Sir, – Am I alone in observing the many euphemisms for stealth tax that have crept into the Government’s vocabulary over the past few years, the number of which seem to have undergone a marked increase of late?
These include: “Charge” (eg household charge, septic tank registration charge, water service charge); “Duty” (eg ATM/POS card and chequebook duty, stamp duty); “Levy” (eg Public Service Order levy, insurance policy levy, pension fund levy); “Contribution” (eg local services contribution, health contribution); and “Registration” (eg Vehicle Registration Tax, student registration charges).
The factors that all these stealth taxes have in common is that the monies collected are not easily accountable in that they are frequently not used to finance or support the sectors of the economy that their titles suggest.
In addition, payment of many of these charges does not confer the right to any of the services implied in the title (eg health charges). The furtive way that these taxes are introduced, imposed, collected, and used has only succeeded in breeding an even greater cynicism towards our political masters and further reinforced the feeling of apparent contempt in which taxpayers are held by our Government. The resentment, chagrin, and outright opposition engendered are perfectly understandable. Probably, the only reasons many people pay up is that they have no wish to fall foul of the law along with the many painful consequences inherited as a result.
Any company or business that used such deceitful methods to introduce additional costs to their products or services would be and are roundly condemned by public and government alike. In the Government’s case, this is yet another example of “do as I say but not as I do”. Sadly, we let them get away with it! – Yours, etc,