WHY DO WE PAY TAXES?

The Inter-American Development Bank did a study way back in the first Perry Christie term and it said that in surveying The Bahamas, there was an interesting phenomenon amongst our public.  People did not see that paying taxes was a moral or ethical obligation.  Further, that they did not see the connection between taxes and the services which were provided by the Government.  This is very strange because in this country every blessed thing,  including going to the toilet seems to be a responsibility of the government.  Yet, every day someone is arguing why they should not be paying a tax.  The bottom line is if you don’t pay the taxes, the government cannot provide the services which we get. Simple, direct, and clear. So a message came through to the column saying that there should be no taxes on gifts which people send you from abroad: like your family sending you a gold broach. Really?  Pay the taxes.