I don’t know whom to hold accountable for the immense burden that people like me face. But one thing is clear: luxury should not be provided to public servants using taxpayer money

Zaheer Udin Babar Junejo

In a nation plagued by inflation and economic hardship, the burden of massive taxes imposed by the government in the 2024-25 budget weighs heavily on the shoulders of the ordinary citizen. While the salaried class continues to bear the brunt of these taxes, Pakistan’s elite enjoy the benefits extracted from the hard-working middle class. This inequality is stark and frustrating, especially as the government seems to prioritize luxury expenditures for its officials, even in the midst of a financial crisis. As a regular tax filer, I feel this injustice acutely. Year after year, the media is flooded with stories about the penalties and consequences for those who fail to file their taxes. Yet, there is a deafening silence when it comes to discussing what is being done for those of us who faithfully comply with the law. We never escape taxation, and yet we see no return on our contributions. In fact, this year alone, I paid nearly 30% of my income in taxes, with almost nothing to show for it in terms of public services or benefits I received in return.

Instead of seeing my tax money contribute to a more functional society, it feels like I’m funding the lavish lifestyles of public servants and those in power. I am responsible for their rude attitude. The luxuries that these individuals enjoy, paid for by the hard-earned money of law-abiding citizens like me, are a slap in the face. The government continues to spend on high-end vehicles, extravagant residences, and other perks for its officials while leaving the ordinary taxpayer with virtually nothing. Take education, none of my children found the public education system to be satisfactory, at least up to the college level. I ended up paying substantial fees to enroll them in private schools, which I believe should have been the responsibility of the state. Isn’t it the government’s duty to provide quality education to its citizens? Yet, in Pakistan, this has become more of a luxury than a right. When my children applied to universities, the concept of merit seemed irrelevant. The admissions process often seemed rigged in favor of those with wealth and connections, those who have amassed large sums of money outside the formal economy, escaping the tax net that people like me are firmly caught in.

It is time for the government to step up and take responsibility for the injustices in our society. It must start by curbing corruption, implementing reforms, and ensuring that every rupee paid in taxes is used for the benefit of the people

Healthcare is another area where the discrepancy between what we pay in taxes and what we receive in return is glaring. My family has never set foot in a government hospital, and for good reason. The poor quality of services, rude staff, and substandard medications in these facilities make them unviable for anyone who values their health. The conditions in these hospitals reflect a complete disregard for the citizens who fund these services. It’s a bitter reality that while the government allocates money for healthcare, the actual benefits never seem to reach the people. As if this weren’t enough, the daily interactions with state institutions further erode any remaining faith in the system. Take traffic enforcement, for instance. Instead of being treated with the respect that should come with being a law-abiding taxpayer, I am routinely stopped by traffic wardens. Most of the time, they expect a bribe to let me pass. On the rare occasion that I don’t pay, I am fined for minor infractions, like not having insurance on my 18-year-old car or for having a broken indicator while rickshaws that evade taxes roam the streets freely without consequences. The unfairness is staggering.

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I also have to maintain my bank accounts and legal documents at my own expense, services that should be accessible to all citizens. But here’s the catch: these benefits are equally available to those who’ve never paid a single rupee in taxes. How can this be fair? How is it possible that someone who has never contributed to the national treasury enjoys the same rights and privileges as those of us who shoulder the tax burden year after year? Then there are the so-called labor and worker protection institutions. These entities are supposed to safeguard the public, ensure worker rights, and promote well-being. Yet, in reality, they rarely advocate for the people they are meant to protect. Their existence seems more symbolic than practical, offering little more than a façade of concern for the common worker.

The solution to this deep-seated problem lies in accepting and implementing citizens’ rights, digitization, and transparency in the services system

I don’t know whom to hold accountable for the immense burden that people like me face. But one thing is clear: luxury should not be provided to public servants using taxpayer money. These officials are meant to serve the nation, not exploit its resources for their own comfort. The system as it stands is disenfranchised, polarized, and rife with corruption at every level. Bureaucracy and greed have taken over, leaving little room for the honest taxpayer to breathe.

The solution to this deep-seated problem lies in accepting and implementing citizens’ rights, digitization, and transparency in the services system. The digital revolution has the potential to bring much-needed change by reducing human involvement in processes that are prone to corruption. Automated systems can help remove the grip of greedy bureaucrats, ensuring that taxes are collected and spent fairly. With digitization, there could be real accountability, something that has been missing from our system for far too long. Imagine a country where taxes are actually spent on improving public services, where merit truly matters, and where law-abiding citizens are treated with the respect they deserve. Ultimately, what is needed is a transformation of the relationship between the government and its citizens. The government must start seeing taxpayers as the backbone of the nation, rather than as cash cows to fund their luxuries. It must recognize that people are not just paying taxes for the sake of it, they expect quality education, healthcare, and public services in return. These basic rights should not be compromised, and the government must be held accountable for failing to deliver them.

Read: Taxing the poor, favouring the rich

It is time for the government to step up and take responsibility for the injustices in our society. It must start by curbing corruption, implementing reforms, and ensuring that every rupee paid in taxes is used for the benefit of the people. Until then, the burden will continue to fall on the ordinary citizen, while the elites reap the rewards of a broken system. It is a system that must be fixed before it’s too late.

Read: Taxpayers’ money is not to waste

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Zaheer Udin Babar Junejo is Community Driven Development Specialist based in Hyderabad.

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