ITR joy, the ultimate Stockholm syndrome

Hello, gentle reader who also happens to be a diligent taxpayer. With the last date of filing your tax returns this coming Monday, you must have already submitted your ITR and will make a scramble for it over the next few days. And we all know why you do it. Because like kids on Christmas Eve night, you're super-excited of finding out how much you'll get in tax returns. Yes, it feels like Diwali money from naani already, no? But here's the beauty of the thing. Imagine a burglar breaking into your house, stealing your Calloway golf set... then returning six months later with a golf ball and a smile, saying, 'Surprise! I'm giving you something!' And you, gentle tax-paying reader, beam with gratitude. ITR is the government's way of weaponising delayed gratification. You end up being delighted for getting money-that was yours to start with. What is strange that people even celebrate it. 'I got ₹20,000 back!' they squeal, as if the state just UPI'd them out of love. Well, you actually got mugged for ₹40,000 and they tossed you a bone. It's essentially Stockholm Syndrome with spreadsheets.

The tax refund is not a financial win. It's a psychological Jedi mind trick. And we fall for it, year after year, like Pomeranians, drooling over our own stolen kibble. Bravo, bureaucracy. You've turned dishing out hafta into a feel-good moment. Genius.