Since it's the Budget time let me rephrasing of a famous saying, "a annual people-thrashing ritual by the elites, of the elites for the elites". And yes, stop believing in miracles- they just don't happen here in this land of the pure.

May God save us from our own luxury-drenched rulers whose favourite pastime seems to revolve round one thing specifically- finding ingenious methods of taxing an already thoroughly fleeced people to maintain their jet-set lifestyle. What worries me the most are the statements issued by the "˜sympathetic' advisor to the President on Finance that talk of shifting the burden of taxes on to rich instead of poor.

If the statements of the advisor, who got extremely charged while playing an important role to secure bailout loan from the IMF last November and has become proactive once again as with Budget 2009-10 just ten days away, are any indication the next fiscal would be a year of construction mafia-lead people thrashing. This would be so because the honorable advisor has clarified that what passes for construction industry should be exempted from taxation in the next budget. Feelers have also being circulated to prepare the people for substantial increase in defence spending which as usual would come at the expense of development, education and health allocations that never list on the priority of any ruler here.

Reading the above statement with an earlier statement would help you avoid any shock or may be even a heart attack at the time of the announcement of budget. The statement assured the "˜farmers'- read feudals of all shades, hues and characters who almost entirely dominate the national and provincial parliaments; senate and their relatives, acquaintances and friends in the civil or uniformed bureaucracy; executive; administrative; judicial, law enforcing arms of the government and their chamcha-brigades all around- that agriculture sector would keep on enjoying the tax exemption.
With the two vital sectors of the economy outside the pale of Budget 2009-10 the axe of taxation would fall severely on the subjects who are already paying myriads of direct and indirect taxes to a point where they could hardly survive at all. Despite abhorring prediction I would like to predict that the arena of filthy rich, the stock market, would remain un-taxed yet again though token measures would be announced to give a flase impression tat they are brought under the tax net. It is said that "After the government takes enough to balance the budget, the taxpayer has the job of budgeting the balance". Only time will tell if the already over-taxed masses here would be able to "˜budget the balance' after the announcement of Budget 2009-10.

Just how much consideration do policy makers attach to ensure spending tax is obvious form the following example, that may perhaps be a joke. When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ball-point pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat this problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $ 12 billion developing a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300° C. The Russians, on the other hand, preferred to use a pencil. Here the tax collected from the poorest of the poor pays is seen fit to be spent on multi-night stay of the presidential entourage at US hotels the daily room rent of which would have been enough to pay the Rs 6,000 monthly minimum salary of a labourer for almost seven year. Seven years? Yes, but who cares?

What good you should expect from a government who slashes the petroleum price by majestic Rs 1.45, or 2.5 per cent, despite earning a pure profit of Rs 28 per litre on top of already collecting duties, taxes and levies on the sale of every litre of petroleum and also on diesel and kerosene oil- the fuel of the poorest of the poor? What relief should you expect from those who haughtily refused to pass off any relief to their own people when international price of crude oil dipped to $ 34 a barrel but now are planning to increase the retail prices of petroleum, diesel by 20 per cent.

What relief should you expect from policy makers who keep on increasing the tariff of the most essential modern day necessity, electricity, despite supplying power less than half of a day and also despite substantial reduction in furnace oil prices? Why should you appeal to the humane senses of a ruling lot that not only see it fit to tax the people to death but also let the profiteers loose to devour the people at will?

What good should you expect from a ruling aristocracy that drinks nothing but imported mineral water; eats the best there is; sleeps, works and travels in temperature controlled environs; stays at the most expensive hotels during dozens of foreign trips, state, personal or individual; owns luxurious palaces, villas and flats in the best known capitals of the world as well as exotic resorts across the world; shares the riches but never the burdens of its motherland; tax people to death but is does not pay any tax itself; enjoys the best educational, medical, professional and career facilities for itself and families; makes laws that benefit and protect it from crimes and acts no matter how nefarious an act would be.

No. One should not expect any miracle from the upcoming budget. Despite deceiving statements be rest assured that the ultimate burden of the budget in its entirety would be borne only by the subjects so that the ruling aristocracy would keep on living in utmost luxury as always. It's time to stop believing in miracles.