John Brownlee

India's IRS Employs Eunuchs

You certainly can’t accuse Indian bureaucrats of not thinking outside the box, can you? Sari-clad eunuchs were out in force with municipal tax collectors Wednesday in Patna, capital of Bihar, India’s most lawless state, the Indian Express reported. “Pay the tax, pay the Patna Municipal Corporation tax,” chorused the eunuchs on the doorstep of their […]
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You certainly can't accuse Indian bureaucrats of not thinking outside the box, can you?

Sari-clad eunuchs were out in force with municipal tax collectors Wednesday in Patna, capital of Bihar, India’s most lawless state, the Indian Express reported.

"Pay the tax, pay the Patna Municipal Corporation tax," chorused the eunuchs on the doorstep of their first target, Ram Sagar Singh, who owed 100,000 rupees (2,240 dollars).

A mortified Singh promised to pay within a week, the report said.

The municipality netted 400,000 rupees Wednesday using the eunuchs, who got a four percent commission. It vowed to step up its drive, cheered by its success.

India has an estimated one million eunuchs. Some are castrated men, while others are transsexuals or hermaphrodites.

That 400,000 rupees may seem like a windfall, but it's only a little under 9 grand, which means eunuchs only netted $450 across the province. It's hard to screw a eunuch, but the Indian Government may very well have figured out a way.

Indian Govt. Sicced Eunuchs on Tax Evaders. [Neatorama]