India vs Pakistan cricket matches are the only events that break all previous viewership records, betting predictions, and testosterone levels of a population of one and a half billion on this planet. Every time both teams enter the field, the spectacular cheers are like the crowd cheering for ancient gladiators. The media, politicians, and sports commentators refer to it as a war.
A war between two nations, both descendants of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, who fought against the British Raj and gained independence within a day of each other from the same colonial rule. Since their independence 75 years ago, politicians and people in authority on both sides have been fueling hostility and challenging each other’s existence. Every time there’s a cricket match, it stirs up intense emotions among the residents of the subcontinent. Whether they are spectators inside the stadium or watching on screens, everyone calls the game of cricket a war between two nations.
But the residents of the Indus Valley are so naive and simple that they are not familiar with the basic principles of war. Ancient wisdom from Roman, Greek, and English civilizations has taught us that war is fought at the expense of taxpayers. It’s the people who pay taxes that fund wars. War is not fought only with courage, valor, and patriotism.
The ancient Greeks introduced a tax on the residents of Athens around 428 BC. The ruler of Ancient Greece, Pericles, was the first person in history to introduce such a tax, known as the Eisphora, to fund war expenses. Similarly, the Romans introduced a tax in 167 BC called the Tributum, initiated by the ruler Tiberius Gracchus, to fund their military campaigns. The English, too, were not much different. Instead of going into war, they collected money from residents in the form of Danegeld to be paid to the Vikings, ensuring they wouldn’t attack England. The people of England had no choice but to follow the orders of King Ethelred and contribute their earnings for protection.
Throughout the history of civilization, taxes have been collected and used for war. It is the people who pay their earnings to support war efforts and defend themselves from state enemies. But the enemy of the state is not necessarily the enemy of the state’s residents. Whether Greek, Roman, or English, they all did the same. When the British left the subcontinent, they left the region with the rules of war but did not explain how to fund it, which is by taxing the people.
After 75 years of independence, the populations of India and Pakistan stand at approximately 1.4 billion and 240 million, respectively. However, the number of registered taxpayers in India and Pakistan stands at about 82 million and 2.5 million, respectively.
The irony is that both naive nations are in the hands of politicians who encourage conflict every time their cricket teams enter the ground, with chest-thumping messages to neighbors each time a boat of poor fishermen loses its way and enters enemy territory. But in the urge for war and songs of patriotism, the residents on both sides of the Indus Valley forget the basic principle of war. As told by the Greeks, Romans, and English: The rule is simple — before starting a war, collect the tax. And that’s the message that none of the residents of the Indus Valley have understood.
Taking a pacific and egalitarian approach towards finding a solution, I use war as a metaphor here, not in the literal sense. War is no good for any part of the world, but what is good for the people and residents of any country is a foolproof and transparent mechanism for the collection of taxes. A nation, society, or even a municipality cannot survive if taxes are not collected. In India, only about 6% of people are registered as taxpayers, and in Pakistan, the number is even lower, at around 1%.
Comparatively, in the United Kingdom, the tax payment percentage is about 57%.
So next time you hear the chant of ‘war between India and Pakistan’ at a cricket event, turn around and ask your fellow neighbor how much they have paid in taxes to fund that war.
In today’s age, no cavalry or artillery services can operate without funding. The documentation of the economy and payment of taxes by the residents of the country are the only ways for nations to prosper.
Alas, the real match is to ‘tax the untaxed’
Below is the central idea of the blog (generated by ChatGPT):
“The blog illustrates how India-Pakistan cricket matches are portrayed as intense, war-like events by media and politicians, igniting fervent emotions among their massive populations. It contrasts this spectacle with the historical reality that actual wars are funded by taxpayers, drawing parallels to ancient civilizations like the Greeks, Romans, and English who collected taxes to support military campaigns. The central message is that while the rhetoric of war dominates the cricket field, the true strength of a nation lies in its ability to collect taxes effectively. With only a small fraction of their populations registered as taxpayers, both India and Pakistan face challenges in achieving genuine national prosperity. The blog calls for a shift in focus from chest-thumping patriotism to building a transparent and efficient tax system, underscoring that the real war for development is fought through economic contributions, not just emotional displays at sporting events.”
Author: Asif Durrani
Dated: 19 Jun 2024
https://www.linkedin.com/in/asifdurrani
Also published at Medium
References:
1. History of Taxation – (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation#History)
2. Eisphora: Ancient Greek Tax – (https://www.ancient.eu/article/1134/ancient-greek-taxes/)
3. Tributum : Roman Tax – (https://www.worldhistory.org/tributum/)
4. Danegeld : English Tax – (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Danegeld)
5. Population of India and Pakistan- (https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/population-by-country/)
6. Number of Taxpayers in India and Pakistan- (https://www.financialexpress.com/economy/)
7. Tax Payment Percentage in the UK – (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-tax-summary-statistics).
Asif Durrani 