Trail Mail. Nail.

The proposal to gain quick access to personal e-mails of tax-filers to scrutinize IT liabilities and payments is an overstretch, one that will set a bad precedent

- RAJEEV NARAYAN

For those who feel the above analogy is out of place here, I can but state one simple truth— paying taxes is akin to a form of employment. Employment carries a sole responsibility— to fulfil a specific contract and provide a specific performance, as discussed and agreed upon. Similarly, tax-payers have a duty to pay their dues to the authorities, so that ‘Governance’ has the wherewithal to govern. In turn, ‘Governance’ has its own duty—to provide amenities and benefits to the ‘Governed’. That’s how companies, countries, even households run. Everyone does their bit, pays their dues and life chugs along. It is when any of the entities reneges on the ‘contract’, falling short of or going overboard in performance, that things start vacillating.

Things are vacillating. A proposal by the authorities seeks to allow the ‘tax-man’ easy access to emails and social media accounts of tax-payers, making for a very smelly pitch. Ostensibly, the move is aimed at enabling the tax department to scrutinize financial transactions of assessees, ensure compliance and crack down on evasion. So far, so good. Except for two issues. One, it raises concerns about privacy, security and the possible abuse of power. Two, tax authorities already have legal frameworks in place to access personal accounts of ‘deviants’ on a case-by-case basis, after obtaining requisite court orders.

The move to grant indiscriminate and blanket access may open the door to misuse, especially by officials lower down in the chain of command. If the proposal goes through, it would set a dangerous precedent in the already done-to-death discourse on privacy. The implications may not just expose citizens to harassment, they could violate guaranteed fundamental rights.

What of my girlfriend?