Since ancient times, the tax collector's due
A portion of the fruits of labor claimed
From Pharaoh's wheat to Caesar's revenue
The powers that be have always tax ordained

In 1913 the Income Tax Act was born
A progressive rate, the more you earn, the more you pay
Yet loopholes let the crafty duck becoming the norm
While common folk get no such getaway

The system seems too big to fight alone
We dutifully file each April's eve
But unfairness makes the people groan
Will there be no reprieve 

The Panama Papers show how some connive
To stash their cash in shell company's name
Tax havens help the richest few to thrive
A two-tier system - privilege without shame

For all the rest, there's no choice but to bear
The burden of a tax they cannot dodge
A bitter pill - injustice hard to square
The government can’t seek self-sabotage

Yet schools and roads and much that we hold dear
Depend on steady flow to the treasury
Fair tax, the framework shall not delay another year
We need a system serving you and me