Pakistani town uses transgender women to embarrass tax cheats
Tue. July 20, 2010 11:56 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
Karachi, Pakistan -
A tax agency in Pakistan has hired transgender women to do what the tax man can't: get rich people to pay up.
The New York Times reports that in a wealthy neighborhood in Karachi, only half the residents pay their water, property and maintenance taxes.
Overall, less than one percent of Pakistanis voluntarily filed their tax forms last year.
So the Clifton Cantonment board hired transgender women to go door-to-door to ask for the money.
So far they've been a huge success; they've collected 10 times they amount the program has cost.
"Neighbors will come out and say, 'Oh, what's happening?' and the bad name the person will get, this will maybe convince them to pay taxes," said Board Vice President Aziz Suharwardy told the New York Times. "And that's exactly what happens."
Most of the women have never worked in a legal job before, and a couple are still working as prostitutes.
The New York Times reports that in a wealthy neighborhood in Karachi, only half the residents pay their water, property and maintenance taxes.
Overall, less than one percent of Pakistanis voluntarily filed their tax forms last year.
So the Clifton Cantonment board hired transgender women to go door-to-door to ask for the money.
So far they've been a huge success; they've collected 10 times they amount the program has cost.
"Neighbors will come out and say, 'Oh, what's happening?' and the bad name the person will get, this will maybe convince them to pay taxes," said Board Vice President Aziz Suharwardy told the New York Times. "And that's exactly what happens."
Most of the women have never worked in a legal job before, and a couple are still working as prostitutes.