Monday, May 09, 2011
Eunuchs & Tax Collection
For an insightful and throat-clutching synopsis on a short history of the USA and Pakistan's mutual "arrangement", this NewYorker article by Lawrence Wright, is quite helpful.
An excerpt:
"In a country of a hundred and eighty million people, fewer than two million citizens pay taxes, and Pakistan’s leaders are doing little to change the situation. In Karachi, the financial capital, the government recently inaugurated a program to appoint eunuchs as tax collectors. Eunuchs are considered relentless scolds in South Asia, and the threat of being hounded by one is somehow supposed to take the place of audits."
Imagine that. 1.1111% of Pakistanis pay income tax. The USA hands out over 1 billion dollars a year in aid (not counting the hard to track military aid given) to Pakistan. Just wondering if the late Osama bin Laden was one of the 1.111% contributing or was his "income" left untaxed?
Had the IRS been asked to get involved with bin Laden's capture I wonder if he would have been found earlier and suffered the same fate as Al Capone? (tongue firmly embedded in cheek, folks....)
An excerpt:
"In a country of a hundred and eighty million people, fewer than two million citizens pay taxes, and Pakistan’s leaders are doing little to change the situation. In Karachi, the financial capital, the government recently inaugurated a program to appoint eunuchs as tax collectors. Eunuchs are considered relentless scolds in South Asia, and the threat of being hounded by one is somehow supposed to take the place of audits."
Imagine that. 1.1111% of Pakistanis pay income tax. The USA hands out over 1 billion dollars a year in aid (not counting the hard to track military aid given) to Pakistan. Just wondering if the late Osama bin Laden was one of the 1.111% contributing or was his "income" left untaxed?
Had the IRS been asked to get involved with bin Laden's capture I wonder if he would have been found earlier and suffered the same fate as Al Capone? (tongue firmly embedded in cheek, folks....)
Labels: 2011-Peaking Over the Mole Hill
Comments:
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I'm not sure when the timetable for Osama bin Laden jokes officially starts so..being you're across the border, Sir, I'll let you start on that line of commentary.
I'll still stay on the low down on that route....
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I'll still stay on the low down on that route....
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