On parking tax in Kohima

Sent to Morung Express, Nagaland Post, and Eastern Mirror for publishing
 

This is not my first choice topic to write in a newspaper. Some people have already written very well on it in the local dailies. But there is no response from the concerned authority on the questions put forth. Therefore, I will be simply repeating what some people have already pointed out. If you are a driver in Kohima, you probably have felt at least a feeling of uneasiness about the parking fees being collected in Kohima. You get unanimous opinion in casual conversations that something is just not right. It is not that Kohima drivers have not driven in other cities and do not have the experience of paying taxes. It is also not the amount of rupees 10 which the vehicle owners find too much an amount to pay. It is something deeper; it is a question of right and wrong, about doing something rightly or wrongly.

Is parking fee in Kohima for the public good?

There are toll taxes along the highways which are maintained by private companies. Because you pay the tax, you get good roads in return. So, for a service (time saved and bump-free ride enjoyed), you pay for it (toll tax). There is a consensus that certain basic amenities should be provided by the government for free. Health and Education are two examples. So, we have the concepts of Universal Health Coverage and Free and Compulsory Primary Education. Even though certain public services are considered free, there are taxes from elsewhere which are used by the government to provide such common good. For example, the groceries that we buy have taxes included in the MRP. So, we citizens do our part to expect the government to provide goods and services which otherwise individuals ourselves cannot provide for the community.

Does the parking fee in Kohima qualify as a public good? Where is its return? Where are parking spaces that parking fees should be collected? Does road-side parking (for lack of parking space) qualify for collection of tax? Does the re-designation of a certain road-side make it become an official parking lot? Are parking fees collected to employ volunteers to discipline drivers to park properly? In that case, is it a fee or a fine? Are the ten rupees collected to build parking lots in Kohima? What proportion will that contribute to the total amount required to build parking lots? Are there no other source of budget allocation by the government for construction and maintenance of parking lots than the charging of Rs. 10 from drivers? I’m sure there are people like me who have experienced driving round and round Kohima main town searching for a parking space. If there is no visible improvement in parking facility and taxation is continued, that will only compound public irritation. 

Is it a fee or a fine?

Before the introduction of parking fees, there were complaints that many drivers do not park their cars properly. That is a legitimate concern. The authority collecting the fee may argue that after parking tax was introduced, traffic problem due to wrong parking has improved in Kohima. That I think is right. But if parking fee is introduced to correct drivers from wrong parking, parking tax is not a fee, it becomes a fine. The problem with parking fee becoming a fine is that there are many sensible drivers who - with or without parking tax - will park their cars correctly.  So, by imposing a universal fine, even ethical drivers are pulled in to pay the penalty of some others’ wrong. If there are penalties/fines for wrong parking, that is a different matter. Now, will introduction of parking fine build good parking behavior? Unlikely, if researches are to be believed. It will prevent wrong parking for fear of a fine, but it will not build character. Michael Sandel, a Harvard Professor wrote a book on this, citing researches from various walks of life how fees, fines, and incentives may be counterproductive when they are introduced to build character. In his book, ‘What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets’, he argues that imposing market values like fees/fines can crowd out civic virtues, in this case, the sense of proper parking.  To impose parking fees to discourage parking just because our roads are small and clogged is to make the victim pay for a crime that he suffered.

Where does a parking lot end?

I was beyond High School Junction and parked in the Secretariat Road, or so I thought. Out of nowhere, a hand with a yellow slip passed in through my window. So, where does a parking lot end? Where does High School Junction end and Secretariat Road begin? If a car parked in the Secretariat Road is taxed, the entire stretch of Secretariat Road may well be a long parking lot. The parking lots seem to be growing so that soon, tax collectors may start knocking at your doors.

What about several short stops?

On the same Secretariat Road episode, I pleaded with the tax collector that I won’t take long. But he said that even dropping someone is taxable!! They have started collecting taxes for droppings. Every day, I make a less than 5 minutes stop so that my sister can buy refreshment for her office. Every day, it is becoming a harrowing emotional and spiritual tussle with the over-enthusiastic tax collectors. Sometimes, we stop several times while shopping. Sometimes, we want to check a particular shop and found it closed. So, we return to our car in matter of seconds. But if droppings are also charged as the collector says, the only way to drop a friend at the market (if you forgot your wallet) is to have him jump out of the moving car.

Why so enthusiastic about parking tax collection?

If our government employees were half as enthusiastic as the tax collectors, Nagaland would have been an economic powerhouse. I must appreciate their zeal, efficiency and speed. Like mobile service providers who are razor-sharp in cutting your phone balance to the last paisa for every dropped-call, one stick flickering signal, crossed-connection, etc., the tax collectors are worthy of Governor’s Gold medal for the most efficient public service in Nagaland. I fail to understand that Nagas should be so good at collecting taxes when work culture is not one of our strong points. You turn around and see none of them. But as you open your car door, there it is; the yellow slip. Fine. The only worrying bit is this: When they are more than one, and each is trying to outrun the other to get to you first, you pay but are worried if your 10 rupees is in safe hands.