Tax collection day is one of the most dreaded times of the year, right behind the Mondays where workers need to report back to office after their weekend break. While some people think they should be able to store all the funds they make, in my opinion, we should pay our taxes to the government. I support this view because paying taxes not only helps in development of countries, it also helps low-income families to take advantage of the state-funded subsidies.
People usually say, “The government is not working 40% of my shift, so why should they be able to take my income?” While this is a valid point, many individuals forget to consider the multiple advantages of paying your tax. Developed nations across the universe have law-abiding citizens who pay their taxes on time. This helps the government in building public infrastructure, creating roads and allocating money for the purpose of toursim. If a country’s residents refuse to pay their taxes, the government would require to borrow funds from others. This would lead to an increase in that country’s national debt and decline in their development. For example, while European citizens are some of the largest taxpayers, the continent’s beautiful architecture and well-maintained floura and fauna have attracted thousands of visitors to admire the beauty of the place. This ultimately helps in the development of a nation.
The second main purpose that taxes fulfil are that they help the poor and less fortunate in living a better life. When people pay their taxes, those below the poverty line get access to multiple subsidies like food, shelter and clothing. If taxes aren’t paid then there would be a rise in people living on the streets which would cause damage to a country’s reputation. For instance, in countries like Australia, government funding is used towards granting homeless people Social Security so that they don’t have to live on roads. Not only does this help in eradicating homelessness and maintaining reputation, it also ensures the country’s citizens are protected and treated well. However, it ultimately depends on how the states allocate their tax revenue. If governments misuse or take advantage of the funding available, citizens would continue to believe that paying their taxes is a futile exercise. In conclusion, I believe paying taxes would lead to an increase in the country’s overall well-being and could also support the nation’s prosperity.