A useful guide to democracy is that those we elect are subject to the same rules as the rest of us.
Further, a useful guide to a free and liberal society is something called the rule of law.
Those same laws apply to everyone, equally.
In fact, if we delve back into the origin of words, then “privilege” actually means “private law.” That there's some group of people subject to a different set of laws than the rest of us.
Like, say, the officers of the East India Company were, as opposed to the general inhabitants of Bengal, and don't we all complain about that idea these days?
As we should complain about that sort of thing too.
Yet another word to use here is “antinomianism,” which means that there's some class, some elect, who don't have to obey the same laws as everyone else.
That usually applies to moral laws but the idea is the same. Some people are just too special to have to do as all of us have to do.
It's a vile concept and does not make for a happy country. Whatever the laws are, we've all got to follow them. Most especially, those who make the laws for us have to follow the same laws as we do.
It can be very useful when we make them do so too. There's a little problem in the British tax system. Now these are vast sums by Bangladesh standards but they're fairly normal for professional incomes in Europe and North America.
When incomes go over £100,000 a year then certain benefits -- like free child care -- get withdrawn. The tax system means that tax rates go up from 45% to 60% and then, over £125,000 down to 45% again.
Combined with that child care thing, this means real tax rates of over 70% -- and some people even lose out overall from getting a pay rise.
Now, yes, rich peoples' problems and all that. But the pay of Members of Parliament is about to rise to this sort of amount. We all expect that this problem will be solved as a result.
MPs having to pay 70% tax rates -- and those with young children actually losing out -- is going to lead to the problem being solved. Making our rulers live by the same laws we do aids in solving problems.
At which point we can consider this suggestion about Bangladesh and MPs: “Abolish the long-debated privilege allowing members of parliament (MPs) to import cars duty-free.”
Yes, of course this should happen.
It should already have been abolished, should never have been started.
Now, true, it is supposed to be only one car per MP per time they get elected -- or per parliament, another way of saying the same thing.
But the savings are considerable: “General importers have to bear around 25% customs duty, 15% VAT, 5% advance tax, and an additional 400%-500% supplementary duty.”
OK, yes, yes, we know what the argument is. MPs have to be able to get around their constituency. Therefore, they need to be able to have a reliable car, and so on.
But many of us require a reliable car. We'd like nurses and doctors to have unreliable cars. Or lawyers. Or even, well, why the heck should we ourselves be denied reliable cars while our rulers get to swan around in one?
This is, absolutely, privilege. Private law available only to some.
It's antinomianism, the elect -- in both senses here, not just the morally elect but those actually elected -- don't have to obey the same laws we do.
It's all vilely corrosive of that basic and sensible rule of law idea. Those who rule us ought to be subject to the same laws we are.
We might even see that same sort of solution that we expect in my native Britain. Once MPs have to pay the same amount for a reliable car as the rest of us do, then perhaps they might do something about changing the law so that all of us can afford a reliable car?
There's also this final, and to me conclusive, point.
If the people who make and pass laws have to live by those laws they make and pass, then I expect the laws made and passed to be better. Or, if they don't, if they're privileged not to have to obey them, to be worse.
Or even, finally, what do you mean you don't have to pay the same taxes you make the rest of us pay?
Tim Worstall is a senior fellow at the Adam Smith Institute in London.