Editor,
The recent hike in vehicular taxes in Meghalaya is pure atrocity and the justification thereafter is laughable. Hike in taxes or price should be done keeping the interests of the common people in mind, but the authorities behind this hike assume that all car owners are rich. They forget that a majority of the people buy their cars by taking huge loans from various sources and repay that with even greater difficulty. But again, how is the high and mighty to know all this as they are hardly connected to the ordinary people. The hike is akin to the oppressive taxes imposed by the British on the people of India and time is not far off when the people of Meghalaya will rise against the greedy and corrupt ministers just like the people of India then did. Anna Hazare, it seems had rightly said that we are not really free; the difference is only that the whites have left and the browns have come in. Also the higher ups must know that the primary reason for the rebellion of Indian people against the British were the oppressive taxes imposed on them.
The justification given for the recent hike is that vehicular taxes are higher in Assam. Assam is a big state with bigger resources and bigger central share; they may be able to bear the higher taxes, but can the same be said about the people of Meghalaya? The justification is shallow since they have cleverly hidden the cost of HSRP which is not levied in Assam. How do you explain this? If we follow whatever Assam does, why don’t we follow their massive road and infrastructure expansion, not to forget the many over-bridges of Guwahati which they regularly travel through? Or maybe they are not aware of that as they do not have to enter the city on their way to the airport. It is high time for the people of Meghalaya particularly the social leaders and organizations to come together and fight against this hike and start a crusade just like Anna Hazare is doing in Delhi and prove that they really fight for justice and for the common good. Arise ! let us show that the high and mighty cannot take us for granted. We the people of Meghalaya do have a sense of justice and fair play.
Yours etc.,
Peter Jyrwa
Shillong-2