There appears to be a nexus between high taxes and famine conditions in British India wherein the then Revenue Commissioner, Romesh Ch. Dutt wrote to the then Viceroy Lord Curzon during 1897-1902 that the famine was related to high taxes to the tune of 16 to 33% of gross produce of farmers which amounted to confiscation of private property in land and transformation of the peasant proprietors of land into virtual serfs of the state.
Hence the Indian famines of 1877, 1897 and 1899 in directly assessed areas of Bombay, Madras and the central provinces were in fact due to heavy taxation. This lesson is relevant to our proposed schemes of levying RGST over people of Pakistan which could result in famine like conditions of essential goods and items that common people use in their doily life.
As such the nexus between high taxes and famines in India might teach us a lesson or two about dire consequence of high divest taxation.
DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
