Taxation And Inequality
“Ἀπόδοτε οὖν τὰ Καίσαρος Καίσαρι καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ Θεῷ.”
A Temple tax, once pure at its core,
Bonded slaves for evermore.
Jesus drove out thieves from the den,
A guiding morality way back then.
But in modernity survival enslaves,
Dreams shackled by self-dug graves.
Bills to pay, families deprived,
Crushing taxes, overwhelming life.
Fifty hours some poor souls toil.
Yet salaries offer no aid, no goals.
Striving in vain, efforts go in vain,
Endless taxes exacerbating strain.
Income tax, a predator’s disguise,
Feasting on earnings, no compromise.
Capital gains and corporate tax thrive,
Inflation double digits, economy slides.
Dividend tax drains hard-earned worth,
Excess profits tax a wartime façade.
Flat tax touted for fairness, they claim,
Gift tax deployed, they have no shame.
Inheritance tax, a vulture’s despair,
Negative income tax, mocking the poor.
Payroll tax, hopes shattered and frayed,
National Insurance as nurses’ cascade.
Pay-as-you-earn tax, weight never fades,
Property tax, a relentless grip on homes.
Danegeld, kharaj, echoes of old –
Land value tax, the robbery unfolds.
Sales tax, value-added, consuming our will,
Every purchase taxed, a real bitter pill.
FairTax, a misleading promise they sell,
Leaving us broken in this eternal hell.
Alcoholic and cigarettes, sins we bear,
But you still get taxed on these products here.
Internet tax, a toll on connection,
Interest rate hikes Central Bank’s erection.
.
Luxury tax mocks desires and goals,
Soda tax to get your sugar level controlled.
Stamp duty, transfer tax, properties entwined,
Strangling dreams, descendants confined.
Vehicle duty and road tax, levies to pay,
Any other taxes to add to this array?
Inflation tax, seigniorage, thieves so sly,
Stealing wealth stealthily as time sneaks by.
Ecotax, wealth tax, follows money trace,
Franchise tax, steering tax, prodding fate.
Tax breaks holidays, illusions they weave,
The burden remains, will they ever cease?
Tax farming, a system preying on food,
Eating is relegated from a greater good.
In the abyss of this cost of living despair,
Extortion looms larger and elites don’t care.
Toiling, suffering in this twisted plight,
Fruits of labour fade into the night.
Then amidst the darkness, a flicker of rage,
“Get fucking angry!” bellowed the sage.
The twisted landscape where taxes oppress,
The rich loftily emerge, thriving on distress.
Exploiting the system, their wealth unbound,
They benefit from schemes their friends found.
Tax avoidance their watering tool,
Legal techniques to ignore tax rules.
Loopholes and strategies, they devised,
They revel in riches, the poor chastised.
Tax evasion, a shadowy realm explored,
Corruption embraced; conscience ignored.
Hidden accounts, slick manoeuvres deployed,
Evading duties, their wealth enjoyed.
Tax havens, sanctuaries hidden from sight,
Sheltering fortunes far from the light.
Offshore refuge, while the rest suffer,
Entangled in a deluge that’s far tougher.
Feasting on the system as vultures on prey,
Exploiting advantages each passing day.
While the burdened masses strive to survive,
The rich grow richer, wealth continues to rise.
Now enter the realm of King Charles’s reign,
Privilege and top secrecy, the same reign.
Banned correspondence, secrets concealed,
Monarchs and heirs, tax records revealed?
Criticism silenced, dissent dismissed,
Royal family’s disgrace forever missed.
Archives hold history, or so they claim,
Permission required for the royal domain.
Financial matters, a web of deceit,
Wealth amassed; public roles discreet.
Secrecy’s addiction, a corrosive flame,
Elizabeth’s reign tarnished and defamed.
Crown protocol abused, laws hidden away,
Private wealth concealed, come what may.
Freedom of Information Act, a futile plea,
A cosy arrangement for exempt Monarchy.
Other nations reveal, their figures disclose,
But ours is an Emperor with no clothes.
A decade-long battle, memos to unveil,
King Charles’s secrets, truth to prevail.
Legal battles fought to keep data at bay,
Half a million spent hiding memos away.
Journalists, scholars, citizens denied,
Facts obscured as sanity flung aside.
Inflation’s sting and our burdens felt,
Taxes paid, while King Charles dwelt,
His millions hidden, untouchable ground –
We face threats, our freedom bound.
I heard, though it’s hard to conceive,
We’ll soon be taxed for air we breathe.
In this absurdity where doublespeak flows –
Don’t rule it out, we just never know.
Let shared outrage ignite the flame,
Pressing for fairness, equity’s aim.
Let truth shape, unified and bold –
Twisted taxation, damn way too cold.
Read Another Poem: The Frayed Economy of Double Digits
