Tax dodging Jamaican parents

You know, I was so mad when I read Ruel Reid's comment in the Jamaica Observer yesterday about keeping the children of tax dodgers out of school. I could not believe it. It was very obvious to me that this man was just shooting from the lips without engaging the brain. The suggestion was so ridiculous on so many levels. In a country with a literacy rate of 87% one of the lowest in the caribbean (most countries in the caribbean have literacy rates in the 90%'s) we should be looking at ways of improving this. First of all, there are parents who don't care two hoots about how many days of school a child misses so it's the child who would be punished. Secondly, if such a policy is put in action, how does that help to bring the childless non-compliant taxpayer into the tax net? Also, he obviously hasn't noticed that home-schooling has been catching on here, a non-compliant taxpayer might just decide it's cheaper to do so than pay the government what is due.

Then, did he even think of the pschological impact on the child who has to miss school because his parent owes the government? Obviously not. I too believe that something needs to be done about bringing more people under the tax umbrella. I too strongly believe that it's grossly unfair for the compliant few to be carrying the tax burden while the rest reap the benefits without paying their share. However, this is certainly not the way to go. Is he crazy? And to think that this is the President of the Jamaica Teachers Association who made this suggestion. He represents a group of people who are supposed to be the champion of education in the country. He should be advocating that more be done to increase literacy level. I'm sure the members of the association must have cringed in embarrassment at this absurd suggestion.