Of women power and tax

Publication: NST

Date of publication: Oct 11, 2013

Section heading: Business Times

Page number: 005

Byline / Author: By Johan Abdullah

THEY say that women are a mystery and difficult to understand. But everyone seems to agree that all women love shopping!

Is this true?

There are three kinds of women when it comes to shopping. The first is the kind that shops till she drops. Husbands need to have a limited credit card for these kinds. The second buys according to the allocated budget. The third compares prices between shops before making a purchase.

The reality is that the majority of women (63 per cent) make the household shopping decision.

Thus, it is imperative that they are aware of how much they spend every month and how much of it goes where.

There are also some women who notice the amount paid for taxes and calculate the total every month. Many don't do this, but should.

If all women did this, they would notice that we are already paying taxes in the form of a sales tax when we buy our goods from the market. Thus, should the Goods and Services Tax (GST) come into effect, it is not a new tax but one that replaces the old tax.

Paying tax is important to the family as a bulk of it goes to the children's development and family care. Schools and hospitals are funded by tax money, which form an income source for the government.

Women are well aware of the importance of developing our children and providing healthcare, especially to the elderly. Thus, women should be able to do the math and see that a small household contribution every month goes a long way in the nation's development.

Among the development we get to enjoy from the government with the income derived from tax are education for children (no school fees and for teachers' salary), affordable universities for youths, PTPTN loans, hospitals (free check-ups at government hospitals), roads, basic amenities such as taxi and bus stands, market place, community halls, clean water, efficient energy such as electricity, subsidies, Voucher 1Malaysia for books, national and state libraries, hospital for women, micro credit loan to women and small traders, programmes under the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry and many more.

No doubt that women care for the well-being of their children. The government takes care of the future generation through the income it earns from collecting taxes. As such, women's support to the government is imperative.

The contributor is a professional writer for World Communications