Tax is tomorrow, tax is the future, tax is democracy

When we look at the history of public finance, the phrase "no taxation without representation" holds historical significance. Taxes that were once imposed and collected arbitrarily eventually led to public rebellion and uprising, with the people arguing that taxes would only be fair and legitimate if imposed with the permission and approval of a parliament representing the people, and they fought for this.

With the collapse of absolute monarchies, the power of taxation was taken from the king and, at least partially, left to the authority of parliaments. In fact, the transfer of the power of taxation to parliaments also marked the beginning of the struggle for democracy, and it was accepted that taxes should only be imposed with the permission and approval of the people's representatives.

In essence, the history of taxation is a history of democracy. 

The Magna Carta, declared by the barons against the king in England in 1215, is considered the first declaration of freedom. This right was expanded to cover all state revenues and expenditures with the Bill of Rights declared in 1689. 

The fundamental problem for countries, including our own, is the low level of tax awareness and tax morality. 

Every lira of tax evaded from the state is an obstacle to citizens living in a better country, receiving treatment in better hospitals, studying in better schools, and enjoying better welfare conditions.

What needs to be noted here is that the principle of "no expenditure without taxation" is just as important as the principle of "no taxation without representation."

Today, the most significant problem is the "don't tax, just borrow" or "don't tax, just get votes" mentality, which emerges as one of the primary causes of economic problems. Another reason is that parliaments or political powers possess the authority to spend without taxation.

Spending without levying taxes means the state covers the financing deficit caused by the tax gap through borrowing or printing money. This increases the interest burden. This, in turn, leads to the erosion of fiscal discipline and the ethics of fiscal responsibility.

Spending without taxation disrupts fiscal and monetary discipline. For this reason, the constitutional powers of governments regarding monetary and fiscal policy should be restricted. Taxation is, in a sense, a right of sovereignty. It is a legitimate right for the state to hold this power on behalf of the nation. However, it must be placed within a constitutional framework, and this right must not be unlimited. Taxes collected without the consent of the citizens may be based on legal authority, but their legitimacy is a matter of debate.

Therefore, taxes are a country's tomorrow, its today, and its future. If we want to protect the present and secure the tomorrow and the future, the taxes collected must be spent in accordance with their social and economic purposes, and citizens must keep their tax-paying awareness high by paying their taxes accurately and on time.

Imposing excessively heavy taxes and abusing the power of taxation makes the public's reaction against taxes legitimate. Where tax is cultivated, democracy can also be cultivated. Both collecting excessive taxes and failing to pay taxes accurately and on time are forms of theft. 

If we want freedom to reign and democracy to hold power, the history of taxation is the history of freedom. The history of taxation is the history of democracy. Duran Bülbül