AN honest man is God’s noblest work. Ingersoll put it the other way, “An honest God is man’s noblest work.”

If you know pedicab driver Jack Sancho who is an honest man, kindly tell him I want to meet him. I want to write about his honesty.

Around 7 a.m. yesterday, photo journalist, the beautiful British girl Hazel Stuart texted me that while walking along Lacson Street at that time and texting while walking, she dropped her wallet. A tricycle driver she identified as Jack Sancho, ran after her to give her wallet.

“There are honest people in Bacolod,” Hazel texted me.

Yes, Hazel. There are many honest people in Bacolod. Sadly, they are mostly the poor ones who can barely eat three full meals a day. There are many stories of honest drivers, employees but are not recognized.

Can any of my readers send me Jack Sancho? I plan to invite him for breakfast Sunday at McDonald’s to present him to the Sunshine Boys and invite him for dinner with my Rotary Club of Bacolod under our lady president Leilani Alba.

Jack Sancho should be made a good model to many.

* * *

I have BIR Director Rodita Galanto to thank. Because of her imposing the now controversial coop tax, I was made to do some reading on taxing and taxation.

I heard lately she challenged Fr. Arman Onion to sue her. Before Onion succeeds in making her step down with street marches and rallies, Onion might not leave the challenge lying down to make Galanto spend her time fighting Onion and spare the small planters.

Director Galanto made me do some reading on taxing and taxation. Some taxing systems came from strange ideas.

Do you know there was the Beard Tax? It was imposed by Peter the Great in Russia to encourage shaving. I don’t know if he had a razor business but Gilette was not yet born then.

Peter stationed clerks at the entry of towns to cut beards of the bearded ones. Those who insisted should pay taxes.

* * *

Then there was also the Nose Tax imposed in Ireland in the ninth century. Those who neglected to pay their taxes were punished by slitting their noses.

Then there was the poll tax in England in 1377. This led to a Revolt of the Peasants in 1381. It was abolished. Then another one was launched in 1513 but was abolished in 1689 when there was the move to launch another revolution.

Today there is being sown the seeds of a revolt. You should read Dr. Sonia Daquila’s book, “Seeds of a Revolution,” published here in Bacolod.

Taxation, illegal and unfair always sowed the seeds of a revolution. The American Revolution against Britain was due to taxation.

In 1761, James Otis delivered impassioned speeches which were said to have “sown the seeds of patriots and heroes.” Otis said, “Taxation without representation is tyranny.” Otis also said, “No parts of His Majesty’s dominion can be taxed without their consent.”

The Americans was the revolution.

* * *

I got digressed.

There was also the Window Tax. There was a time in England when wealth or prestige was measured by the number of one’s windows. So, in 1691 a tax on the number of one’s windows was imposed but abolished only in 1851.

The Window Tax took the place of the Hearth Tax. A hearth is an area around the fire place, a place of comfort. Some hearths were big in size and had many amenities for comfort.

I don’t know what kind of other taxes Director Galanto might think of. She’s got some fertile imagination, signs of having plenty of ideas.

That’s why sugar coops who feel aggrieved might be encouraging Arman Onion, to keep on the pressure so that Director Galanto, with her time spent on fighting, will have no more time to think of unfair taxes.

* * *

I was surprised why Director Galanto dared Fr. Onion to sue her. Knowing Onion, he might return the compliment and the favor by going to the Ombudsman. This might affect her retirement and the tax campaign of BIR in Negros Occidental.

But I see both Onion and Galanto are real warriors. Onion in a fight is like a duck thrown into the water. Director Galanto did not try to study before what she would be getting into by filing cases against some people who are not afraid to fight to the end.

We will wait for the inquiry to be made by the Provincial Board.

Leave a Reply