As people around the globe are paying increasingly higher taxes, it has caused a heated debate, with one school of thought arguing that these taxes are decent contribution to society, and others claiming that we should also contribute to the society by other means. Although both parties have some merit in their claims, I largely believe that individuals can and should do beyond paying taxes to contribute to the overall development of their communities.
There might be some arguments to back up the claims of those who contend that paying taxes is enough responsibility that lies on the shoulders of citizens. Their main argument can be attributed to the overwhelming number of taxes that one has to pay. In many parts of the world, people pay some extra taxes, such as property taxes which include home and vehicles, taxes for business owners or even employees (depending on their income), apart from monthly communal bills. Those taxes are usually perceived as non-essential and extra by many; therefore some believe it is enough contribution if an individual is paying all of them, since taxes are usually imposed to collect money to improve the standard of living or the infrastructure of a country.
Nevetheless, I generally side with those who think we ought to contribute to our society by physically supporting the people we reside within a community. Firstly, people should be encouraged to participate in voluntary campaigns where they assisst struggling people, such as patients in hospitals or senior residents in residential care homes. The primary reason is that those people would benefit more by physical and emotional support rather than modern facilities, as motor and/or cognitive skills of those people might have deteriorated by the time they have arrived to hospitals and retirement homes.
Another involvement which is small, yet very beneficial to the socieity and overall well-being of individuals, if done collectively over a long period, is cleaning up streets and parks or palting trees. These two activities, depite being usually considered insignificant, can have a significant impact on the environment. As many people are becoming environmentally less conscious, the majority is neglecting that they are littering and contaminating the air and contributing to the climate change. Thus if people were persuaded to engage in street-cleaning projects and planting trees, they could mitigate the problem of pollution and climate change.
In conclusion, while it is justifiable to believe that the taxes that are paid by citizes are enough contribution, I maintain that we, individuals, can bring considerably more benefit to our society than just paying bills and taxes.