On the eve of the New Year, the head of the Tax Authority, Mr. Ts. Oyunbaatar, announced with pride, that in the year of ”deepening economic and financial crisis”, or 2009, the state collected “700 billion tugrogs into the state budget and the Mongolia Development Fund, which is 60 billion turgrogs more than what was planned.
” He saluted all the taxpayers of the country with “a spark of warm greeting.” “It is a result of sincere, patriotic efforts from all of you, taxpayers, for Mongolia,” as he continued with the brain wash. The government is an outstanding master of tax and fee collection from citizens.
Our economy greeted the new year without any growth, almost 60% of its over 48,000 companies performed with a loss (by Oct.1). Yet the state tax revenue managed to collect a sum that surpassed their plan. This is super. Paying taxes became a much easier process thanks to the introduction of the online payment system in the last year. As a result, 65% of the taxpayers were able to pay taxes via the internet. This is an excellent performance index.
When it comes to taking, our government fills us with pride. So now how about giving some of it back?
Reporting on the specific expenditures from the collected money and the results of its actual spending, evoke quite the opposite response. At best, we can read a few sentences on the amount of money spent for projects here and there. No mention about the actual outcomes, or the factual information has ever been published. If there were a head of a department responsible for spending tax revenues, who could announce the results with a better “sparkling warm greeting,” than we, the taxpayers, who could really see the fruits of our “sincere, patriotic efforts.”
The government forcefully collects taxes from taxpayers, ignores other more viable and less intrusive forms of taxation, and clumsily grows in size. Our state constructs palaces for political parties, travels extensively abroad and does not let a month go by without extravagant celebrations. With this in mind, one question always rises: what would happen with our state if we stopped paying taxes?
There will be less interest to work for the state and government if the society, the taxpayers first and foremost, started to monitor the careless spending of tax revenues. When the number of public employees decreases, productivity per employee will increase, so will his salary. If the team of a ministry collectively controlled all the expenses of its public service, there would be more innovation, which would increase efficiency; communication and technology, which would in turn, improve and make all government services available online. Public services will be carried out by technocrats, instead of politocrats.
If the state and government operations were as transparent as a fish tank, thousands of people would shift from distribution of values, to their creation. They would create more and live better. The source of their wealth could not be corruption or plundering, but their labor and aptitude instead.
Thousands of university graduates would aim not for public offices, but for the private sector instead. They would not rely on “back door” arrangements, but only on themselves. Ulaanbaatar city would finally get rid of the terrible smog and would instead have many trees lining wonderful roads. Everyone would live in apartment buildings and the Mongolian economy would become competitive, encouraging Mongolians not to leave the country, but to come back.
When all this happens, the government could really be proud. Today’s “pride” is an entirely different matter.
” He saluted all the taxpayers of the country with “a spark of warm greeting.” “It is a result of sincere, patriotic efforts from all of you, taxpayers, for Mongolia,” as he continued with the brain wash. The government is an outstanding master of tax and fee collection from citizens.
Our economy greeted the new year without any growth, almost 60% of its over 48,000 companies performed with a loss (by Oct.1). Yet the state tax revenue managed to collect a sum that surpassed their plan. This is super. Paying taxes became a much easier process thanks to the introduction of the online payment system in the last year. As a result, 65% of the taxpayers were able to pay taxes via the internet. This is an excellent performance index.
When it comes to taking, our government fills us with pride. So now how about giving some of it back?
Reporting on the specific expenditures from the collected money and the results of its actual spending, evoke quite the opposite response. At best, we can read a few sentences on the amount of money spent for projects here and there. No mention about the actual outcomes, or the factual information has ever been published. If there were a head of a department responsible for spending tax revenues, who could announce the results with a better “sparkling warm greeting,” than we, the taxpayers, who could really see the fruits of our “sincere, patriotic efforts.”
The government forcefully collects taxes from taxpayers, ignores other more viable and less intrusive forms of taxation, and clumsily grows in size. Our state constructs palaces for political parties, travels extensively abroad and does not let a month go by without extravagant celebrations. With this in mind, one question always rises: what would happen with our state if we stopped paying taxes?
There will be less interest to work for the state and government if the society, the taxpayers first and foremost, started to monitor the careless spending of tax revenues. When the number of public employees decreases, productivity per employee will increase, so will his salary. If the team of a ministry collectively controlled all the expenses of its public service, there would be more innovation, which would increase efficiency; communication and technology, which would in turn, improve and make all government services available online. Public services will be carried out by technocrats, instead of politocrats.
If the state and government operations were as transparent as a fish tank, thousands of people would shift from distribution of values, to their creation. They would create more and live better. The source of their wealth could not be corruption or plundering, but their labor and aptitude instead.
Thousands of university graduates would aim not for public offices, but for the private sector instead. They would not rely on “back door” arrangements, but only on themselves. Ulaanbaatar city would finally get rid of the terrible smog and would instead have many trees lining wonderful roads. Everyone would live in apartment buildings and the Mongolian economy would become competitive, encouraging Mongolians not to leave the country, but to come back.
When all this happens, the government could really be proud. Today’s “pride” is an entirely different matter.
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