Topic 1: Does increasing travels between countries enable people to learn different cultures or to

Topic 14: People should keep all the money they earn and should not pay taxes to the 
state. Do you agree or disagree?
 
(the operation of government), ( military defense), ( enforcement of law and public order);
(provide public services and investment), (bridges, roads, energy, water and waste management 
systems) (public transportation);
(close the gap between rich and poor) , (income redistribution, redistribution of wealth ),
(fund welfare and public services);
(influence macroeconomic performance): (have a direct effect on consumption and employment); 
(collect a tax on alcohol and tobacco) (Highway tolls);
( dampen enthusiasm for investment);
(Require the creation of a large bureaucracy to administer and enforce the system). (expenses 
incurred)
 
The role of taxation is providing funds necessary for carrying out a variety of functions in a 
country. However, to many taxpayers, especially employers, paying tax remains the biggest 
headache. In my opinion, tax revenue is essential to a country. Below are some of its main 
functions. 
Although many taxpayers see income tax as an appropriation of their earnings, tax is in fact 
a relief to taxpayers and their families, for example by providing a safeguard against 
unemployment and a solution to other problems that they may confront in life. For example, 
those who lose their earning capabilities because of injuries, diseases and disabilities are 
entitled to the government's financial support, derived mainly from tax revenue. There is no 
point in denying that tax is the principal source of finance that sustains many of the benefits 
offered by the welfare system of a country. Although most workers are not the beneficiaries 
currently, they will count on these benefits in their later years (as pensioners). So will their 
dependents (children and parents). 
Taxation is meanwhile an effective tool by which a society can achieve the redistribution of 
income and close the gap between haves and have-nots. In most countries, as a general rule 
the higher the personal income, the higher the income tax. By imposing different tax rates, the 
government is able to distribute the tax burden across social classes, reducing income 
disparity between the rich and the poor. 
Corporate tax is deemed by business as a regular cost, which must be kept to a minimum, but 
it is not necessarily a bane. By levying different types of tax, the government can exert an 
influence on macroeconomic performance, which in turn influences the income of the 
business world. When the economy is on the verge of a recession, the government can reduce 
the tax and present tax incentives, which proves to be an effective policy in reviving the 
economy. By contrast, during the periods of growth, the government can raise the tax rate so 
as to prevent an overheated economy and combat inflation. It is fair to say that tax is one of 
the main tools in establishing a healthy environment conducive to business's sustained 
growth. 
What have been discussed above are the benefits brought by taxation, all being essential to a 
country, its businesses and individual taxpayers. Although many taxpayers feel pressured by 
taxes, they will eventually benefit from the taxes they have paid and should therefore bear tax 
liabilities. 
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1. Headache=problem=annoyance 
2. Appropriation=acquisition=seizure=requisition 
3. Earning=remuneration=wage=income=take-home pay=salary
4. Safeguard=protection=precaution
5. Later years= last few years of one's life
6. Haves and have-nots=rich and poor
7. Recession =downturn=depression=slump
8. Incentive=encouragement
 
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