Post
Topic
Board Economics
Re: Am I a bad person if I manage to avoid taxes? (Hypothetical question)
by
Comingdown
on 13/08/2023, 16:16:59 UTC
I am in Southeast Asia and I think our countries have the same model when it comes to taxes. Employees who are working for registered companies here do not have a choice but to pay their taxes, as it has already been deducted from their salary before they even receive it. Then, when you buy anything, you'll have to pay for VAT again. You also have to pay taxes for your assets.

I guess freelancers can easily avoid paying income taxes. When my friend left her regular job and opted to work remotely for an international company based in the US, she received the full amount of her salary (without tax deductions). It's now up to her if she will file her taxes or she can just not declare it. Legally speaking, she has to do it because it'll be a crime if she doesn't, but she can also easily avoid paying since the company is not a registered entity here in our country. This may be a good example of how one is able to avoid paying taxes.

If you're feeling wronged due to the amount of taxes that the government is taking from you, your feeling is valid. It can really be frustrating. However, you must think long term. In our case, it'll also be us who'll suffer in the future if we don't file our taxes accordingly. The Certification for Income Tax Withheld comes a long way because it is a requirement for a lot of things - when you want to get a VISA, when you want to apply for a bank loan, when you want to get a new house, or even for a phone plan.

I won't say that you're a bad person if you manage to avoid your taxes, but it'll have a bad implication for you in the future.