Taxed to death
At the dawn of their existence on Earth, humans - driven by the need for food and other essential resources — began to collaborate, a process that initially manifested in the simplest yet most sustainable socio-political structures known to history: bands. The egalitarian and decentralised polity, along with subsistence- and barter-based economies, made each member's efforts within the band central to security and survival against threats from nature and invasions.
However, as societies marched toward political centralisation and complexities — such as pastoralism, horticulture, agriculture, industry and knowledge — so did the terms of socio-political and economic engagement between the rulers and the ruled. The resultant managerial complexities and need for collective welfare required significant capital investment in the name of taxes collected from the subjects. Thus, taxes are ideally meant to benefit the very people from whom they are collected, with their amount reflecting the efficiency of service delivery and the potential for public prosperity.
Societies with a relatively transparent, legitimate and accountable contract between the rulers and the ruled collect and utilise taxes and public resources for inclusive prosperity. The prosperity of people in developed parts of the world is both a cause and a manifestation of legitimate and competent leadership, a realistic strategic culture, transparency and the rule of law. In contrast, those operating in obscurantism exhibit extractive taxation and employ Orwellian and Machiavellian methods to reinforce encroachment and vested interests over their populations, with our society being no exception.
This is manifested in the disproportionate and seemingly irreconcilable divides across political, social, economic, nutritional, healthcare and legal domains between the public and the privileged elite: the civil, military bureaucracy, judiciary, clergy, media, capitalist and corporate elites, political dynasties and others who abet and benefit from the capture. Notably, this elite group accords itself tax exemptions and free, steady access to services, while the public exclusively bears a disproportionate tax burden without commensurate benefits.
To add to the divide, the architects and abettors of the current hybrid dispensation have astronomically increased their perks and reduced taxes on luxury items exporters and retailers, while exorbitantly overburdening and taxing the public, particularly the middle and salaried classes, to death. One might rightly question the rationale behind, and the veracity of, the oft-claimed and practiced disparity, as well as the lending institutions' purported antipathy toward the poor, working and salaried classes.
Just look at the differential reliefs and taxes on luxury vehicles, motorbikes and vegetable oil, and you will no longer be surprised by the status quo's self-sustaining efforts — deliberately pushing the salaried, and middle classes to struggle at the bottom of Maslow's pyramid, and the farmer and labouring classes even below it.
Interestingly enough, despite being unjustifiably taxed, people are neither healthy nor educated, neither well-nourished nor secure. Instead, most taxpayers are forced to purchase — at lavish prices — private healthcare, education, security, and utilities, often owned and operated by the very elites who collect taxes under the promise of delivering these services. This justifies the deliberate deterioration of the delivery of public services and the erosion of public institutions.
Today, people are dying from starvation, lawlessness, disease, injustice and poverty, while the incumbent extension of the status quo has, of its own accord, mandated itself — regardless of the cost — to ensure its own survival. The media, journalists and writers, bar councils, press clubs and any other perceived or potential threats have all been coerced or lured as peer beneficiaries feasting on the public agonies. Meanwhile, the superior judiciary ensures that the aggrieved public is left to await divine justice.
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Express Tribune
05-07-2025
- Express Tribune
Taxed to death
Listen to article At the dawn of their existence on Earth, humans - driven by the need for food and other essential resources — began to collaborate, a process that initially manifested in the simplest yet most sustainable socio-political structures known to history: bands. The egalitarian and decentralised polity, along with subsistence- and barter-based economies, made each member's efforts within the band central to security and survival against threats from nature and invasions. However, as societies marched toward political centralisation and complexities — such as pastoralism, horticulture, agriculture, industry and knowledge — so did the terms of socio-political and economic engagement between the rulers and the ruled. The resultant managerial complexities and need for collective welfare required significant capital investment in the name of taxes collected from the subjects. Thus, taxes are ideally meant to benefit the very people from whom they are collected, with their amount reflecting the efficiency of service delivery and the potential for public prosperity. Societies with a relatively transparent, legitimate and accountable contract between the rulers and the ruled collect and utilise taxes and public resources for inclusive prosperity. The prosperity of people in developed parts of the world is both a cause and a manifestation of legitimate and competent leadership, a realistic strategic culture, transparency and the rule of law. In contrast, those operating in obscurantism exhibit extractive taxation and employ Orwellian and Machiavellian methods to reinforce encroachment and vested interests over their populations, with our society being no exception. This is manifested in the disproportionate and seemingly irreconcilable divides across political, social, economic, nutritional, healthcare and legal domains between the public and the privileged elite: the civil, military bureaucracy, judiciary, clergy, media, capitalist and corporate elites, political dynasties and others who abet and benefit from the capture. Notably, this elite group accords itself tax exemptions and free, steady access to services, while the public exclusively bears a disproportionate tax burden without commensurate benefits. To add to the divide, the architects and abettors of the current hybrid dispensation have astronomically increased their perks and reduced taxes on luxury items exporters and retailers, while exorbitantly overburdening and taxing the public, particularly the middle and salaried classes, to death. One might rightly question the rationale behind, and the veracity of, the oft-claimed and practiced disparity, as well as the lending institutions' purported antipathy toward the poor, working and salaried classes. Just look at the differential reliefs and taxes on luxury vehicles, motorbikes and vegetable oil, and you will no longer be surprised by the status quo's self-sustaining efforts — deliberately pushing the salaried, and middle classes to struggle at the bottom of Maslow's pyramid, and the farmer and labouring classes even below it. Interestingly enough, despite being unjustifiably taxed, people are neither healthy nor educated, neither well-nourished nor secure. Instead, most taxpayers are forced to purchase — at lavish prices — private healthcare, education, security, and utilities, often owned and operated by the very elites who collect taxes under the promise of delivering these services. This justifies the deliberate deterioration of the delivery of public services and the erosion of public institutions. Today, people are dying from starvation, lawlessness, disease, injustice and poverty, while the incumbent extension of the status quo has, of its own accord, mandated itself — regardless of the cost — to ensure its own survival. The media, journalists and writers, bar councils, press clubs and any other perceived or potential threats have all been coerced or lured as peer beneficiaries feasting on the public agonies. Meanwhile, the superior judiciary ensures that the aggrieved public is left to await divine justice.
Express Tribune
14-06-2025
- Express Tribune
The insecurity of power
Listen to article For millennia, humankind has feared ferocious beasts, unforeseen calamities, "divine retributions", forces beyond comprehension, and natural phenomena beyond their control. Notwithstanding the powerlessness and inherent ignorance in prehistoric times, some individuals seized opportunities to emerge as leaders — such as the 'big men' or chiefs — who embodied mythical figures like Prometheus, Heracles, Theseus, Perseus, Apollo and Asclepius, selflessly pursuing their people's welfare and guiding them, however briefly and imperfectly, to safety and light. This was primarily because the legitimacy of most of them was rooted in transparency, proven abilities and a consensus built sincerely, albeit informed by limited knowledge. However, as societies became more complex and knowledgeable, so did the rules of legitimacy and the nature and scope of transactions between the rulers and the ruled. The evolution of language, which drives reason, logic and philosophy, has equipped humans with reliable tools to examine themselves and their environment, shedding light on their ignorance and gaining a deeper understanding of their surroundings. From nascent reasoning to the Socratic and dialectical methods, and from the Age of Enlightenment and the Renaissance to the dawn of the scientific method, all helped liberate humankind from threats - real or perceived - posed by nature and from fears rooted in nature's apparent meaninglessness or the metaphorical tabula rasa of human cognition. These developments, which have dispelled the fog of ignorance and introduced humanity to greater knowledge, ethical understanding and political education, should ideally have fostered greater transparency in statesmanship and collective affairs, promoting an informed collective will and legitimacy in statecraft. However, greater knowledge has fostered enlightened deceit and hypocrisy, which perpetuate carefully controlled ignorance or empower influential figures with vested interests in society, thus fostering opacity and undermining legitimacy in modern statecraft and statesmanship. This manifests, among other ways, in the rising authoritarianism and securitisation of democracies worldwide. Under the guise of the people's will, totalitarian and Orwellian tendencies are being fostered by the very institutions and leaders tasked with upholding democratic values. Consequently, hard power and brute force supplant the collective public will, imposing self-serving policies that disregard the interests of the people. Although marked by authoritarianism and disdain for the people's will, such regimes rarely abandon democratic forms entirely for three reasons: First, a democratic façade shields them from international sanctions. Second, it legitimises their authority under the pretense of democracy. Third, it sustains false hope among the populace, thereby deterring rebellion against those in power. This is because, unless informed, transparent and popular, those in power - whether individuals or institutions — tend to channel most of their resources and energy into masking their insecurities, sustaining their authority, and guarding their misdeeds against potential retribution. In other words, power obtained through questionable means or brute force both stems from and reveals underlying insecurities, driving all efforts to maintain it. This underlying insecurity of power ultimately and inevitably succumbs to the weights of its follies, corruption and abuse. Had it not been so, all the states that our status quo gets inspiration from would not have been consigned to the dustbin of history. Thus, rather than being lasting and self-sustaining, the autocratisation of democracy is both a cause and a manifestation of insecurity, fear of losing control, and potential retribution for wrongdoings. In other words, authoritarian power reflects the hidden insecurities of vested interests, ill-gotten resources, and fear of retribution for past transgressions. Like dogs or snakes that strike when threatened, authoritarian power escalates aggression toward its people as its insecurities deepen. These insecurities drive further aggression and unlawful acts, ultimately leading the regime to collapse under the burden of its errors, delusions and misdeeds.
Express Tribune
31-05-2025
- Express Tribune
From Standoff to Setback: Modi's Policies and India's Diplomatic Challenges
Modi says water once flowing out of India will now be retained and used domestically for India's interests. PHOTO: FILE Post Pak-India clashes scenario has once again established the fact that non resolution of Kashmir, water and terrorism issues would continue to hinder peace in the South Asian Region. Besides reestablishing Pakistan's conventional deterrence Pak-India standoff helped in revival of the Kashmir issue on the international stage, which served as a blow to India's diplomatic standing. Narendra Modi's wrong policies have not only led to disappointment for India diplomatically, moreover, his policy of bilateralism on Kashmir has suffered a significant setback. The Pakistan-China Institute (PCI) in its report titled 'Sixteen hours that reshaped South Asia' has termed Modi's flawed policies the main reason of severe blow to India's interests since India's defeat in 1962 war against China. Human history is replete with wounds inflicted by humans on other humans, but it is also true that societies, as they traverse the stages of cultural evolution, gradually begin to shed their animalistic tendencies. However, our misfortune is that we have a nation living in our neighborhood that still adheres to the philosophy of Machiavellian deceit and barbarism, as embodied by its political deity Chanakya, and its foreign policy is founded on the same philosophy. However, there is another side to the picture. The law of nature dictates that anything built on deceitful thinking will eventually decline. Not long ago, India had complete influence over all the small countries in the region, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Nepal, and its voice was paramount in these countries. But when India's true face was exposed, the world witnessed how India's puppet regime, in the form of Sheikh Hasina Wajed, met its ignominious end. To harm Pakistan's existence, India invested heavily in Afghanistan, establishing centers of terrorism and using its proxies to target CPEC, in an attempt to deprive the region of developmental progress. India is also working on a plan to eliminate China's presence in Pakistan and the Arabian Sea region. Despite India's continuous efforts to create differences between Pakistan and Afghanistan, recent diplomatic developments have strengthened ties between the two brotherly nations. China, emerging as a reliable regional partner, has further reinforced this trilateral alliance with a commitment to economic cooperation and mutual security. Afghanistan's formal inclusion in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) marks a new era, which has thwarted India's destructive designs. India's fabricated narratives have failed to isolate Pakistan, which has consistently demonstrated responsibility, restraint, and patience, as evident in the recent India-Pakistan conflict. While India continues to engage in provocations, Pakistan has shown utmost responsibility. In contrast, the region, home to two billion people, might become a victim of Modi's political vendetta and obsession – this is not leadership but preparation for collective destruction.
