KOCHI: V-Guard chairman and philanthropist Kochouseph ChittilappIlly had won the award of the Income Tax Department for being the highest tax payer for five years in the mid-1990s. He says that at that time only V-Guard existed under him as a company. “It was a proprietary entity and hence there were not many high tax paying competitors. But honesty is something I do not compromise with. There are several people who speak loudly about patriotism and then cheat on such counts. That is not right. We have to be law-abiding citizens and pay correct taxes at the right time to show our patriotism. That is true patriotism,” said Kochouseph.
He, however, said that V-Guard lost the rare distinction of being the highest tax payer when it became a limited company. “Then there were bigger companies like Apollo Tyres and Harrison Malayalam,” he added. Paying the right taxes is one way of serving society, he said. “This money goes for the welfare of the underprivileged and weaker sections of society. So that money should be promptly paid,” he said.
Those who blame the governments for poor infrastructure and lack of poverty alleviation programmes have a responsibility to pay their taxes, he said. “There are some people who say that politicians stash public money, including the money given by the taxpayer, and hence there is no need to honestly pay taxes. However, this is not the correct position. It does not mean that everybody can violate law. That leads to anarchy. Paying taxes honestly is part of the social commitment of every citizen,” said Kochouseph.
