YOURSAY 'Saying paying more tax will reduce corruption is akin to saying eating more cake will reduce obesity.'

Tax dodgers don't love Malaysia, says lecturer

Lin Wenquan: In one sweeping simplistic statement, we are able to curb corruption with the imposition of Goods and Services Tax (GST), so says a dime-a-dozen so-called Malaysian academic.

Taxation, in any form, is a means for the government to collect money for the running of the country. The revenue can then be utilised judiciously and prudently for the benefit of the citizens.

However, the Auditor-General's Reports have exposed, year in and year out, that this is not the case with our government. Corruption is money, goods and services insidiously given and taken by individuals for favours and services.

The takers can be a peon up to a high-ranking official. As long as there is a web of bureaucratic practices which can be used to frustrate an otherwise simple process, the tentacles of corruption can never be amputated.

So where is the symbiosis of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) senior lecturer Rohami Shafie's discourse on GST and graft? Desperately seeking for a professorship, is he?

After all, Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) professor Ridhuan Tee Abdullah earned his through pseudo-intellectual rubbish in Utusan Malaysia . Good try.

Seadragon: How does raising taxes reduces corruption? In fact, the opposite is true, taxes are raised to feed the corrupt as a result of mismanagement of the economy.

Hong Kong has no GST and yet has the lowest tax rate in the world and one of the strongest economy in the world.

If I am a student of finance and accounting I certainly would not want to be taught by this half-past-six lecturer. obviously sacrificing his finance knowledge to curry some favour to get a professorship like Ridhuan Tee.

Anonymous #03815719: Hello Rohami, what have you got to say about the PM's wife Rosmah Mansor using taxpayers' money to fly in private jet around the world? Don't talk rubbish about tax evaders.

If I know a way to evade paying taxes, I will evade as I am sick at how the government misuse taxpayers' money. Please tell the BN government to recover the RM250 million paid to the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC).

Anomnim: Saying paying more tax will reduce corruption is akin to saying eating more cake will reduce obesity.

Onyourtoes: If we have nincompoop lecturers like this, it is not surprising to note that the ratings of most universities in Malaysia are going down the drain.

Do you know the theory of causation? Sure, household debt, bankruptcy rates and the number of corruption cases are closely related. But do you know what have caused the household debt to escalate?

Do you know the reasons why the number of bankrupt cases have increased? And do you know why corruption has become endemic? Surely it is not due to people not paying taxes.

On the contrary, it may be due to people paying too much taxes that were used to light up the prime minister's Seri Perdana residence or flying its occupants around the globe for fun.

Just for your information, causation must be underpinned by established theories, not based on correlation coefficient. If you don't understand what I have just said, please go learn advanced statistics again.

Bamboo: What perverted logic - increasing tax base, then corruption will be reduced? Common sense tells me, more taxes raised, then there will be bigger amount to be stolen.

YUNoAnon: The main factor for corruption is greed, selfishness and irresponsibility. If people were to agree to your logic, then by your definition, a large majority of people are corrupted. And this is an insult to people.

You can consider yourself corrupt but I am not one of those who benefit from such things. Go and research some more and present facts before coming out with such perverted reasoning.

Senior lecturer? You're better off being a full-time columnist for Utusan .

Goh Pick Ting: I'm seriously interested in how much revenue (including loans) the government has received over the past 10 years, and how it is being spent until the country is in serious problem of potentially becoming a bankrupt country like Greece? Where is the money?

Mushiro: This UUM lecturer must be an Umno man to say "the main factor for corruption is insufficient income to sustain everyday life".

Corruption is related mainly to Umno and BN leaders and top civil servants taking advantage of the situation. Projects, government funds, consultancy fees, commissions, overpriced purchases, etc, are given to Umno and BN leaders to buy their political loyalty.

Many will be willing to pay taxes if they know the government is sincere. If the law allows for the tax to be collected by the state governments, I guess the people of Penang, Selangor and Kelantan will lead in tax payments.

Fair Play: Another of those idiots jumping into the bandwagon in order to gain 'instant' recognition. If tax evasion is unpatriotic, what about the deep-rooted corruption that has spread like a pervasive cancer?

CiViC: Is there anything that is not political in Malaysia? Friday sermons were already infused with GST talk, now university lecturers get involved. There's no hope for Malaysia anymore. Thanks to BN.

Spinnot: More money is lost in corruption than in tax evasion. Those involve in corruption are also tax evaders, as corrupt money has to be concealed.

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