West Bengal) had their own plans. Unfortunately, they simply don't get the big picture. 

Unfortunate or............: 

The infamous fire at Kolkata's AMRI hospital last year

(Official figure: about 89 people choked to death)

The sixth largest state in terms of economy (2009-10) has remained affected by political instability and bad governance. The state continues to suffer from regular bandhs (strikes), a low Human Development Index level, substandard healthcare services, a lack of socio-economic development, poor infrastructure, political corruption and civil violence.The state is in dire state. Whenever a company shows any willingness about entering the state they are left in awe! No water, no electricity, no land, no infrastructure is what they are told. Only thing that the ruling party's willing to share with them is "love"! So, no investment whatsoever! This is only one of the reasons why West Bengal is suffering! 

Presently, West Bengal is amongst the worst performing states in the country. Its image has been tarnished locally, nationally and internationally by its inefficient and ineffective leadership. The victory can't change the fact that still there are babies dying mysteriously in the hospitals, still there is a question mark on the state of the fire safety units in public and private establishments, still there is no improvement in the unmanageable debt situation in the state, still the common man can't speak his mind freely and what to say about corruption!

Has there been any "poriborton", Ms. Banerjee? By just handing out gold chains to a bunch of wealthy people, you are simply displaying your ignorance towards to other part of the society. And we should not forget that this season of IPL was indeed an eye opener for all the cricket lovers. We got to see the many dark sides of the tournament. So, how can we celebrate the victory in such a manner? Has the leadership of West Bengal completely lost it? Probably, Yes! 

Rather than displaying generosity towards the affluent ones, Ms. Banerjee needs to have a closer look at the big picture. She needs to understand that it were the people of West Bengal who trusted her and gave her a chance to bring a change to the state. I must say that till date, all has gone wrong. People have started having second thoughts. These are gravest of times and to celebrate that too on the exchequer's money, is definitely not a good idea. So, Ms. Banerjee, kindly wake up, before it's too late! It has been just a waste of time and money by you and co. so far!