It’s time they all paid up!

Timely articles have appeared recently about the fact that a privileged few – top government servants and MPs – do not contribute to the coffers. Natasha Gunaratne writing in The Sunday Times of September 9 and Central Province Tax Payers on 22/9, have drawn our attention in this regard.

Article 12 (1) of the Constitution enshrines that all Sri Lankans are equal before the law. The MPs craftily pass laws, exempting themselves from paying Income Tax and other taxes and voting themselves perks and luxuries, thus putting themselves above this Article 12 (1) – a case of “all are equal, but some are more equal!”

A few years ago, when a portion of Windsor Castle accidentally burnt down, the British tax payers were up in arms about having to restore it, at their expense. Because of this hue and cry, the Queen decided to bow to the peoples’ will and became a tax payer (for the first time in the history of the monarchy).

At this juncture, when we are successfully weakening the LTTE and therefore incurring a heavy dollar debt, all our govt. servants too, should come into the tax net, voluntarily. The President, MPs and all other high-earning govt. servants, should start paying taxes on all sources of their income, just as we ordinary citizens do. The country is in dire need of cash to contain the unbelievable cost of living (C.o.L.).

If something is not done soon, it will make rogues and criminals of good people. Come on Your Excellency and the other Honourables, please become tax payers!

By S.T. Pereira, Pannipitiya