My Income-Tax Money and its Disappointing Returns..!!

With financial year ending, few days back we have received our form 16 to file our income tax return. Today when i am going through form 16, I am feeling literally disgruntle about my tax money payment to Indian government.

This disappointment is not because a lot of money going as tax, but there is no/enough return benefit or services from the government. I am just questioning to myself, is this money going to help in development of my country or help needy people through government funds or help in creating better services for people or it is just going in some corrupt politician’s Switzerland bank account?  I am filing my tax return as this month’s end dead line approaching with a feeling that I am throwing this money in gutter of corrupt politics. I am wondering what else we can do and come up with few suggestion to this problem, why government can’t provide a detail summary of investment they have done using my tax money. Don’t you think so people who are paying tax right to know where this money going?  Another approach will be tax payers should have rights to say or select to put his/her tax money with break ups in this particular areas/scheme of development from government or may be development of sustainable technologies? Never know this will help or not, but at least I feel that this will reveal out exact usage of money and reasons for lack of services which we face as problem from government.

There is another point to highlight about number of people who is paying taxes in India. From the article in economic times, I found that the number of income-tax payers are just about 35 million (2.9%) in a population of 1.2 billion. These 2.9 % people are mainly salaried people who have no choice (trying to hide earning from government) because employer has to cut their income tax. Looking at the number do you think that this taxation money will be enough to help out or give benefits to all 1.2 billion people? We sometime blame government for corruption, but first reason to get this corrupt government because we are corrupt. We, as in buyers, are responsible for buying things without any bill in all transactions and hence these retailers don’t pay any tax on it. So this money turned in as black money.   

At least to improve this, we as in people must buy things from mega retail store and use credit card/debit card for payment instead cash payment. This way money directly credited into bank account of retailers. So that at least whenever government/Tax Dept. wants to check the account of retailers, they can see transactions in store keeper’s bank account. Another approach what government can take is that, buyer’s needs to file all bills of its spending over the month to income-tax dept., so income-tax dept. know transactions of every shopkeepers from buyers submission and force them to pay right amount of tax and there is no way of hiding money here. Make more and more services online, so people don’t have to ask for favors to agents and government officers. This will give choice to people to avoid corruptions and favors. Making an online application for passport and Indian railway reservation is some of the big example which government has taken to improve situations and many more is in pipeline. Give extra/different benefits to the people who are paying taxes beyond some amount, this will help in encouraging to those who don't pay taxes at all.

At last file your tax return on time, pay right amount to tax on your earnings, question government about where did they spend our tax money?, and provide help in improving this country...!!

Process vs Power..

Few days back, a political party has announced its leader for upcoming election. It seems that a big move in terms of party’s next set of agenda and obstacle for country’s ruling party. The reason behind this movement was that new candidate has already proven track record at state level so expectation that this will help them at country level to make party’s position strong in upcoming election.

On a way back home from office, I was with my cab mates criticizing on this topic. Many were in a favor of this movement. They heard a lot of this candidate’s work at state level, development and change which he brought for betterment. But on the other side, we also heard that he did all these by taking all power in his own hands, more like one man army. Handling everything, keeping all powers with him, interferes in all and even small decision making as well, and not relying on processes which needs to be followed. It has shown more like King and his kingdom kind of ruling.

So the question arises from this discussion that which has more weightage, a process or power? As a democratic country, we believe in candidates and keeping our immense faith in him/her, we elect them and leave everything in their hands. After that they govern supreme power in the country. Then there are no boundaries which can keep them under control for not doing any corruption or using their power in selfish way, even though they do lot of development for country and solve many issues of mango people.

But, is this correct to give a power in one person’s hand instead of processes, by assuming that he will do all right things?

Giving a power to one person has shown very cruel and inhuman results. It has happened not only in politics but in many industries and even in religions. In my view we should give a power to processes. Let process decide what is right and what is wrong. Processes must hold supreme power to keep others in control – But these processes should be created, designed and placed in such a way that there shouldn't be any loopholes.

In a true democratic country, power must retain with people to elect right candidate and with processes to keep that candidate under surveillance.Choosing something good will stay for a while but if you foster an environment/process of making good forever, you will see many choices in future. I personally believe if processes are in placed properly, it will definitely help keeping under control of power’s wrong usage. Giving a chance to a right people for right position will definitely help, but also consider a notion that “human psyche has not shown definite behavior forever”. So you never know today’s good will become tomorrow’s worst.

So, ask for implementation of process and demand that they must be followed with due respect..!!

  

PS: This post shows my own personal views and they have no relation with any politics and political party in any way.

what is true Identity?

Few days back, I attended a lecture on Cosmos and the Universe. One of the most important things which I observed during lecture was that every scientific name which Professor was explaining was given on the basis of characteristic and behaviour of things. So the name itself was telling a very good story around it.

Suddenly I got (or rather caught) a thought, why can’t we give a name to human beings on the basis of their behaviour/nature or on their personality. It will surely be helpful for everyone to understand the other person just by knowing the name. Of course, it will difficult if there are multiple people with same personality but we can manage it by attaching the number at the last. Also we need to wait till the person grow up and we recognize his/her parameters.

I was just thinking what would be my name in that case. :) :) (Let's not discuss !!)

Every idea has one or two points which always resist you in implementation. (I seriously hate them…!!) Here in this case, what if the person changes his personality or basic nature over a period of time? Who will judge this? Also, the person needs to be agreed on his/her changes. I have seen that people gradually change with very little slope. So they don’t recognize the change very easily. If somebody tells them that you have changed, then they always ready with the answer, “I was like that only earlier” – even if the change is negative to positive.

So, I have no choice left before declaring my idea is actually fall under flop category. We can’t use above naming convention for mass of people where people are changing at every moment but very gradually.

However, our UID project will definitely help us as we are identifying the people based on number – a just 12 digit number. It is very long to remember, isn’t it?

I hope this complex 12 digit numbers will help us in true identification. As we all are holding many identities to recognize one individual person : Ration Card identity, Vote identity card, Passport, PAN Card, Driving licence, Phone number, Roll number in school, Employee No in Office, Bank account number in Bank and now this list has one more, a new Unique Identity Number.

It does not matter even if the person change his/her personality, behaviour or nature over a period of time. You will only be recognized based on this UID (Unique Identity Number). (At least in this life.)

I am very happy and waiting for rollout of UID all across my country.

Visit to Sea Link.. Mumbai..

Reading Economic Times analysis with numbers and figures helps you to imagine that how India is growing. But, if you want to see the actual growth then Sea Link is the best example to help you to compare those numbers with actual reality.

At the first moment, it’s really wondrous to me that such an excellent infrastructure is possible in India. Because I saw couple of links in western country and I thought when are we reaching to this level? But today the day, I can say proudly that we leap much faster and will definitely reach to appropriate level as per our capability.

I would say it is real example of excellent architecture and infrastructure growth in India.
Due to heavy rain, I couldn’t capture it into my camera.

On the contrary side, when I think then we realize that human always did expansion and growth on the cost of losing something which is very invaluable and important. While building such kind of bridge, if you imagine, how many sea creatures had been affected, died because of that. Also, lots of chemicals and lots of hard material dumped into the sea to just realize our dream and make our stand in world class infrastructure.

Till this time, we are limited to land, now we have started penetrating into the sea also.

I have read somewhere that the sea link built to reduce some amount of time while travelling between suburbs. But if you see from the high level perspective then we are actually reducing the amount of time for the calamity to strike on us. Also, we are making that process much faster.

Its already late, Bridge is already up and ready for inauguration.

Bantu observed Bribery in train...!!!

I am introducing the new character called Bantu. This is one of his real life incidents.

His travel was planned well in advance but he hasn’t booked the ticket thinking that “He will get the ticket very easily”. But your luck will not be in your favour every time because it’s luck. :) :)

With the waiting ticket, he got into the train and standing on the connection of the two bogies of the train. Thinking that today he has to go the whole way by standing like this. And suddenly the Ticket checker of the train for that particular bogie came.

Bantu asked him that “Is there any seat available? My ticket is in waiting list.”
TC replied:” No sir...!”
Then Bantu asked “Dekhona sir… if any cancellation of tickets…”
TC replied: “Then… you have to give me 200 bugs”

He suddenly got a jerk. He hasn’t meant in that direction. What is this? He thought that government has just increased 80% (biggest rise which he ever saw in the government job) rise into their salary and still this bugger asking for more money.

Even He saw many people giving him money to get the seat. He thought that there is no active law (of course a passive one is there) placed for this bribery happening in train. Even the police man who were there to save any accident which may happened in to the train were also part of this wonderful bribe game.

Bantu didn’t take the seat and sitting somewhere and thinking. Below is the thought running in his mind.
{

Don’t you think so that we are the biggest culprit to make this system really worse just for the sake of our flexibility and selfish advantages?

The whole night he was thinking about how we can fight against this. He recalled the movie called “Hindustani”. In that movie, a freedom fighter was killing both persons – “the one who is asking for bribe and the one who is offering bribe”.

Later on He thinks that it is not the practical solution. So, what can you do?

Then he realized that next time he has to book his ticket well in advance. So that he will easily get rid of this kind of thoughts or incidents. – Mostly all Indian ends up thinking like this.

}
What else we can do..?
This is one more incident I can add in my post “Have to be an Indian while you are in India”.

Have to be an Indian when you are in India

You are right..!! I am not exploring about the Indian nationality and their laws. My intent here is when you are staying in India, you have to adhere the characteristics of the Indian otherwise its difficult to live a life in India.

Below are the some of my observation :) :)

Most of them are interested in other’s life rather than thinking about their own life. Thanks to those prime time serials and their stories.

Can’t stop talking about the big ideas about the country and their improvement but when their responsibility come then they become invisible. Truly shown in movie “Mr India”

They will not forget to talk about and do celebration about their fellow Indian who achieved new heights in some other countries and took the pride that he or she was an Indian. But if you check about their nationality record, long back they have removed their name from Indian nationality and haven’t looked back.

“Let’s do a bit for environment and wild life conservation”. They do the discussion on such kind of topics sitting into the Air conditions conference room and also to attend this discussion they are coming into their own fabulous cars.

People are very religious in India and ready to fight for the religions. Even they are very keen to show that their customs and rituals are the highest in the world.

Many of them spent money eating in the big hotels. After that they order 60Rs Pan Masala for their own mouth fresheners but they resist in giving 10 bugs to the beggar who has not having anything since morning.

People play lots of wrong tricks to save their income tax and at the dinner table the same people discuss that government is not doing anything. Also, they are not at all interested in casting their votes!!!

If you are not interested in cricket then may be you will feel that you are out of caste sometime.

Most of them don’t know how to store the number in the phone directory but carrying black berry is their own way of showing fashion. They really don’t know what their need is. :) :) :)

If you think about daily problem then you really have to spend more energy for getting into the train or bus rather than working into the office; I think it is just your own will that will help you to get into the train or bus.

For them or rather for us (I would say) emotions are more important then the actual reality.

Lastly but the most important, you will find many such blogs saying many things about India and Indians. Actually speaking things are changing gradually. We are annoyed because the pace is very slow.
By the way I forgot to tell you that “INDIA is GREAT” -- It’s very important.