Value Added Terror 2

So many things were in my mind recently, things that I just have to blurt out. Although I may be keeping those personal thoughts in mind for the meantime (since my Elmo is still away for a nice cozy chat), I'd just spill some of those thoughts here, before they rot... (notice the angry tone of words...)

1. The recent additional VAT heralded by the most kind Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo proves only one thing: That the president is a real enemy of the people. News reports tell us about a president who constantly contacts lawmakers who oppose this dreaded plague by phone. Although Malacañang claims that this isn’t true, as the Filipino saying goes: “Pag may usok, may apoy.” I do believe Gloria has a lot to do with this. Picture this: President Gloria calling congressmen and senators using her expensive cellphone, urging them to pass the bill that would approve VAT. It’s just too much to take.

This is a desperate move to solve the fiscal crisis of the country, passing the burden to the poor, who, as history tells us, will not budge even to the worst form of tyrannical abuse.

We strongly oppose this increase in value-added tax. In fact, we condemn it. It defies the notion that the government works for the people. It just makes it obvious that, indeed, Gloria’s government works AGAINST the people. This is not an urgent solution to the problem, as it is obvious that there are many better alternatives. Again, it’s been a decades-old notion by Jose Rizal that the only solution for a nation’s fiscal dilemma is to improve the collection of taxes and make sure that revenues are spent justly, down to the very last cent. This is the first solution, not the last one! But it seems that Gloria has many things in mind, leaving this very efficient and just solution as the last in the list.

Increased VAT as the “solution” is unfair anyway you look at it. First and foremost, what about improving the way the tax agency collects taxes? How about just being fair and get billions worth of taxes from the operations of the wealthy and powerful? I bet there’s a big percentage of debt to be paid if lawmakers and enforcers would just have the guts (and the conscience) to face this mob that owes our country a lot.

How about making sure that every cent of Juan de la Cruz’s money goes to essential projects, like public works, education, health, etc.? How about beheading these people who take away these valuable resources for personal gain?

But no! The government thinks the best way to pay our country’s debts is to pull the money out directly from the people’s pockets. The men whom we voted because we thought they’ll think of our future and our children’s future is now drawing blood out of our already tired veins, urging us to do extra work amidst our everyday struggle and low quality of life. These same people whom we trusted will be true to their promises think the poor doesn’t deserve even a little taste of leisure, so aside from adding value-added tax on the little things that the poverty-stricken can afford, they’d decide putting more dues to small pleasures like cellphone text messaging. These people think that we don’t deserve driving cheap cars, or buying fancy clothes and fastfood once a week- so they’d add taxes since they think we can’t afford them. These people think of us like carabaos- we will work as long as we eat something similar or close to grass at the end of the day. Who can imagine these people can think of the brilliant evil plans, depriving us of our small heaven?

2. Enter the major players in the fuel industry. Even as the worth of dollar decreases as weeks go buy, these people still want a one to three peso climb in their products’ prices. And they even have the guts to warn us- to scare us- that they’d increase prices every week, amidst signs contradicting their claims of the need for a weekly price hike.

These people behave as though they rule the country! (I think they do run the country… the president would almost lick their toes just to have their likes abide by her political favors.)

There are a lot of evil forces working 24/7 in this country recently. The poor isn’t enthralled by it, but they have no power to go against it. We are still weak-willed as a people, and it breaks my heart that those who keep us down on the mud are the ones whom we voted and trusted with the power that they enjoy right now. The selfish should be executed.

3. About the NLEX rehabilitation. Here’s what’s bugging me ever since the remodeling of the North Luzon Expressway started last year: Isn’t the administration supposed to be the one overseeing this? Aren’t public works and services like the North Luzon Expressway supposed to be provided by the government? So what happened? Did the government just sell their rights to the highway to some old Lopez guy? If something that big is sold, there’s got to be big money involved… where’s the money now? Why are we still in the middle of a financial crisis after selling almost all BASIC SERVICES that the government should be providing the nation?

This leads us to further questions: If the government has sold almost all the reasons why we should pay our taxes- why, then, should we still pay our taxes? We’ll be paying the Lopezes once the refurnished NLEX opens, we’re paying private companies who now run power plants and water systems, we’re paying exclusive for the food that we eat, for the clothes that we wear, for education, etc.- why, then, should we still pay the inutile leadership? They’re not helping anymore, so why should we keep them there on the pedestal? Pull them out of their chairs and throw them in some isolated island in the Antartic, let them create their own country and leave us in peace!