In an unprecedented
move the central government embroiled in myriad allegations of scandals;
displayed its gimmickry with its set of cards. The trump card being a suicidal
move; a move intended not to kill thyself, but the voters who foolishly voted
them to power.
The tricks
include, inviting the white man’s descendants to invest not in one but many
John companies, selling the properties of our grandchildren’s, taxing the
common man Inglish style .The English firangi
taxed our forefather’s salt, but our desi
‘Inglish Raj’ taxed our chulas.
These
anti-people measures were further substantiated by a 13 point quarter page reasoning by the petroleum ministry in various
national and vernacular dailies. (If the first move hasn’t cut a
deep wound, then take the salt. Of course you paid for the salt from your
taxes.) The taxpayer paid advertisement solicited alternatives to meet the
crisis. We explore a few missed alternatives here.
The excuse, 74%
of our crude oil is imported at international rates. May be true, but who
refines them? When PSU’s OMC’s are making losses, why is Ambani Sr the richest
man in India? How many of remaining 26% of oil rigs are under the control of
GOI?
Indian rupee
sharply depreciated against the rupee. Had we had honest ministers, we could
have mopped up windfall revenues on spectrum and our coal reserves. The money
earned could have been transformed into gold by RBI, rupee could have
appreciated and net importing country like India would have reaped enormous
benefits.
The state Governments
charge more taxes than the central Government, Classic case of- Passing the
buck. Why double tax a single commodity? When the petroleum products are taxed
at the source, why other taxes of different names? Why not a single tax by a
single statutory department?
44 % of LPG
consumers consume only 6 cylinders per annum. How many of them consume less
than 9 cylinders? Austerity should start from the palace. Why not cancel the
cylinder and petroleum bunk licenses cornered by politicians? Why the Fuel/ Transport
perk of the politician is never disturbed?
If revenue
increase by increase in taxation is only way out, one wonders why do we need a
hoard of imported NRI ‘western moles’ as economists in various advisory panels
and even at RBI boards?
Decades ago when Prime Ministers of India
lived on their salaries they bought their cars using car loans; our present day
municipal councilors buy their cars with hot cash. God knows what their
salaries and perks are? One simple suggestion that can stabilize the price is, ‘let
the politician pay the state for all his private travel expenses’. Why should
the IAF ferry Rahul Gandhi? Let him pay and many others like him pay the state
for their extra constitutional and private visits. It is not Indian society
that must realize the PNG burden but the Inglish
Neta should.
