TDS… and other tedious matters
Intaxification, detaxification and other middle-class miseries of August… INDU BALACHANDRAN
Now that two thirds of the year is over, it’s time to see if that highly original and brilliantly-worded sms that hundreds of caring people sent you on January 1— “Wishing you a prosperous NEW YEAR!” — is working or not.
And for those prosperous ones who stretched filing their tax returns to that last frantic hour of August (“Now where did I keep that TDS statement? And my LIC receipt?”), you are now also probably thinking twice about craving for more income, considering the outcome.
Not a good start
I decided to do a short survey with some of my friends and check the after-effects of painful annual rituals like filing taxes. “Hey Jaggu! Shall we chat over a bite at Pizza Hut today?” I asked.
“Sure,” said Jaggu. “I can easily afford a bite there, as I have 25 bucks in my wallet. But you’ll have to eat and pay for the remaining four bites of that sandwich.”
Well. I didn’t know Jaggu was having it this bad. So then I tried my pal Parvati who I often bump into walking on Boat Club Road. “Hey! Just wanted to chat a bit. I’m generally finding out about money and filing taxes and stuff …”
Not funny
“Wait. Is this for one of your heartless articles making fun of our middle-class miseries?”
“Er…not exactly, but even if I do, I swear I’ll change your name,” I reassured her. “Well, you can change my name from Parvati to Poverty if you like… my auditor found new ways to show I owe the Government several more thousands than last year.” She stormed away at a faster trot. But then that’s good for her leg muscles I thought, in case she felt like kicking her auditor.
I walked on, and met a more cheerful friend. “Hi Jana! Filed your returns? Just gathering some thoughts for an article…” I said. “Well I’ve paid my usual lakhs and lakhs, but looks like many others haven’t. Just see the state of this road after one big downpour; our poor Government has no money left to maintain them, after maintaining only the roads leading up to their own mansions…” Jana viciously kicked a stone into a pothole; maybe I’d spoilt his nice mood here.
Market pulse
Someone suggested I check out a swish shopping mall to see what the atmosphere was like out there. What with newspapers announcing a million August Sales, shoppers must be so happy that with less money in their wallets, they would save precious money on each purchase. Well a Shopping Maul is what I saw. They were out in hundreds, raiding the shops for bargains. Many delirious people were buying five-for-the-price-of-three, when all they set out to buy that day was, say, just one new pair of discounted sun-glasses.
Well, despite no discounts whatsoever at the food courts, it was jam packed with people. The same ones who’d yell at the vegetable- wallah for raising the price of a kilo of onions from Rs. 10 to 12, were so readily paying Rs. 75 for an onion dosa . I suddenly spotted my ex-colleague Niloy sitting at a table, who waved to me to join him. “So what human trauma have you come to observe here and make fun of…” asked Niloy.
“Well, it’s the post-August mood of people, especially after filing their tax returns”, I confessed.
Niloy broke into a huge grin. “Well I have no complaints! Right now I actually love the IT people!” he said, biting into a large burger. “They recently sent me a refund for Rs. 7870!! Just like that! Sit down, I’ll treat you to a pizza.”
At last! A person who actually smiled at the mention of the words Income Tax. But then my good friend was merely enjoying that temporary feeling of euphoria called “intaxification”. That exhilarating high when we get unexpected money… Till we realise it was ours anyway, in the first place.
E-mail: indubee8@yahoo.co.in
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