18 Hours and Hope Beyond

Confusion, Profuse Gun fire exchanges, Tensed baffled faces, Air strikes, Rocket Propelled Granades, thick smokes, and even law makers picking up guns to retaliate through the night and into the morning. This looks like an intense Bollywood movie scene. You got to read the Morning Headlines and its details to believe it. Yes the real life drama was tiring and long. 18 continuous terrorizing hours spread across seven key sites including Parliament was their way of welcoming spring. The attempt was to scream aloud, "the tribe is not extinct". This firework was by far the biggest since 2001, a well coordinated attempt by the insurgents as the media reported.

Frequent loud booms of explosions, cyclic crackle of gunfire and wailing sirens interrupted my forced attempt to sleep whole night. It was something like a Diwali night scene of around 1 AM when some energetic enthusiasts refuse to let Diwali slip by. The only difference was absence of typical sulfur smell of fireworks.

Monday morning is unusually calm. No the air around is not serene and comforting. I see that even the fresh tender leaves of the spring have pretty fast learnt “white City”, “Grey City” terminologies of the UN security and are maintaining a terrifying silence. The birds’ chirping is noticeably missing. Traffic screeches and horns have suddenly evaporated. Kabul, the 3500 year old city of now 3 million, that has seen many empires battling over the valley, is continuing its battle almost in each corner huddled and cornered. The only silence breaker is the sound of the clock in my room intermittently overpowered by message and incoming call ring tones on my phone inquiring about my well being.

Tonnes of our tax payers’ money will again go in preparing reports based on “careful analysis” of the “security lapses” and topics of similar genre. Symptoms will again be discussed and brainstormed. But why this violent way of seeking solutions that has predominated Human history, will not find answers. Ask the commons and fingers would be pointed to leadership. Aah leadership that is an interesting aspect. Seen historically, every society leader is expected to protect its tribe and has been its source of legitimacy and power. The tribe that we individually identify ourselves with have always found comfort in our little cocoons. And the rivalry to outsmart each other continues. I guess the Time has come for “citizens of the world to unite” to lead their leaders for a change. Lest, all profound knowledge of peace, love, care contained in those hard bound cocooned literature said in different shades with which we identify ourselves will continue to fail  us generations after generations. History Teaches But we have failed History at least till now.

Just pondering....How shall we unite the “citizens of the world”?

Reducing Tax deficits.......Ideas for India

January February and March are the most taxing times literally as far as our middle class finances go. Our incomes take plunge thanks to Income tax deductions. These months are similar to that of our typical struggling mornings of squeezing out the tooth paste which refuses to yield in its last days. Sometimes, budget news, raising tax limits though is a solace even if it means few drops of rain on parched and baked earth of June. Calculating Tax liability and filing returns, any way has been the most mind-bogglingly complex maze year after year thanks to variety of exemptions, rebates and many more. My brain especially has never been able to comprehend those Tax Bonds and smart wading through options to save some trickles. More than often I have preferred paying whatever because the “closing balance’ in my account almost always takes a grin at my well researched thoughtful investment plans.

Any ways after finally having paid through our nose and tears, we hear that the monstrous government Tax deficit wanted to feed on more but for some Parliamentary decency, it has been left for later days. This is the time I struggle with some basics: whether we should be taxed at all? What should be taxed, our compensation or the consumption? And what should be the rates of taxation, regressive or progressive. I was told that most efficient Tax system is the most simplest. Then why the hell even the holy land of America and the Harvard, practice the most complex tax systems ever known to mankind? First Pay and then Tax and then offer tax sops. Try poking and those never to be answered questions will be posed by the never sure economist who adjusting their aging specks would say it all depends on what you want; to be fair or equitable? And they will end up with that feared word “Tradeoffs”.

Any ways my education says Tax is a necessary evil, because there are needs that only taxes can address, like availability of Public Goods. But the entire problem is because of scarcity. Like scarce natural resource there is scarcity almost always regarding tax volumes. So the question boils down to can there be more efficient ways of collecting money. More so, can there be more avenues that do not threaten our inflation flattened incomes. What can be done to raise revenue without further taxing those who are struggling, fretting and pleading?

And the answer is a definite Yes!!! We can improve the manner of tax collection. Context specific Tax collection ideas can do wonders. Consider Consumption tax where taxation follows volume of consumption. Taxing essential goods though is controversial, especially when the income percentage of the poor is spent most towards basic consumption which is certainly not fair. It will be argued that rich will continue to be subsidized by poor and that will not be equitable. Consumption tax probably can work best in a scenario where anyone can adjust their volume of consumption irrespective of their position on the economic ladder without hurting themselves.

If littering can be considered as a pleasurable consumption, those who value this can be taxed regressively. And here I see a great opportunity in “Littering Tax” in increasing the tax volumes almost exponentially. Do not be mistaken, though we keep our homes spotlessly clean, we are great at littering in public. And this great adventurous culture I am sure will help collect taxes in millions, because we value it so much. And even if such a system forces us to get back to basics, it will generate growth and promote environment. Imagine the savings we will make on sweeping charges all cities taken together. The money saved can be used to build new roads, open new schools, hospitals all adding to our quality of work force and hence their productivity and even on a nonexistent Social Security.  This tax will not be so difficult to collect and will be hard to evade because of the sheer visibility. They won’t add complexity to tax returns. Few perverse incentives, and can be used to raise a lot of money. This new source of money could also help change the face of tourism and can bring much needed dollars that we crave every day.

Consumption taxes are supported by a vast majority of economists. They underpin Western Europe’s welfare systems, which are based on the proposition that all citizens are entitled to similar income support and services to guarantee a minimum standard of living, and that everybody should pay proportionately for them.

Another variety could be Public Wall defacement Tax or Graffiti Tax............................. Who knows Compensation tax may become history in India because of this small tax code?

What an Idea Sirji? hahhahha

090209

Monday, 9^th February 2009, was the day I received the most precious gift of my life in New Delhi. This was nothing less profound than a real replacement of myself. The foggy morning with scattered clouds that day, I recall suddenly turned refreshingly warm and bright. I do a reality check on wunderground.com and I get reassured, indeed 9^th was warmer than the previous and the later day in degrees Celsius.

The journey of my replacement from the Operation Theatre to my arms though seemed frustratingly never ending. This wait was the most anxious moments I am yet to experience. My head kept reeling with stupid questions about the looks, health, sex, weight, complexion and what not. I think I was silently praying as well. Hope is important as it makes such moments less difficult to bear and precisely my prayer was for the best hope. Nature has been kind enough at critical times never to deny me such soothing fruits of hope, and here lay a bundle wrapped in white and pink towel, with closed eyes resembling serene Buddha in deep meditation. She is your Girl Child is what the polite nurse softly murmured trying not to interrupt my feelings of joy, elation, disbelief, that ended in eerie calm all almost in seconds. Soon this was broken with soft congratulations and warm hugs from the family. Most close to me rushed to see my contentment on the tired face at the best possible speed making my eventful day complete to the fullest.

The journey with this bundle of joy has since been enriching with each passing day. My 1^st year nights with here were all the more satisfying as I grabbed every opportunity in making the most cuddles, often denying it to the harbinger of this fortune. Well being greedy pays. They say her twinkle and looks reflect mine and I often suspect those never ending cuddles helped the most.

Time flies and frustratingly faster than what Einstein has propounded. I often wished that she remains a bundle, a toy that continues spreading smiles in arms and laughs when tossed. But who cares of my innocent wishes. She is three years today. She talks a lot, sometimes even to the extent of cute shouts and preaches. Coincidently, this very day her baby steps have taken their first flight to her formal school. And providence decided she goes to my alma-mater. All preparations were made for this eventful journey of hers. Except for my wish to be with her this eventful day; everything was perfect. She had a school dress, a school bag, a lunch box. We were excited since a day before.

With the breaking sun I came online on Skype eagerly to have the first look of her first looks in a first ever uniform. My skype rings disappointedly went unanswered several times. Finally when it was answered I was told she has woken up late. I wondered if it was deliberate and if she was rather mentally preparing for her first formal training of ways to comprehend the real world. Any ways, I did not complain waiting more for a moment as precious as this.

While waiting, I take a look out of my window. I realise it is beginning of spring in Kabul. The barren tree branches now are full of tiny little bud leaves cutely cuddling their little mother branches. Freshness is beginning to sprout in the otherwise dull rocky surrounding. The buds are rearing to sprout or are scared of facing the soon to be hot surrounding? They have no choice I conclude; they will have to experience cool refreshing spring, will have to face the burning sun, tattering thunder and biting snow at each stages. And in doing so they would enjoy enriching their surroundings. Similar will have to be the choice of my darling.

My attention is broken by the beeping skype. She is ready with a smile. She looked awesome in stripped cream dress, yellow socks and yellow shoes with blue stripes. I was later told she cried at the gates before being mercilessly left to handle never before seen faces on her own.

Denounce attachment was probably the first lesson, she was made to learn. Possibly she would have also learnt another lesson fear of anything is unduly exaggerated as she was back in her mom’s lap four hours later with that contagious smile and twinkle in the eyes.