Locals carry tax receipts in holders around their necks"I don't have a job, but I have paid my tax"
-Mohamed Bangura, 38-
"I paid the tax because I want to rehabilitate the country"
-Salu Koroma, 28-
Sierra Leone is recovering from the civil war with its denizens' adamant endeavors to reconstruct the country. Unlike ghettos around the globe, ghetto in Sierra Leone is full of people who wear "tax receipts in holders around their necks." Most of the people who pay the taxes are unemployed and struggles for their living every day. However, their poverty and unemployment does not seem to stop them from participating in reconstructing their country; it is amazing to see significant number of tax payers in a country where 70% of people live under poverty line. Due to total obliteration during the war, schools as well as incalculable number of homes and businesses have been utterly destroyed. Sierra Leone's literacy rate is one of the lowest in the world. To ameliorate their country, citizens in Sierra Leone offer whatever they have that might contribute to reconstruction. This article reminds me of one of the parables in the Bible: when Jesus saw a widow offering all she has to God, he said she offered more than any other men with affluence. Sierra Leone might be considered as the most impoverished country, but it glows brighter than any other countries around the globe with their invincible efforts.
1 comment:
Great comparison...why do they believe so strongly that the taxes they pay will help out their country? What has been done thanks to the tax money that has improved their standard of living? Where is all of the money going?
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