One fine day, you get an offer from a seemingly stable firm after applying quite a number of times from other companies. You get attracted at the compensation and benefits and so you said yes. Early next morning, you intended to make the best first impression so you dress up and prepare for the entire day. You left the house earlier than usual because you don’t want to be late for work. You decided to take MRT, to avoid traffic. Although there were already a number of people queuing for the train, you figured you’ll still make it on time. Upon arrival at the office, you realized you haven’t taken your breakfast yet. And so, making use of the little extra time you still have, you decided to have a hearty breakfast at a fast-food chain nearby. You go for a two-piece pancake and a hot coffee. You suddenly glanced at the numbers in your receipt. The amount you ordered, plus VAT. It’s only a small amount, you uttered to yourself, and so you simply ignore it. Ready for the day, you went up the office and were greeted by an average-looking man. This is it, you told yourself. He introduced you to the whole group, you smiled. You talk a bit, then, he handed over your contract. It says the exact figure offered and the 2% tax to be deducted monthly. You agreed and signed. You were able to adjust after a couple of months and your boss was quite impressed with your performance. You are about to sign a probationary contract, you are quite confused, you don’t know what to feel. Is this good because finally you’ll be a step closer to getting a regular position? You think about it for a second because you’re quite bothered, not about the new salary you’ll get, but at how many % will your tax deduction be. Years passed by and you get used to the system already. A typical day for you, you wake up at around a couple of hours early for your work so you won’t be caught in traffic. You just live nearby but it would take about 30 minutes to 1 hour to get to your office. Had it not been for the traffic, 5 minutes would do. What can be better than that? Upon arrival at your office, you eat breakfast at a canteen. You normally avoid fast-food chains because instead of paying for what you ordered only, you have to pay the VAT and the municipal tax. During lunch, you decided to eat at a fine resto to pamper yourself; you pay the same taxes, plus an additional service charge. In the afternoon, you receive your pay slip and you tend to ignore the deductions. But you feel heavy because it keeps on rumbling inside your head and so you ended up with a calculator in your hand. What?! A 25% tax?! You realized – it pays to be single. You go to a grocery store nearby to buy food for a week, you pay taxes. You buy appliances for your home, again inclusive of taxes. You buy a new dress to attend an important event, you pay for the same. You buy Christmas presents for your nephews and nieces, still you pay for taxes. At a specialty bookstore, you buy a good book to read during the weekend, you pay for taxes. The reckoning seems endless inside your head. You realized that about 50% of your income goes to various taxes. Of the many employed Filipinos, the government must be a super billionaire by now, you thought. But what is it that you see? Street children knocking at the doors of your car, begging for money. Roads filled with cars, buses, jeepneys and trucks putting up with heavy traffic. News on TV tells you how high are our debts to banks outside the country. And yet, dollar value is depreciating. When you go to a government office to process some documents, you either get a sluggish or an irritating government staff that will certainly get into your nerves. If you get lucky, you’ll get your request within the day but more often than not, you have to wait and come back another time. The best of the bests is this: seldom will you find a government office where queuing for requests is easy. Are they understaffed? No, you don’t think so because just around the corner of that same office you’ll find either a dozing staff or those busy exchanging gossips. This is what you pay for, by the way.
Now, who doesn’t hate government taxes?? I’m sure everyone does.
O diba, Bwisit talaga yang gobyerno na yan…salamantalang sila buhay hari at reyna…lalo na pag trapik kala mo kung sino may wangwang pa dapat nga tayo ung indi na tatrapik tayo ung nagpapasweldo sa kanila….sarap patayin
