Unearned income should be taxed heavily

Taxes are how the State generates revenue, but many hidden tax tends to impact common people and take away their hard earned money. VAT (on non luxury/basic items) being the most sinister, it’s good to see that AAP is trying to make it easy for the common people. Everytime I have breakfast from nearby hotel, I end up paying more as tax. Even something as innocuous as taking your own money from ATM is being sucked on by Banks. Market media and its promoters will be extremely vociferous about merit and world hinged on competition, a sort of self-justification. Economists closely knit with money bags will chest beat against subsidies, and will make assured talks with compelling jargons which common people are not expected to understand but are meant to agree. We are told it is for our own good. Taxes are increased to augment revenue which is good for the society but clearly it is not targeted well. Nobody seems to be aware or concerned that there are lots of Indians particularly in the elite section wallowing in unearned comforts, and therefore arrogance and wasteful in their dealings. They are insulated from the hard realities of common people and tend to deal with situations in their patronising snobbery. What makes it worse is that many of them pontificate and position themselves as unsolicited guardians, clearly to further their own narrow ends. It is referred to as positive banding, the beginning of unearned income.

Income that doesn’t come from one’s calibre or competence or commiserating with hardwork one puts in becomes unearned and therefore should be taxed heavily. The biggest source of unearned income is from exploitation of natural resource. Any random fellow with minimal understanding on digging, use of basic technology (with more money more modern technology one can use) and material can plunder the mountains and dig up valley. It is not a rocket science. Ideally State should have access to judicious exploitation of natural resource on a no profit basis, that is, earning is spent on public good. But strangely market has taken over and money bag corporations have queued up. As mentioned the competence required on digging up land and related matters herein doesn’t require much knowledge, indeed they work on nepotism and corruption. Semi-literate Aggrawal (of Vedanta) or Bellary brothers have amply demonstrated that with basic literacy and minimal skills one can be a millioners or billioners. It’s about strategy to influence policy makers. The fact that most millioners and billioners in India (as also in poorer countries) are from sources that is to do with land and its exploitation clearly points to nepotism and corruption. Only a minimal profit should be allowed on these exploitations that is essentially public property, the rest should go to the government. How are private individuals (as corporates) allowed to earn such huge amount of money from public property? How did Aggrawal or Adani or Ambani become so rich, what is their source of income? Clearly they have exploited natural resources, that is, public property that took billions of years to form and is irreplaceable. These big moneys have influenced policy makers and made huge amount of money. This money they made is what we call unearned income. Indeed there needs to be an international law on these matters. Many moneybags arise from richer countries, even Indians have converted to NRIs, to exploit resources from poorer countries that has malleable system. These kinds of unearned income should be stopped or heavily taxed. Most of natural resources are sold as raw or semi raw materials to smarter countries like Germany/Japan/South Korea who converts these into valuable products. Poor countries have people who influence policy makers so that they can plunder natural resources. These unearned incomes by some colossally rich people should be checked, should be taxed.  

                  

Another important source of unearned income is from inheritance that truly reflects feudal nature of society, arising as it is from lack of land reforms or any measure to check these historical discrepancies that is built on traditional biases. It is undoubtedly a statement of intend of earlier leaders, indeed many of whom masqueraded as freedom fighters, some ensconced as pretentious Gandhian, the harbinger of barbarian nonviolent status quoist. It is a terribly inegalitarian society. A grotesque reality that has made lives of people miserable, a lop-sidedness that gets reflected in all social indices. Inheritance forms a major source of unearned income. Indeed the entrenched incompetence has seen to that these are not discussed; there is a bogey being raised by cunning manipulators, of destroying family business, therefore catastrophic for Indian economy. The zombie apocalypse moment is being perpetuated as Indian strength. How many times we are being fed the hogwash that family businesses and concerns is what is saving us, as Indians slip into morass of incompetence and inequality. Well when you have news media being controlled by big family corporates and lackeys, journalist will only parrot. Journalists are supposed to make buyer friendly world, and within that they can work out their freedom. 

Not only inheritance in big businesses need be taxed heavily but every inherited transaction happening should be taxed substantially. Nobody should have benefits of unearned earning. Every piece of land, every house, every shop, every capital…anything that is inherited should be taxed heavily. Now these are tangible inheritance, something easily quantifiable. There is another aspect of inheritance that mediocre Indian elites suck on and that is intangible inheritance. Intangible inheritance in primitive society like India is rather valued, the legacy of ordained fine-tuned to grab money. I have already discussed about racist surnames that leads to camaraderie and benefits accrued in the process. It is so entrenched in this godforsaken manipulative society (in the meanwhile considers itself as some kind of special people/culture!) that unless international community declare this nation as racist it will not have an impact, the manipulative elite will scuttle it. The legacy that the progeny accrue from the profession/name of his parents (mostly father)/family needs to be scrutinised. These are extension of feudal nature of society and definitely source of unearned income. In this primitive society you will observe that in whichever field there is big money, as also where benefits or competence can be manipulated, you will see progenies masquerading with legacy doing well. Like most politicians, artists (in particular film industry)…so on, they tend to create lucrative position for their progenies to squeeze in, it’s a legacy racket.  These are being projected as the talent of progenies; sometimes they give example of progenies who have failed to justify their claim. There are two issues here, firstly, nowadays the scope of manipulation with the help of modern technology is rather fool proof, with control over medium, necessary clout and money you can create any perception, therefore easy ride. You can be assured that innovative technology invented abroad today will be manipulative technology tomorrow with Indian elitizens. Secondly, even despite these those who fail must be amazingly mediocre or lacked necessary placement skills. This family name/clout/pride framework that exaggerates progenies talents is unearned income, they are in the position because of family, and this should be taxed. 

There is a huge unearned earning that is based on perceptions and exaggerations, what is being regarded as branding. The market has created these nonsenses that have eaten into the society. The sacred act of creating illusion of product to be sold is something that comes natural. They have ransacked the medium, crudely tapping on every emotion so as to trap people into buying. Is this what modernity all about? What a disgrace. Extremely good at gab and selling skills, clever Indians (that is nearest some can come to competence) have controlled the market media. They expertise in selling what other countries produce, yes also minor Indian creations like soaps, washing powder so on. The money here is huge, due to the population of this ever multiplying people. There is also amazing amount of black money doing the round. The market therefore degrades the institutions, they put price for everything, crony capitalism, nepotism and manipulation becomes the norm. Some of these amazingly limited intellects walk with ease as ‘image gurus’ among powerful politicians (incidentally powerful politician means highly responsible, meaning people have voted and put faith on them to genuine work and not manipulate). With the clout gained from the skills of selling products they park around the power centres and acts as touts, the one who creates and destroys perceptions. Obviously these are overpaid people, and the reason they are paid more is because they can manipulate more. It will be difficult to quantify their earning skills. Cleverness as earning skills thrives in mediocre societies, Indians therefore do well. Indeed rich coffers of temples, as people suffer, is a testimony to these. For certain section creating illusion for common people and exploiting is part of hallowed tradition. 

       In this game of perception that is used to sell products are set of extremely Cooperative For Money ‘popular’ people, the one with amazing moral dexterity. Market has chosen and exaggerated movie actors and cricketers. So emerges godforsaken icons. Both amazingly limited, failing in all close scrutiny (you sometimes really wonder trying to identify what exactly is the talent?) and earn few million times than their limited skills of acting or sport skills can ever earn. In Indian context barring some really rare exceptions one can safely say that acting in movie (or making movie) doesn’t really require much talent. A random guy can do it with few days of practice. Further in movie-entertainment, which is a hugely exaggerated art form, acting is only one minor aspect.  But manipulators have exaggerated the mediocre actors as much as they have done for the cricketers, it is a sinister act called branding, a concoction to suck in money for no reason. Both therefore become conduit for manipulating money out of common people. If Tendulkar earns millions as Coca Cola boy, the question here is where is his talent in this earning? If hugely exaggerated actors like Shah Rukh (whose movies becomes hit even before they are released, indeed ZK genes is quite good at this manipulation) can get millions of rupees of blurting one line in an ad then what kind of talent is he exhibiting or work is he performing that he is being gratified with such huge amount of money? Indeed the kind of money most people cannot make in many lifetime. You may keep wondering what special talent these people have that commensurate with the money offered. For blurting one line the mediocre fellow is getting money that would shock most. It’s an amazing racket of amassing unearned income. The fellow is earning because of his branding. The question here would be what is the basis of branding? Then you realise it is the perception, the one that is manipulated and exaggerated. Clearly this earning is based on perception as also hinged on large population as consumers. No one can and should be allowed to earn these inflated amounts that has nothing to do with skills or work. To understand the way these people work one needs to have closer look at the functioning of IPL (an Indian wonder that in a way defines this manipulative functioning, that degrades anything and everything, but fortunately has the potential to destroy cricket), huge amount of money from nowhere to whosoever. IPL is a definition of functioning and remarkable degradation of India that the market/sellers are constantly pursuing.

If an actor or cricketer gets paid for his/her professional skills, exaggerated as it maybe, it still sounds logical. But in mediocre India cricketers have moved on to entertainment. They spread their mediocrity as they move. While actors are everywhere sucking on whatever they could, branding is the rescue act. They sing, they also become judge after their expiry date to whatever the market media fancies, some take up causes, fighters of freedom of expression from the most degraded of surrounding. They even dance –indeed most so called award ceremonies are about these appalling indulgences, as they workout with rows of gyrating almost mechanical movements. This hilarity is passed on as artform/dance as ‘actor’/’celebrity’ is involved. People are ready to watch the trash, the actor’s branding therefore makes him a compelling presence as a dancer, the disgraceful skills are tolerated as indulgences that we are expected to feel good about. Recently actor Mohanlal had the audacity to sing at National Games ceremony, clearly people in Kerala know the limits which our arrogant self-assured fellow missed. An actor should act, a singer should sing, a writer should write, a scientist must do research, high jumper must jump high…these are simple rules on which competence work. One can try other things but shouldn’t exaggerate and try to supersede genuine talents. The problem here is just because a fellow is an actor or a cricketer, the market manipulators exaggerate for source of earning. Therefore he/she starts to sing, dance, bat, judge…and tries to manipulate through and suck in on easy money. As things are subjective, or made subjective, due to adoring indulgences they scrape through and so ready for huge money. In the process they sideline genuine talents. Now you must put these in context of a nation that has very poor social indices and most people have serious problems. Could you believe that these nonsenses are happening in a nation that has millions of people who go without food?

 Mohanlal was decent enough to apologise and return the money for the mediocre fair, the kind of unearned income that could easily feed children in a school for atleast a decade in this malnourished nation. But the Congress government was seen magnanimously insisting that he take the money, probably they are trying to rope in the aging actor. Maybe Mohanlal could take some lesson from ZK (a veteran in manipulation he degraded Commonwealth ceremony but came out unscathed because of his market media clout and sycophant leaders who looked the other way; those were the heydays of sickularism nautanki, and he sucked in big time. However manipulating national award for his gene had a tragic end. What a resounding slap that one, not one but two. Ouch it hurts!!). Will Tendulkar apologise for taking money from Coca cola for reason that has nothing to do with his record breaking batting skills, indeed there isn’t anything positive about Coca cola. The clever fellow knows his lick and the clout herein as much as all the mediocre ‘celebrities’. They can earn easy money and do whatever but these unearned incomes should be taxed heavily. 

Actors have also start to play cricket that attracts huge money, some in the entertainment industry have even downgraded cricket (a sport that is least athletic to start with) and goes by the name box cricket. They can carry on with the racket but unearned income should be severely taxed. These huge unearned earnings of actors and cricketers that has nothing to do with their talent (least as they maybe) but about perceptions and exaggerations, therefore should be heavily taxed. This kind of manipulation and easy money for some because of clever placement must be scrutinised. This is crony capitalism, unethical in any form.

Further, these kinds of unearned income create a system that thrives on irresponsible behaviour and crass spending.  When most in elite are moneyed for the reason that cannot be classified as competence or talents or work then they don’t particularly value things. They therefore create huge carbon footprint from their lifestyle. This degrades the environment as also create further livelihood challenges for the impoverished majority. It’s clear from the inane car and other luxury product ads that in the last few years some section are earning lots of money for no reason. They are so stupid that the car manufactures believes that they will decide to spend huge amount by looking at some dumb ads. It’s a statement on calibre of people earning huge amount of money, they themselves don’t know the reason. It probably is why ritual based religious indulgences and superstitions are coming back in all its vigour among the moneyed section. Education doesn’t seem to have any impact where providence and alignment of stars is what matters. What is there to read or learn when the fellow throwing the ball is earning in millions, if he was a good sportsperson then it can be partly be justified. Look at the money earned by ‘sportsman’ named Yuvraj Singh who has well past his prime, truly Babaji’s blessing. Indeed the followers of Babas themselves form a strong mutually supporting clique. At one time if you were a follower of charlatan at Puttaparthi you could easily be in contact with the highest echelons of power, bureaucrats, the politicians…almost all the elite. The redemption was achieved by donating part of their unearned income/fortune to the Baba. Indeed temples like Tirupathi are open 24x7 on this kind of donations. Unearned income could be shared with god, it makes it guilt free!! Squatters have unique ability to tap in. Srinivasan is an incredible case study.  

     
Some of the actors point to their genes as legacy (for their body ofcourse, Khan claims on his pathan origin!...indeed dear fellow we have all evolved from monkey). Yes with limited talent and huge unearned money coming their way they need to have reasons for this amazing irony, unfortunately they really don’t know where racism begins or where prejudices thrive and sensibilities end. It is shocking how much things are degraded.  Not a surprise since trivial people with unearned income will only trivialise things.  The buying friendly investment jubilant society cannot be expected to be different.