AfricaPress-Tanzania: WHILE launching the anti-corruption war, the Fifth Phase government under President John Pombe Magufuli (JPM) has witnessed ongoing high profile court cases, establishing the anti-graft special court and dismissing public officials suspected to be corrupt, all in the name of assuring the citizens that taxpayers’ money must be spent where it deserves and accurately and to their satisfaction.
To put this in perspective, by 2015 the country had lost to the tune of at least Sh400 billion from the national budget to corruption and mismanagement, which could have addressed mostly the three enemies of the nation namely-poverty, ignorance, and diseases.
From this angle, tax irrespective of its name, is another life source for the government’s sustenance and no government can sustain itself without tax.
Remember this is a government of the people and by the people, installed in power democratically, hence must be also guarded and funded by the same people.
In the course, the citizens’ tax money goes a long way in funding the same government’s programmes, which are solely meant to address challenges in the communities, where the same people live.
There is no government in the world today that does not collect tax in one way or another, and the reason is to sustain itself, and this should be repeatedly pointed out to the citizens that it is their obligation and not any outsider to do this on their behalf.
This implies that we should be patriotic to this life source in order to keep the nation functioning, and stop depending on donors, who would be willing to assist with strings attached ranging from cultural compromises to our own ways of life.
That said, tax is essential to help the government give us protection, build better roads and bridges, institutions and provide social infrastructures. The money you pay in taxes goes to many places.
In addition to paying the salaries of government workers, your tax also helps to support common resources, such as police and firefighters and above all purchasing drugs for public hospitals.
Tax money helps to ensure the roads you travel on are safe and well-maintained. Taxes fund public libraries and parks.
Taxes are also used to fund many types of government programmes that help the poor and less fortunate, as well as many schools!
The list may be long and as a citizen, pay taxes and when it comes to managing it, the President has shown by examples that whoever would try to tamper with taxpayers money (read sweat) would be taking chances with the law. Let us support the Fifth Phase government in this drive.
