With the rapid improvement of the educational system, some people argue that it is essential for students to study tax education in secondary school, while others think it is a waste of their precious school time. Personally, I believe that it is important for students to be well-versed in their country’s taxation system as it not only helps them to understand the importance of taxation, but also to comply with it after stepping into society.
Some parents argue that it is a waste of their kids’ school time to study tax education as they believe science subjects are the key for them to obtain a high remuneration job after graduation. For example, in Singapore, science graduates such as doctors and engineers often obtain a higher starting pay compared to art graduates, resulting in parents forcing their children to study science subjects regardless of their interests.
Conversely, studying tax education helps students to learn the importance of taxation system to the country. Most governments have established a system in collecting taxes from individuals and businesses through their earnings to support the country’s essential sectors such as infrastructure and healthcare. For instance, many developed countries provide free healthcare to the elderly by using taxes that are collected throughout their working lives. By educating students with essential tax knowledge, they will be more willing to pay taxes rather than trying to avoid them.
Furthermore, teachers need to educate students to comply with the taxation system introduced by governments in order to avoid heavy penalties. With the advent of the internet, there are many news on social media platforms regarding famous artists and athletes receiving fines or jail times as they are caught trying to avoid millions of dollars in taxes. This has set a bad example to impressionable youth, thinking that it is easy to avoid expensive taxes. If educators were to include tax education as one of the subjects, the youth would foster a sense of financial responsibility and more likely to be tax compliance.
In conclusion, while some parents believe their children should ignore tax education and focus on science subjects to obtain a high pay job, I would maintain that it is of the utmost importance for students to study their country’s taxation system so they can appreciate the contribution of taxation system to the country and also be ready to adhere to it after stepping into society.