Why blame Aurangazeb for all that cruel taxation during a time when there were not many resources to tax except mainly agriculture produce. A lot of this money went for the various war expenses he fought during those times and to maintain the royal household.
Our rulers since independence, whether at the centre or in the states are worse tyrants. From time to time, they have introduced taxation on virtually everything including Chidambaram's new cash cow called service tax. Tens of thousands of crores are collected every year and proposed to be spend on poverty alleviation, rural job generation, upliftment of the various sectors of economy, building of infrastructure etc. Every thing is simply squandered away - where are the good roads in cities leave alone the rural country side. Power cuts are rampant. Rural and urban poverty is spiralling. We can't even have good irrigation projects that farmers in hundreds are committing suicide every where. 2% on every thing is collected as Education cess. How many schools have been rebuild, rejuvenated and provided basic facilities like benches and desks or just the basic simple amenity of a clean toilet with running water.
Aurangazeb seen in today's context should be seen as a benevolent man (I do not have authentic knowledge of his edicts regarding other matters during the period of his reign) as compared to our rulers of today who compete with each other in their ingenuity to "invent" new taxes.
How many of you know the number of taxes we pay as a common man. I will list a few (not inclusive of the complicated ones included in Company taxations). Here it goes - basic income tax, surcharge of 10%, education cess of 2%, Central sales tax (CST0, excise duty, state sales tax or VAT in its new avatar, Octroi (this too is a tax in one way as it adds upto the cost), entry tax, basic customs duty, road tax, registration fee (again a tax only), stamp duty on registration, taxes on fuel.
Have you ever wondered why your petrol costs so much. In Karnatka, there is a beggar tax, library tax etc included in the cost of fuel. Has any one asked how many public libraries have been rejuvenated and stacked with books using this money or how many beggars have bee rehabilitated.
Or the road tax, which is so exorbitant. When you buy a car, say for 5 lakhs, you pay almost 55000 rupess as road tax. But we still have to trudge through the pot holes or how many state highways or rural roads have been done up. I can give one example. Every one would exult - the Bangalore - Mysore road is pretty good now. I happened to have travelled from Talecaud to the Bangalore - Mysore road via a Maddur about 5 months back. For those who are not aware - Maddur was the constituency of H M Krishna, former chief minister of Karnataka. The road was in such a pathetic state that we jumped and hit our head uncountable number of times during an hour's journey which should not have taken more than 10 minutes. Infact, there was no road only a Kacha raasta. If as a Chief minister cannot give a good road in his own constituency with all this money at his disposal, you can imagine how sincere they are in utilising all this money collected from our hard earned work.
Praise Aurangazeb for his mercy because our Chidamabaram or state finance ministers are greater despots, for they may not trample you with their elephants but would skin you and roast you alive if you don't adhere to their dictatorial taxation policies
