roads and taxes and anonymity

The Post Courier asde had several items about the condition of the raods whose sorry state is second only to the sorry state of the dogs. As with politics everywhere it is a matter of directing blame. The Governor blamed the demography and the geography. The Minister for Finance blamed the Governor. Well it is good that other people too have noticed that the roads are bad. Asde I was the driver and had to take course materials down to the wharf and the roads in the wharf area were very good. The matter of taxation in a country where there is a big informal sector as it is known (cash sales in the markets for produce and second hand clothes and goods, for buai and cigarette and boiled eggs and peanut sprays and tourist items made of woven grass and coke bottles of petrol) must be a problem. Apparently income tax has a very small base compared with the number of people who have to make a living. The GST collected K137m over 5 years and of course the big informal sector avoids paying this. I am told that anything sold in the markets has no overheads such as market fees or taxes. So revenur raising for public services such as hospitals and education and law and order is done from out of a very small percentage od the population. However the Governor did exoplain that "Lae is sitting on water and roads are damaged by rain." Many letters of a critical nature are published anonymously. Apparently the fear of reprisal and retribution is a concern to public spirited people and so they cannot be known to have these public views recognised. That's the Melanesian Way dictated by corruption and raskol criminals.