12/09/2023
A Prayer for India
Priya Pitaji, First, heal the hearts of our people so that we may forgive and bless our oppressors. May they have peace and prosperity. Second, help our past rulers to take up the responsibility to correct their past wrongs. Third, heal them so they may treat us graciously and with compassion as we take our baby steps forward to run our nation fairly, safely, and kindly. I bless India and pray for its healing, development, and prosperity.
Finally, I pray that our national flag will continue to fly high as we deal with systemic injustice, corruption, and ever-increasing inflation. And as we work with unyielding issues like poverty, sanitation, malnutrition, bad roads, substance abuse, power abuse, and abuse of the vulnerable. Lord, I pray for the commoners of my country. The governments have burdened them with taxes of many kinds. The industrialist, trader, and all other middlemen transfer their tax burden onto the consumer, who ends up paying for all of them. Otherwise, prices of essential commodities should not rise with taxes. Therefore, I pray that you will help the government with the wisdom to reduce tax rates, particularly, the income tax.
First, I pray you will help the government devise wise rules. Let them charge GST taxes at each level proportionate to the profit the entity makes from the final product. Second, I pray that the MRP would remain the same when tax is increased. May those who profit from the sales pay the tax, and not the consumer. Third, I pray you would end the boast of executives, business people, and government officials who falsely claim they provide the most significant chunk of taxpayers' money. In reality, they collect it from the consumer.
Finally, I pray that the government will realize who is paying the tax. They would return the benefits to the commoners by using it on projects that benefit all people directly. I am sad that they spend more on building monuments, parliament buildings, and projects that benefit a handful of wealthy people. Instead, I pray you will help them spend on things like Sanitation, Roads, Education, Medicine, Technology, and improving the condition of the poor and lower middle class. I also pray that you will help us control the rising prices of essential commodities: oil and gas. In the name of your Son who gave himself to forgive our sins, Amen.