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Aam aadmi and misery tax - 'misery day' on 12th march

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by sureshmiyer, Mar 11, 2011.

  1. sureshmiyer

    sureshmiyer Silver IL'ite

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    [this is an email forward...]
    Dear Friends

    You are probably not aware that the Central Government has proposed a 5% service tax on healthcare in the recent budget. What are its implications?

    If you undergo any heart surgery, you must pay Rs.5,000 to 10,000 or more as service tax. If you are unfortunate and suffer from cancer, then you will be charged in excess of Rs.20,000/- as service tax.

    Do not be misled by Government’s justification that only air-conditioned hospitals will be charged this tax and hence only rich patients will be taxed.

    For your information, not a single operation theatre or blood bank can legally function without air-conditioning.

    The Government spends less than 1% of our GDP on healthcare. The only other Government in the world which spends less than us is Pakistan. 80% of our national healthcare cost is borne through private expenditure.

    It is Government’s duty to provide us with affordable healthcare instead of increasing the cost by adding more taxes. Even our poorest villagers who pay Rs.5 to 10 for micro-health insurance are charged 8% service tax.

    My fellow citizens, quality healthcare remains beyond the reach of most of us partly because hospitals pay sales tax, customs duty, Entry tax, VAT, electricity bills at the highest tariff bracket and even luxury tax. Everyday, I see patients who have sold their homes or borrowed money beyond their means to save their child’s life. I do not have the heart to tell them that from today they will be charged an additional Rs.5000 to Rs.10000 as service tax.

    Less than 10% of our population can afford heart, brain or cancer surgey. In the process, we perhaps produce the largest number of young widows in the world. Healthcare cost is the common cause of rural indebtedness.

    We must all act against this injustice. So, let us choose Saturday, the 12th of March as ‘Misery Day’. I request every citizen to assemble at 11 AM near the Governor’s House of every State with a petition to roll back this ‘Misery Tax’. Please pass on this request to everybody you know.

    Thanking you,

    Dr. Devi Shetty
    Narayana Hrudayalaya
    devishetty@hrudayalaya.com
     
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  2. maalti

    maalti Gold IL'ite

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    Hi Suresh, Nice awareness creating blog. I shall try to pass on the request to my friends but I am not sure how many of them will respond positively. Regards
     
  3. rgsrinivasan

    rgsrinivasan IL Hall of Fame

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    Eye-opener in more than one way Suresh. Thanks for posting this. -rgs
     
  4. AbhiSing

    AbhiSing Gold IL'ite

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    Today is the Misery Day..I suppose!

    Healthcare and manging costs has been a struggle to all citizens of most of the countries. Sigh!
     
  5. Shanvy

    Shanvy IL Hall of Fame

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    suresh,

    I was told that the service tax was under consideration because it was getting lot of flak. let us wait and see.

    now do diseases that require costly medical interventions identify people's affordablity..the aam aadmi is really taxed..

    i think this and the health care insurance mobility will become interlinked..well let us see what comes out of it..
     

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