Abolishing the income tax

 The World Cup has started, in North America, hosted by three countries, one of them the USA. The USA was also one of the hosts of the Cricket T20 Cup, in which the Pakistan team attempted a feat of diplomacy by losing to the USA, back in June 2024. That was the event that impressed Trump the most, more than the 2025 performance against India in the air.

It’s interesting that the FIFA World Cup has Iran playing, making it the first time that two countries (Iran and the USA) are involved in a shooting war and playing the World Cup.

Back in 1942, one of the potential players, Germany, had actually conquered another (France) and was fighting not just England but also the USSR. Italy had been on its side. The World Cup was also cancelled in 1946, because the world was not really ready for one, what with Germany and Italy both under Allied occupation.

I wonder if there will be anything of the spirit of the Christmas Truce of 1914, when the German and Allied front lines not only observed a truce, but engaged in joint celebrations of Christmas, which included visiting each other’s trenches but having football matches in no-man’s-land. High command on both sides were horrified and cracked down severely enough that there were no truces the next year. However, it doesn’t seem there were any punishments for the Christmas Truce. The high command was bothered most by the fraternization that occurred. How could you shoot at someone with whom you had joined in a sing-along just a few days ago?

Well, there will be no US-Iran fraternization this Cup, mainly because the USA didn’t give visas to Iranian fans. Indeed, they didn’t give visas to those team officials they suspected of belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. So if Iran bombs out of the Cup, they’ve got a readymade excuse: they didn’t have their officials. Of course, all of the visiting fans to the T20 World Cup went back home, which should have shown that not every foreigner intends to burn his passport and then disappear into illegal status.

One match that didn’t have the problem of fans refusing to go back was the India versus Afghanistan Test at New Chandigarh. True, those who went found watching the game as hard as playing, as June is no time to be out in the open anywhere in the Subcontinent. In fact, it was about June in India that they said, “Only mad dogs and Englishmen walk in the midday sun.” Everyone else seeks cover. In fact, it has been very hot of late, though it has been relieved by rain and wind. True, the monsoon hasn’t started, and we’re still having pre-monsoonal showers, but it also means that the monsoon is not going to be as deluge-like as usual. In short, we’re heading for a drought. Well, that\s the worst of global warming. If not a drought, then floods.

Well, getting back to New Chandigarh, Afghanistan did the decent thing by losing by an innings and 300 runs. Which is a record win for India. India’s win had as one component a century by their captain.

Now as Pakistan’s captain, Shan Masood, would never do a thing like that, India and Afghanistan should hurry up and book matches with Pakistan. Afghanistan could win, and India could improve on its record by beating Pakistan by an innings and 500 runs. Would that satisfy Modi?

Meanwhile, Shan Masood may well be replaced. Leading the team on two successive whitewashes by Bangladesh seems to have been too much for the PCB, and there is talk of replacing him. However, there is no talk of a worthy successor, who I feel should be Azam Khan, the fattest man ever to keep wickets, and who would be useful as a heavy roller whenever he changed ends while keeping.

Anyway, back to the Test at New Chandigarh. You could see Afghanistan behaving like a new Test country by getting slaughtered. Afghanistan and Ireland are there for the senior teams to set records.

Just as much as the Budget is there for the IMF to do its worst. There wasn’t much sign of that in this Budget, which leads one to ask: what would happen if the IMF went home. Would they abolish the income tax?