Taxes paid, cheated, wasted
The Aquino government, against its better judgment, has started reloading P1,200 into the Pantawid Pasada fuel cards it earlier issued to public utility drivers. To its mind, this is the best solution to the problem of runaway fuel prices.
Pantawid Pasada hews closely to a parallel P32 billion conditional cash doleout under the broader Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program that President Aquino insists is helping people rise above poverty, a claim flatly and repeatedly rejected by every available survey on poverty.
It is incredible how Aquino can be so simplistic in his approach to solving the problem of poverty. He seems totally convinced that the only way out of poverty is to give money away to the poor instead of providing them opportunities to work, earn and make their own lives better.
The giving away of so much cash to the poor is disadvantageous to the country because it is an investment that does not guarantee any return, except perhaps to ensure that the poor do not rebel against the government when there is no more food on the table.
Such a useless and unwise investment is money diverted away from basic services paid for by taxpayers and from infrastructure projects that could have spurred development meant to earn more for government.
Not that government should neglect the poor. But simply giving money away is not the way to help them. Besides, why should government tax ordinary citizens through the nose only to give their tax money away to people who do not even pay taxes.
What government should do is give tax breaks to ordinary citizens, the salaried workers and wage-earners who make up the bulk of those who religiously pay their taxes and go after the businessmen, politicians and professionals who cheat on theirs.
How could Aquino, who has a vested interest in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona and must be keenly observing all proceedings, miss the politicians and lawyers at the hearings and not wonder whether they are paying the proper taxes.
If Aquino is not oblivious to his surroundings, he must have read those reports by his own internal revenue officers that professionals such as doctors and lawyers only pay an average of P5,000 per year in income taxes. That is less than what “daang matuwid” teachers pay.