An Amazon employee expressed frustration over high tax deductions and infrastructure concerns in India. In an anonymous Grapevine post, the techie said that his April payslip left him shocked, as the TDS (tax dedicated at source) was more than his father’s last-drawn salary.
“Just checked my April payslip and my head is literally spinning. The TDS cut alone is more than my dad's last drawn salary before he retired,” the Amazon techie said.
High tax, few returns
He questioned where his tax money was going as he flagged a number of infrastructural issues in India.
The techie said that he and others in the top bracket give away 30% of their income as tax, along with surcharge, and get broken roads and toxic air in return. Moreover, the lack of social security makes the high taxes more painful, he noted.
“What exactly are we even getting for being in the highest tax bracket? We give away 30 percent plus surcharge and in return we get broken roads that flood with 10 mins of rain, toxic air, and absolute zero social security,” he said in his Grapevine post.
‘Punished for earning well’
{{/usCountry}}“What exactly are we even getting for being in the highest tax bracket? We give away 30 percent plus surcharge and in return we get broken roads that flood with 10 mins of rain, toxic air, and absolute zero social security,” he said in his Grapevine post.
‘Punished for earning well’
{{/usCountry}}The Amazon employee further pointed to healthcare costs and public infrastructure challenges, saying private spending is unavoidable.
“I’m paying crazy premiums for health insurance anyway because govt hospitals are a joke,” the post said.
He described the situation as discouraging despite career success, adding that even after clearing exams and landing a good package, the outcome feels unfair.
“It honestly feels like we are just being punished for earning well,” the techie ranted.
He ended his post by saying that he did not mind paying taxes, but he wanted to see tangible returns. In the current scenario, that is not the case.
"Bhai I don't mind paying taxes if I can see where the money is going but this is just daylight robbery at this point. How do you guys even make peace with this every month?” he asked.
Internet users weigh in
The post drew mixed responses. While some agreed with him, others asked him to make peace with the situation and pointed to higher taxes in other countries.
“If you start questioning things like where your tax money is going to be used, the only thing it will do is upset you no matter where you live. Trump is spending taxpayers money in the Iran war, for example. But you can avoid all this, just assume 30% you donate or you just earn 30% less, or get motivated and earn more. Some things are just out of your control, life is too short to worry about these things,” one person advised.
“I know that roads suck and public facilities aren't great and the government is inefficient at best. But there are so many countries where people are getting bombed and war has been going on for decades. There's a lot to be thankful for. Broken roads are nothing compared to war,” another said.
Several people also agreed with his point about lack of social security. “At least in the western countries there are unemployment benefits, imagine if you paid lakhs in taxes and next year you get laid off you get no support from the government,” a user pointed out.