Dear Editor,

I am heartened by the plans of the tax administration services to begin cracking the whip against the nation’s many tax cheats.

Though better late than never, it boggles the mind as to why the tax authorities did not think about nipping in the bud this uncivil behaviour .

The cynics among us may attribute this move more to the need for the government, severely strapped for cash, to get every single dollar possible to keep it afloat, rather than a conscious effort to deal with this seriously errant behaviour of our people.

After all, lawlessness and “chaka-chaka” behaviour have become normative at just about all levels and in all spheres in Jamaica – sadly so.

For too long the burden of taxation is unfairly carried by too few of our countrymen, with many who are willing and able to pay shunning their civic responsibility.

The tax department must not let up on its efforts, as tax compliance must become the norm in Jamaica. After all, as Oliver Wendell Holmes famously said, taxes are the price we pay for civilisation.

While I so advocate, it is equally important for our government to ensure that every tax dollar is used to the optimal benefit of the people of this country. We need not go further than our recent history to document many instances in which taxpayers’ money was misappropriated.

We need to ensure the streamlining of our taxation system to make it simpler, fairer and more workable. We must ensure that we simplify the tax-reporting process so that our self-employed people and others can more easily and willingly comply.

Our taxpayers must be made to appreciate the importance of the taxes they pay, as the tangible benefits must be made obvious or readily known. Taxes should not be seen or viewed by taxpayers as some kind of punishment, but as the contributions citizens make to provide for a better society for all.

Kevin KO Sangster

sangstek@msn.com