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Sierra Leone: Why Tax?
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Concord Times (Freetown)
OPINION
16 July 2008
Posted to the web 16 July 2008
Josef Dennis Coroma
Freetown
What is tax?
Why should we pay tax?
What is the essence of tax?
These are some of the numerous questions, frequently asked by many people especially during the just concluded local council elections although there was a time when it was politically twisted for political supremacy by the two political parties, some comment negatively whiles the other party comment on it negatively.
Diverse comprehension of what tax is had left a scene of poor tax collection initially in the country especially in the Freetown municipality. With respect to other definitions presented by different scholars, base on my knowledge about it, tax is a system of income generation wherein citizens pay a certain sum of money for a considerable period.
The payment of tax is one of the duties and responsibilities of citizens to contribute towards national development. Recently we heard the candidates for Mayorship making eloquent speeches about the modernization of the city to international standards, but my fellow Sierra Leoneans, where do we expect that money to come from?
It is only through the tax we pay if we want our country to move permanently from the bottom of world rating we must make tax payment a must. Biblically Jesus Christ was asked why they should pay tax, his reply was "give to Caeser what belongs to Caeser", a female superstar by the name of Celine Dion stated in one of her tracks that "...tax is inevitable".
My fellow citizens, why should we be stubborn to pay taxes? Let's pay and see how they manage it. If they mismanage the tax collected, we all know what to do without sentiments.
I was shocked when I heard journalists from a renowned radio station making these utterances "the wrong thing at the wrong time". What do they mean by wrong time? Not that I'm attacking them for their ineptitude to know the significance of paying tax but for them supporting novice or encouraging them not to pay tax is the case in point here.
Besides city council's effort, by airing this tax issue and other related bye laws through the numerous media channels, I believe it's one of our constitutional rights and responsibilities to honour tax.
I have strong conviction that there is no family in this country that does not have one of its members in first world countries. Relatives usually mentioned the word tax and explain what it is. Americans questioned the Bush sometimes back that they are wasting the tax payers money through the Iraq war not donors money.
In the implementation of decentralization, tax collection serves accurately. One will be left to think on this notion that "if not tax, what next? Then a call of tax payment should be of every urge as its essence is to help central government to meet the serious and desperate needs of proper and adequate communal facilities, that will promote national growth, citizens welfare and thus bring state and peoples partnership especially in third world (under develop) nations.
Secondly tax is being imposed to aid countries like ours to be independent. I have strong conviction that tax is a catalyst to development.
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Josef Dennis Coroma B. Sc. Development Studies II St. Clements University Freetown Chapter
I'm very proud to pay my tax because it is one of my duties as a citizen of this coumtry to pay tax.England as well as other countries of the world don't have any natural rersources where they depend on, but they are among the world's most developed nations, where do you think they gain their developement from? It's just because you can't stay in those countries without you paying your tax irrespective of whosoever you are. My fellow Sierra Leoneans, if everybody in Sierra Leone pays their taxes, i promise in three years time if not misappropriated, we'll... [Read Full Text]
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