Prose

The profession of tax collector (tax officer in modern Ukraine) found due attention in unique system of government of ancient Japan. As one may see from the extract of the treatise “Budosesinsiu”, the country of samurais also had problems with tax officers. It is interesting that the author of the treatise marks out two types of malignant officials – “thieves” (in fact, bribetakers) and civil servants “extortionists” (in fact, officials who justify their excessive diligence in collecting taxes by fiscal interests of the state). According to the wise samurais, the latter type of officials is even more dangerous than ordinary thieves since their “diligence” causes irreparable harm.

These truths are very relevant for Ukraine since officials of State Fiscal Service often justify their actions, which, in fact, destroy business, by the need to fill the budget in this difficult time and by similar “excuses”. Already in ancient Japan such “diligence” got no encouragement, but was even severely punished. We wish our statesmen don’t forget these truths and strictly punish those, who overplay their role as “defenders of the budget” and destroy the economy and the prospects of our state.

The treatise is available in Russian.

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