The Hidden Impact of Burma’s Arbitrary and Corrupt Taxation

By Network for Human Rights Documentation - Burma • August 30, 2010

“We have to give them so much that our stomachs are empty of food”

People in Burma are forced to hand over large proportions of their income and property in official and unofficial taxes and this happens so often for each family, that it makes basic survival extremely hard. ND-Burma sought to highlight how the arbitrary and repressive nature of these taxes has an imense impact on every aspect of people’s lives. Taxation in Burma affects people’s livelihood and quality of life but also becomes all-consuming as families desperately try to find the money and other resources to pay these taxes and find ways to cope with the devastating effect it has on their already dismal income. People consequently have little time to be concerned with their rights, as day to day survival under this taxation system has become a priority.

The system of taxation and extortion impacts on the people of Burma’s basic human rights by violating their right to an adequate standard of living, right to development, property rights, right to education and in the forced labour they are subjected to. The report aims to inform the international community about these practices committed by the regime and the immense negative impact it creates on the people of Burma. It also urges accountability and change.

View the report in English

This post is in: Human Rights

The Hidden Impact of Burma’s Arbitrary and Corrupt Taxation

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