Bijli, pani, sadak: You are paying twice (or thrice) for these service

Bijli, pani, sadak (electricity, water and road) are three basic services we pay taxes for. Over the years though, most taxpayers have been paying for these three essentials of life from their pockets, too. Here are a few examples of how much deficiencies in infrastructure services that ought to be funded with tax money cost the common man.WaterIn addition to all other taxes and water charges, most urban Indians have to install water purifiers. Assuming cumulative sales of 1.5 crore units at an average price of Rs 10,000, the total spend works out to Rs 15,000 crore with annual maintenance cost of Rs 1,000 crore PowerPower backup in some form or the other is a must in most urban households. If 2 crore units have been sold so far with an average price of Rs 10,000 per unit it totals Rs 20,000 crore. Annual maintenance will add another Rs 1,500 crore.AirDespite all the politics around it, air pollution has been rising in most cities. Assuming total sales of 30 lakh air purifiers with an average unit price of Rs 20,000, the total spend adds up to Rs 6,000 crore and the recurring cost on filters could be Rs 400 crore a yearRoadsWhen it comes to roads, most users pay for it multiple times — over and above the direct and indirect taxes they pay. This includes what central and state governments earned from road tax, registration charges, entry tax and other taxes on vehicles; toll on highways and the cess on petrol and diesel. Data source: Budget 2018-19 for road; rough estimates for purifiers and power back-up devices