WHY ILIGAN SHOULD LEARN FROM BUSH'S FAILED TAX CUTS

Like a Wildfire, how Obama's Platform of Change Abrogated the Elitist Tax Cuts of Bush

In America today, they attributed the recent economic woes to the failed Tax Cuts of former President George Bush. Obama made it clear that such tax cuts depleted the resources of the government, favored the few and promote patronage, nepotism, cronyism, curruption and lobbying within the government.

Upon reading the various articles on the effects of the Bush Tax Cuts especially to the ruinous economic crisis of America, I find it very relevant to the current financial status of our beloved Iligan City. Many are wondering why the City's coffers is on a shortfall, why the entire machinery of the City Government is relying on the payment of the delinquent taxes of the defunct National Steel Corporation. At the same time, with the shortfall of the funds of the City which is synonymous to bankruptcy, there is an utter spending of funds to highly polarized and populist but not sustainable programs.

Tax cuts in America favored the few, elite and rich businessmen who have close connection to the administration. These sectors with so much money are sponsoring lobbying groups that will enable to influence the President and the legislators to pass laws that will reduce their tax payments in the pretext of promoting the influx of fresh investments thereby creating employment opportunities. But in a long term analysis, it really favored the rich while the hard paying middle class are not given such kind of an aristocratic previlege. As a result the rich become richer and the poor poorer. It even promotes so much graft and corruption because of the lobbying efforts made by the rich few to the government officials.

The situation is very relevant in the City of Iligan because a long time ago it has become a fad in our City to give tax exemptions to the selected few business men in the City. These tax breaks, just like in America in essence, were made to promote or encourage the businessmen to invest more in Iligan and make Iligan as a best haven for investment.

However, in my humble analysis, the tax cuts, breaks or exemptions made by the City never went to the lowest echelon of our society. It rather went to the pure benefit of the selected few. These selected few may have initiated a strong lobbying to influence the formulation of policies on tax cuts, breaks or exemption. As we have known in the world of political science, that lobbying is coupled with oiled money, graft and corruption.

Because of the tax cuts given to the selected few businessmen, the tax collection of the City is depleting. Namely not only on those granted the tax breaks but also to those who feel bias and may have the thought "of why should I pay when I'm not given the same privelege as those of the selected few."

The classic example for this is that one granted to the tax delinquentcy of the National Steel Corporation. The unpaid tax is in Billions, with the capital B my dear friend. Pressured or compelled, the City did give discounts to the latest payment of NSC despite a very horrible argument whether the offer of NSC will utlimately free them from their tax liability.

In this line of thought, what will the common Iliganon get from all of these tax cuts, breaks or exemptions. Nothing actually but just maybe a simple ingratitude that we do not belong to the selected few aristocrats especially when our leaders' lineage and skin tonings are from the local aristicracy. Aristocrats breed aristocrats and defend the aristocrats. Whew! Worst, still on the pretext that because they are the selected few, they are the only one who has all the right to populate the City Hall at the expense of all the Iliganons' taxes.