Shifting Paradigm: Taxes as Trophies of Success

By: (Fatikha Faradina), employee of Directorate General of Taxes

When was the last time you looked at your tax slip and smiled?

For most people, taxes are an unavoidable obligation or at best, a necessary nuisance. However, let’s reframe that. What if, instead of seeing tax as a burden, we see it as a badge of achievement? What if the size of your tax bill doesn’t make you groan, but makes you proud? Here’s a bold thought, your tax is a trophy. The more you pay, the more you’ve made. It’s not just in income but in impact.

Reframing Tax: From Liability to Legacy

In a society that often measures success through material wealth such as houses, cars, and luxury vacations, very few people talk about tax as a success indicator. Yet, only successful people pay significant taxes. The employees who receive a tax deduction from their monthly salary have jobs. The entrepreneurs who pay value-added tax (VAT) have sales. The investors who pay capital gain tax earn a profit. These taxes are not random penalties. They are signs that something is working and you’re moving forward. The larger your tax responsibility, the higher your financial standing. It’s that simple.

We often celebrate millionaires and rising entrepreneurs without asking how they contribute beyond their personal wealth. However, true success comes with responsibility. One of the most direct, measurable forms of that responsibility, is your tax. When you pay taxes, you’re not just fulfilling a civic duty. You’re actively participating in the health and growth of your nation. You’re helping educate children, provide health care, and support public infrastructure. You’re enabling a society where more people can succeed like you. In short, tax is how private gain fuels public good.

There’s a dangerous misconception that avoiding taxes is a sign of cleverness or financial strategy. Yet, that thinking is flawed. Tax evasion isn't smart, it’s selfish. Tax avoidance that skirts the ethical line erodes public trust. It shifts the burden to others, especially the working class and compliant taxpayers. It’s like joining a potluck dinner and refusing to bring a dish, yet still filling your plate. True success doesn’t hide behind loopholes. It steps forward with integrity. Want to leave a legacy? Pay what’s due.

It’s time to flip the script. Taxes don’t need to be shrouded in negativity. In fact, they can be a powerful narrative of pride and purpose. Imagine a future where people celebrate their tax contributions the way they celebrate their promotions. It is where young professionals are proud to be “taxable” for it means they’ve entered the workforce. It is also where business owners proudly declare their growing tax bills as signs of thriving ventures. After all, taxes fund dreams not just your own. They fund the dreams of a generation that walks the roads you helped build.

A World Where Taxes Reflect Character

In some corners of the world, the idea that “more tax means more success” isn’t radical, it’s routine. Take Sweden, for example. There, taxes are high even some of the highest in the world. Yet, Swedes don’t complain the way many others might. Instead, they pay with a quiet sense of pride. For them, tax isn’t just a deduction, it’s a contribution. It builds schools where their children will attend, hospitals where their aging parents will rely on, and roads where they’ll drive every day. In fact, in Sweden, personal tax records are partially public. Oddly enough, no one’s ashamed to show if they pay more. If anything, it’s a mark of having made it.

Denmark tells a similar story. Despite taxes reaching over 50% of their income, the Danes are consistently ranked among the happiest people in the world. Why? It is because they trust that what they give will come back, not in cash, but in care. Healthcare, education, childcare, it’s all there, and it’s good. In Denmark, people see tax as part of their social contract. You succeed, you give back. That’s how it works. The more you give, the more you’re seen as someone who belongs.

In Japan, the dynamic takes on a different flavor, one of honor. There, paying your dues is not just civic—it’s moral. Tax scandals involving celebrities or CEOs aren’t just legal trouble; they’re shameful. A tarnished tax record can sink careers, stain reputations, and bring public disgrace. Since in Japan, success isn’t just about how much you make, but whether you’ve done so with integrity and paid your share or not.

In the end, taxes are more than just numbers on a slip, they're proof that you’ve earned, achieved, and contributed. In cultures where contribution is celebrated, paying tax becomes a reflection of character, not just income. Don’t just flex your wealth, flex your tax, because real success contributes!

*)Artikel ini merupakan pendapat pribadi penulis dan bukan cerminan sikap instansi tempat penulis bekerja.

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