"Nothing is certain except death and taxes" said Benjamin Franklin - bit.ly/3MMhkaM
But is there way to think about taxes and manage burdens that is actually fairer and more empowering for us and future generations?
In my discussions it seems to me that most of us think of taxes as something applied by a government or authority to which we have to pay dues. In this blog I'd like to explore something I have been speaking about to colleagues and friends over some time: the notion that we, as a society and as individuals, have to bear burdens, that I think of as taxes, that are more than financial in nature. Here are some that come to mind: the burden of disease, the burden of illiteracy, of inequality, of disinformation that distorts and disempowers us, of living in fear through corrupt practices or fear of violence. These are taxes in the sense that they apply a cost or burden that we must bear. Shrugging off a financial tax (e.g. by under investing in infrastructure or education) still applies a burden down the track to society in the form of a cost to repair, or to buy-in expertise that could have been avoided - a form of tax in my view.
In discussions with friends, I find we think mainly of the immediate societal tax or individual tax - rather than the longer-term impact of many things that can be best dealt with if we take a broader view of the tax or burden that we must cope with.
Where am I going with this? I am putting forward the point of view that if we take a holistic view of the notion of taxes or burdens, we can see that for example, disinformation is a kind of tax on our spirit and resilience, that can be countered by positive narratives, increased societal engagement and increased trust and transparency of sources. Similarly, a digital divide that makes it harder for certain people to access health services is again a kind of tax that can be reduced long-term by investment in programs to reduce inequalities. When we are narrow minded, or corruptly promote special causes or persons without declaring interests (thereby breaking merit based systems) then we are applying a burden of corruption - another tax that can again be minimised or countered with transparency, independent oversight, well-functioning governance etc.
If we take a broad-based, long duration perspective on matters of healthcare, education, or societal equity, then we can invest appropriately today for long-term benefits, much as we would do with a long-term oriented balanced investment portfolio. With such a perspective, we would emphasise programs that are preventative in nature, oriented about well-being and long-term fulfilment, and less oriented around cost minimisation as a key, solo aspect.
I know I'm not alone in promoting adoption of a long-term perspective for healthcare and education, but I hope this additional perspective i.e. that we all end up paying taxes or bear burdens - no matter how much we may try to minimise them in the here and now - can help shift the narrative and reduce the desire to simply kick the burden down the road. If we can take a broad perspective that taxes and burdens are not things to be eliminated, but are instead things to be minimised on a long-term basis given societal needs , then it is my hope that we can build a more resilient, better future for us all - a better performing societal portfolio if you will.
This is a different kind of topic for me - I am not an economist, and not a politician - I'd be interested in whether my thoughts resonate, or if you would like me to stick with my more usual diet of digital healthcare topics?
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