If The Taxes We Pay Reflect In The Development Of Our Communities, Many Ghanaians Will Pay Taxes Without Grumbling.

Admittedly, Ghanaians hate to hear about the introduction of any taxes. We fail to pay taxes accurately and will always attempt to resist any tax that is about to be implemented in this country. But can we blame the citizens who live in abject poverty while our leaders live in luxury? It's how our taxes are wantonly mismanaged by our leaders that put fear in us as to how and where the taxes will be managed.

I don't have any beef with the introduction of taxes in this country called Ghana. The only problem is where these taxes go to. We have been collecting taxes yet our hospitals lack beds and essential drugs. We have been collecting taxes yet many school children are seen daily on uncemented floors trying hard to learn. We have been collecting taxes and some communities struggle with animals to drink muddy waters across the country. We have been collecting taxes but our deplorable roads cause fatal accidents and rob families and even sometimes, their breadwinners.

We collect taxes and also go on a begging spree yet our problems remain with us like a chronic sore. Every government before coming to office promises and assures the already overburdened poor citizens that they will remove some taxes. Others even refer to some regime's taxes as obnoxious yet they come and increased the number of taxes that are even more a killer than what we had to deal with before.

The question we should start asking ourselves as Ghanaians is, do our politicians also send their children to our public institutions here in Ghana? I know some have lived abroad before and have their kids schooled or schooling over there. What of the very local politicians that we know before they ventured into politics? Most of them loot these taxes and either send their kids abroad to school or send them to good private schools here in the country where a peasant farmer, nurse, teacher, driver, watchman, etc. can't pay for a term's fees. The politicians and other public sector workers' kids who gain these undue advantages from their families and friends only come back into the system to continue from where their benefactors stopped.

Therefore, our problem isn't paying the numerous taxes but where the money ends up must be the major concern of every Ghanaian. Many public officials have stolen government funds yet nothing serious is been done to retrieve this money. This makes others continue to engage in acts of corruption and all tones of embezzlement yet we look on helplessness only to turn to IMF, World Bank, etc. for loans that even our unborn generations will come and pay off if only they can.

Another problem we live with is misplaced priority. Many times, we tend to put huge sums of money into a project that is either not needed instantly or that is not even needed at all. Can someone tell me what benefit the building of a national cathedral serve at the time we go around the world struggling to borrow money to pay workers' salaries and finance our economy? There are more such examples of a waste of the taxpayer's money in this country. And it must be stopped if we want to see any meaningful development.

Corruption is another major canker that must be tackled seriously. We can tax even the free air that we breathe but if our attitude towards corruption remains the same, then our problems will still stay with us. There must be real punitive measures to deal with the issue of corruption and political interference must give way to national interest. Yes, no law bars anyone from keeping huge sums of money in their bedrooms. But shouldn't the source of such a monumental amount of money interest us small? Why do we glorify corrupt acts in society with impunity? It shouldn't be about the passion and sentiments we hold for the political party or people we support but rather, a rational and national interest.

Let nobody support any weird tax regime by saying the youth will stop betting if they put a heavy tax on the games of chances, thus, lottery and other gambling opportunities. For me, that's not the way to go. How many times haven't armed robbers been killed or arrested? Have they ceased their nefarious activities? Nope! We must begin to realize that the problem is bigger than just introducing taxes. The youth need jobs to survive. Even if these jobs don't pay well, they can cope with the situation than what they have now. After all, it's said that half a loaf is better than none.

We are only trying to compound the misery of these energetic yet unemployed youth and when they are pushed to the wall, this country may not be able to accommodate the mayhem that the youth will cause. The moment they realize they can't survive in certain conditions like some of these obnoxious taxes, they may think the best for them to do will be to go berserk. That's when we will see the real beast in them.

Finally, all we want to see are the reflections of the small taxes we pay for the development of our communities. Though the taxes are insufficient, we can appreciate the situation if the sheer mismanagement is curtailed and our priorities are set rightly. Corruption must also be discouraged with severe punishment. When all these measures are put in place, we will see a better Ghana where huge sums of money can't be found in one person's bedroom.

Ghanaians are watching!!!