There are two types of taxes – direct taxes and indirect taxes. Indirect taxes are those taxes which are imposed on goods and services. As everyone purchases goods and services, so all pay Indirect taxes. I am talking about direct taxes. Direct taxes are those taxes which are imposed on the income or profit of an individual or organization or corporate.
There is a general tendency among people to avoid the payment of direct taxes. Obviously, there are many reasons for this. Still, I think we should pay direct taxes voluntarily. Why I am saying this? There are reasons for it. I will try to explain it in the following way.
First, whenever you pay direct taxes, you realise that your money is utilized for the development of the country’s infrastructure. That infrastructure may be in the form of physical assets like roads, bridges, and dams or intangible assets like schools, hospitals, research and development or human resources. Thus, you realise that you are indirectly the owner of these assets i.e. tangible as well as intangible. Once you accept that you are the owner, you get the feeling of patriotism and ownership.
What is patriotism? Patriotism is nothing but the moral obligation of an individual to a political boundary. If you become a patriot, you will never destroy the assets or wealth of a country in any case whether it be communal violence, strike or in political anarchy. You will always try to preserve or protect it.
To conclude, Patriotism is an abstract concept which should be taught only through abstract concepts like taxes.
