"Aid engenders laziness on the part of the African policymakers. This may in part explain why, among many African leaders, there prevails a kind of insouciance, a lack of urgency, in remedying Africa's critical woes. Because aid flows are viewed (rightly so) as permanent income, policymakers have no incentive to look for other, better ways of financing their country's longer-term development.. As detailed later in this book, these options, like foreign direct investment and accessing the debt markets, offer more diversified and greater prospects for sustainable development.
Relatedly, in a world of aid-dependency, poor countries' governments lose the need to pursue tax revenues. Less taxation might sound good, but the absence of taxation leads to a breakdown in natural checks and balances between the government and its people. Put differently, a person who is levied will almost certainly ensure that they are getting something for their taxes - the Boston tea party's 'No taxation without representation'."
(Dead AID: Why Aid Is Not Working And How There Is A Better Way For Africa. Dambisa Moyo. pg 66)
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