Saima Ikram
Imagine having a road, an airport sign-board or an important building named after you.
In India, this is going to be true for many ‘good’ people who pay their tax regularly. In a proposal presented to improve the tax filing, the top 10 taxpayers in a district could well be given recognition for their moral and ethical service to the country.
Buildings, roads, monuments, new initiatives and even trains could well be named after them according to the annual Economic Survey.
Other steps may include priority boarding at airports and special ‘diplomatic’ type lanes at the immigration counters for these taxpayers.
In a Government report presented by India’s chief economic advisor, erecting “tax money at work” signs next to state construction projects could be a possibility. This will give out a message that tax money is used in public goods.
“The idea is to create exclusive membership of ‘clubs’ that exude not only social status but also honour. Such steps can also help propagate the social norm that ‘paying taxes’ honestly is honourable” — the report elaborated.
The proposals are inspired by the “nudge” theory of behavioural economics, which gently encourages people towards better economic and social behaviour.
The number of Indians who pay income tax is fairly low. Only 41 million individuals file tax returns considering the huge 1.3 billion population as declared in the 2017-2018 financial year.
If implemented, this would be an amazing step to acknowledge taxpayers and encourage others to obey the law and file tax returns regularly so they too can be recognized at some point.
Via: Global Village Space
