The hot topic currently in India is all the scams / corruption. To the best of my knowledge, below is the list of hot corruption topics being on the fore front in India:
1. Baba Ramdev's fast against severe action for corruption and the outbreak of this fast
2. Anna Hazare's fight for Lokpal bill
3. Telecom scam involving former and current central ministers
4. Various scam accusations against former CM in Tamil Nadu
Reading everyday about these makes me sick and I started to think who is the real culprit being all these scams and corruptions? Who is actually to be blamed?
Since when did politicians and officials have started asking money to make things happen? Did they pass a law, which makes it mandatory to pay money to get things done? No, we, the Indian public, started all this. We wanted to avoid long queues, so started giving some small money to the peons and clerks to action our application quicker.
We gave them the first taste of free money. Over a period of time, when the officials and politicians realized that there's an easier way to make money, they started demanding more and more and they became innovative in creating schemes to make money. When we, the public, couldn't afford the bribes they demanded we are protesting against it.
So, the bottom line is, if we could afford the money they ask, I think most of the Indians will pay that and keep quiet.
Read this article about Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin declared himself as an actor and not cricketer so that he can avoid some tax. This article can be found at:
So, what is our public's view on above? What is avoiding tax? Is it being smart or 'defrauding' the government by acting smart? I know India has a lot of fans who worship Sachin as "God"...
In my humble opinion, what Sachin is doing is also a form of corruption. He is engaging in these sort of activities to keep more money for himself and his family by avoiding tax. Why do we grumble and go to street with protests when politicians and officials do the same thing?
Kindly consider the following scenarios as an example:
Scenario-1:
I got to a movie theater to see the new movie released. No tickets are available at the counter but somebody is selling the ticket at higher price (black ticket). I buy the ticket in black market and watch the movie. The person who sells the black ticket makes money which is unaccounted for (on which he does not pay tax).
Who is to be blamed here? The person selling tickets in black market or the person who bought it? Why can't I wait one or more days to see the movie?
Scenario-2:
I am driving my car / two-wheeler and traffic police stops me for some traffic rules violation. Police informs me that I need to wait for about an hour to appear in the mobile court to pay the fine. What do I do? I ask him if I can pay something now and go on with my work. He accepts, I pay the money to the policeman (bribe) and leave the scene.
Since, I am the one who violated the law, why not I wait one hour and pay the fine officially to the Government? Instead, why did I choose to give bribe to the police (which is again income loss for the Government and unaccounted income for the policeman) and cheat the government and violate the laws?
Who is at fault here? The policeman or the person who violated the traffic rules and then went ahead and bent the law and bribed the policeman?
Scenario-3:
I return from abroad into one of the Indian airport. For the electronic gadgets I'm carrying Customs official informs me that duty is payable at 85% of the invoice value. I don't want to pay that much money to the Government. I either blatantly lie that I do not have the invoice copy or tell him it is a used one. If that cannot be worked, I ask him how to avoid 85% duty and willing to pay about 50% of total duty in cash to him (bribe). He agrees, the Customs Officer is happy and I am happy.
Who is to be blamed here? The customs official who would have let me walk through if I paid 85% of invoice value as duty to Government or me as an individual who wanted to save some money, so bribed the officer?
Let us analyze what we do as public before we start blaming the system, government, politicians, officials and everybody else except ourselves.
The official statistics is that only 57% of voters voted during India's last general election to the parliament. Which means, 43% of us did not care about who will come to power. Why 43% people did not turn-up? Because, they have to wait in the queue to cast their vote. We do not want to waste our time by voting but we expect the elected politicians to be saint and clean..... Very good... It is his responsibility not mine as a public !
When 43% of us do not care who gets elected, why are we so worried about what such elected politicians do? Are we crying and shouting because they are corrupt or are we crying because we can't afford the bribe money?
Why can't we wait one hour and pay the official fine in a mobile court for our traffic rules violation? Why should we try to bribe the policeman and get away? When the same policeman asks us for higher bribe which we can't afford, we start complaining that corruption is rampant and we start our protests and fight against corruption!!! If the same policeman will still settle for Rs.50, we do not mind since we can afford Rs.50 as bribe and not Rs.5,000.
Who are these politicians? We elected them (OK, only 57% of us - Not the 43% lazy citizens with voting rights)... When we are so lazy that we don't even turn-up in our polling booth to cast our vote, we want the politicians and the government to work for us and treat the entire 100% of public as equal. Isn't it the right of politician and government to take care of only the 57% who have casted their vote?
I've been a NRI during major part of my adult life.... Many NRI's grumble that they do not have voting rights and it is unfair on Government's part to neglect NRI's. The same Indian Government (Finance Ministry) came up with a rule that all NRI's should also file Income Tax return, even though they need not pay tax.
How many NRI's filed IT returns? Not many... Why? Because we don't want to disclose our income. We will not do what Government wants us to do but the Government should provide everything to us.
What is corruption? How all we start corruption? Look at my perspective of corruption and let me know if I am wrong in any of my assumptions below:
1. I want to go out to the shop and pick up some stuff for the house. I am so lazy I don't want to get up from my couch and miss part of my TV show. I call my child and tell him/her to go and buy the item from the shop by telling him/her "if you do that, you can also buy a chocolate/ice cream for yourself".... Isn't this a bribe to the child to do something?
2. Many of us are very religious and God fearing... We pray to God, "God, please make this happen, I will ensure to put Rs.100 in your hundi"... We are bribing God to make something happen for us. We have started bribing kids to God... We haven't spared anybody. But, if God or the child demands that bribe, we say the "system should change"!!!!!
3. Many of us are very good souls who believe and encourage donations. We go to our favorite temple or ashram and donate a huge amount towards their free meal scheme or other good cause schemes. While getting the receipt for such donation, we ensure we get the 80G (or other relevant IT section) exemption certificate so that we need not pay tax on that money. Why not donate the money and also pay tax to the government? What is this donation if you want an exemption from tax for that donation? Why should Government lose their income just because we wanted to donate some money?
Friends, I have re-read this post after I finished writing. Probably most of you are much more intelligent than me and understand the terms corruption and bribe much better than me. I may be the only one who is so confused.
Will somebody clear my confusions????
1. Baba Ramdev's fast against severe action for corruption and the outbreak of this fast
2. Anna Hazare's fight for Lokpal bill
3. Telecom scam involving former and current central ministers
4. Various scam accusations against former CM in Tamil Nadu
Reading everyday about these makes me sick and I started to think who is the real culprit being all these scams and corruptions? Who is actually to be blamed?
Since when did politicians and officials have started asking money to make things happen? Did they pass a law, which makes it mandatory to pay money to get things done? No, we, the Indian public, started all this. We wanted to avoid long queues, so started giving some small money to the peons and clerks to action our application quicker.
We gave them the first taste of free money. Over a period of time, when the officials and politicians realized that there's an easier way to make money, they started demanding more and more and they became innovative in creating schemes to make money. When we, the public, couldn't afford the bribes they demanded we are protesting against it.
So, the bottom line is, if we could afford the money they ask, I think most of the Indians will pay that and keep quiet.
Read this article about Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin declared himself as an actor and not cricketer so that he can avoid some tax. This article can be found at:
So, what is our public's view on above? What is avoiding tax? Is it being smart or 'defrauding' the government by acting smart? I know India has a lot of fans who worship Sachin as "God"...
In my humble opinion, what Sachin is doing is also a form of corruption. He is engaging in these sort of activities to keep more money for himself and his family by avoiding tax. Why do we grumble and go to street with protests when politicians and officials do the same thing?
Kindly consider the following scenarios as an example:
Scenario-1:
I got to a movie theater to see the new movie released. No tickets are available at the counter but somebody is selling the ticket at higher price (black ticket). I buy the ticket in black market and watch the movie. The person who sells the black ticket makes money which is unaccounted for (on which he does not pay tax).
Who is to be blamed here? The person selling tickets in black market or the person who bought it? Why can't I wait one or more days to see the movie?
Scenario-2:
I am driving my car / two-wheeler and traffic police stops me for some traffic rules violation. Police informs me that I need to wait for about an hour to appear in the mobile court to pay the fine. What do I do? I ask him if I can pay something now and go on with my work. He accepts, I pay the money to the policeman (bribe) and leave the scene.
Since, I am the one who violated the law, why not I wait one hour and pay the fine officially to the Government? Instead, why did I choose to give bribe to the police (which is again income loss for the Government and unaccounted income for the policeman) and cheat the government and violate the laws?
Who is at fault here? The policeman or the person who violated the traffic rules and then went ahead and bent the law and bribed the policeman?
Scenario-3:
I return from abroad into one of the Indian airport. For the electronic gadgets I'm carrying Customs official informs me that duty is payable at 85% of the invoice value. I don't want to pay that much money to the Government. I either blatantly lie that I do not have the invoice copy or tell him it is a used one. If that cannot be worked, I ask him how to avoid 85% duty and willing to pay about 50% of total duty in cash to him (bribe). He agrees, the Customs Officer is happy and I am happy.
Who is to be blamed here? The customs official who would have let me walk through if I paid 85% of invoice value as duty to Government or me as an individual who wanted to save some money, so bribed the officer?
Let us analyze what we do as public before we start blaming the system, government, politicians, officials and everybody else except ourselves.
The official statistics is that only 57% of voters voted during India's last general election to the parliament. Which means, 43% of us did not care about who will come to power. Why 43% people did not turn-up? Because, they have to wait in the queue to cast their vote. We do not want to waste our time by voting but we expect the elected politicians to be saint and clean..... Very good... It is his responsibility not mine as a public !
When 43% of us do not care who gets elected, why are we so worried about what such elected politicians do? Are we crying and shouting because they are corrupt or are we crying because we can't afford the bribe money?
Why can't we wait one hour and pay the official fine in a mobile court for our traffic rules violation? Why should we try to bribe the policeman and get away? When the same policeman asks us for higher bribe which we can't afford, we start complaining that corruption is rampant and we start our protests and fight against corruption!!! If the same policeman will still settle for Rs.50, we do not mind since we can afford Rs.50 as bribe and not Rs.5,000.
Who are these politicians? We elected them (OK, only 57% of us - Not the 43% lazy citizens with voting rights)... When we are so lazy that we don't even turn-up in our polling booth to cast our vote, we want the politicians and the government to work for us and treat the entire 100% of public as equal. Isn't it the right of politician and government to take care of only the 57% who have casted their vote?
I've been a NRI during major part of my adult life.... Many NRI's grumble that they do not have voting rights and it is unfair on Government's part to neglect NRI's. The same Indian Government (Finance Ministry) came up with a rule that all NRI's should also file Income Tax return, even though they need not pay tax.
How many NRI's filed IT returns? Not many... Why? Because we don't want to disclose our income. We will not do what Government wants us to do but the Government should provide everything to us.
What is corruption? How all we start corruption? Look at my perspective of corruption and let me know if I am wrong in any of my assumptions below:
1. I want to go out to the shop and pick up some stuff for the house. I am so lazy I don't want to get up from my couch and miss part of my TV show. I call my child and tell him/her to go and buy the item from the shop by telling him/her "if you do that, you can also buy a chocolate/ice cream for yourself".... Isn't this a bribe to the child to do something?
2. Many of us are very religious and God fearing... We pray to God, "God, please make this happen, I will ensure to put Rs.100 in your hundi"... We are bribing God to make something happen for us. We have started bribing kids to God... We haven't spared anybody. But, if God or the child demands that bribe, we say the "system should change"!!!!!
3. Many of us are very good souls who believe and encourage donations. We go to our favorite temple or ashram and donate a huge amount towards their free meal scheme or other good cause schemes. While getting the receipt for such donation, we ensure we get the 80G (or other relevant IT section) exemption certificate so that we need not pay tax on that money. Why not donate the money and also pay tax to the government? What is this donation if you want an exemption from tax for that donation? Why should Government lose their income just because we wanted to donate some money?
Friends, I have re-read this post after I finished writing. Probably most of you are much more intelligent than me and understand the terms corruption and bribe much better than me. I may be the only one who is so confused.
Will somebody clear my confusions????
