Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Five Facets of Tax System

By Seomul Evans


It is a well know fact that every working citizen has to pay taxes, whether he/she like it or not. Your taxes depend on the basis of your earning. Factor regarding taxation differ from country to country, as each country has a different rules and regulation in terms of taxation and tax benefits.

There are five common aspects of the tax system:

1- Taxation is voluntary, whether you like it or not. It's more like mandatory than voluntary actually. Any person or organization is subject to tax, meaning they have to provide a statement of how much they are earning and the corresponding tax from the earnings. Some organizations can be exempted from tax, especially religious organizations, but they would still be required to file a return. Some governments are very strict about tax exemptions and they mostly have a criteria for tax exemption. If the organization does not meet the criteria, then they do not meet the cut.

2. Tax is based on your income, and your income is basically your earnings, but they should also incorporate interests, profits, dividends and such. Gifts and bequests are not subject to income, so taxes are not enforced on them, however, there are still some bequests that need to be taxed such as land transfer taxes.

3- Taxes are regularly paid. Like Bejamin Franklin once said, "There are only two things certain in life - death and taxes." He was right. Your tax should come from your earning all year round. For some countries, this would exclude the 13th month pay. Most people pay taxes through the company they work for, or the company would automatically deduct the tax from the earnings. A tax refund could be received early in the year (January or February at most) if you paid more than the tax you are supposed to pay (corresponding to the total amount of your earnings during the year). However, if you fail to pay enough, the government would ask you for a balance due. The balance due should be paid immediately because failing to do so would result in interests and penalties.

4- Taxes correspond to many factors. For some countries, the amount of tax a person should pay would only correspond to the amount of earnings they have per month. Some countries take into consideration the marital status of a person. Some countries take into consideration the industry type where the person works. It really all depends on the taxation laws of the government where you reside on how much tax you are supposed to pay.

5. Mainly taxation is supposed to pay in order to fund the expenses of the government for the betterment of people, and it encompasses education benefits, health benefits, infrastructure, roads, bridges and so on so forth.

Income taxation should be personally looked over by the person himself. Usually, he has the power to save on taxes by setting his financial affairs in such a way that would benefit him. Remember to never bypass the rules of taxation, as tax controversies are pretty hard to solve, and usually would cost you a lot, not only on lawsuits but on damage payments as well. It would be best to keep track and make sure your taxes are in the right order.




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