Two things are certain - death, and Tax amnesties
This is a Bill that makes black white. So said the UNF's volatile Mr Azwer in Parliament on Thursday. It is doubtful whether he understood the irony of what was being said. He was Speaking of the Tax Amnesty Bill, and he meant that black money was being 'laundered'' because those who evaded tax were being brought into the system.

But it's figuratively a home truth. It is a Bill that makes rogues and evaders lily white and respectable. It is undoubtedly a Bill that makes black white. Now, it's true that there might be a good case for some sort of a tax amnesty for evaders. Whatever its negative aspects, a Tax amnesty is designed to bring in more revenue - and according to the Minister of Finance, the Bill has already done that, bringing in new declarants who have declared money to the tune of 45 million rupees.

But while saying that, all the Parliamentarians failed to make an apology to good tax paying citizens. Black was made white -- but it was black that seemed to have won the day, and there was scarcely any mention of white. 'The poor' said Finance Minister Choksy, "will benefit from the Tax amnesty.'' No doubt he meant well -- but it was like saying that the poor are lucky that they have had such a bunch of rich rouges who refused to pay taxes. "Direct Taxes'' said Choksy will be reduced by the Tax amnesty.

These will be taxes like VAT and customs taxes. But the funny thing is that nobody in Parliament even managed to sound contrite. If rogues are being given a chance for good reason -- as the rationale went -- then why was Bandula Gunawardene gloating. "It is not only the UNF that will benefit from it -- the opposition will benefit from it too, so don't pretend to be against it.''

That took the cake. What Gunawardene says is that Tax evaders and rogues from the opposition will also benefit from the Amnesty because they will no longer run the risk of being hounded out for what they hadn't declared.

As long as "your rogues and our rogues can get away together', who cares about a few lily white taxpayers who were honest enough to in fact pay their taxes? Gunawardene to his credit had done his homework and his statistics were substantial -- making the opposition's sketchy speeches look like they were another gift to boot leggers, kassipu vendors and arms deale, as if a Tax amnesty for them wasn't enough. On the other hand Gunawardene and Choksy were a team -- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid they may have been -- but if the Tax amnesty was a scam as the opposition said, they were at least pulling it off even though it was not the best way to pull it off, to be so brazen about 'making black white.'

Raja Collure said "I am not a Minister so I can't mislead the House.'' As if "misleading the house' was only the prerogative of Ministers. All that can be said was everybody was cushy about the affront to the honest taxpayers, with not one mention about them except a passing reference. True there may be some benefits, but at least an apology to the law abiding Taxpayers? Yet, to think that our parliamentarians would tax themselves with such burdens…..

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