# The mugged tax minister

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Joke
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-joke-tax-minister-mugged
- Themes: humour, money
- Life situations: needing a laugh, tax resentment

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

A gunman orders a man to hand over all his money. “Look, I'm the Minister of Taxation.” — “Oh, sorry, sir. Hand over MY money, then.” — “Fair enough.”

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

he was a minister for taxation and he was walking back from some meeting and he got mugged this guy came up with a gun and told the minister of taxation He didn't know who he was. He said, "Hand over all your money." And the taxation minister said, "Look, I'm the minister of taxation." "Oh, sorry, sir," said the the the thief. He pointed the gun and "Hand over my money," said the thief. "Fair enough.

## Teaching point

(Death and taxes are the two certainties; his jokes don't change much.)

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

A mugger demands money from a man who says he's the tax minister. Oh, sorry, then hand over MY money. Fair enough. His jokes don't improve, Ajahn Brahm admits. Some things never change. Inside you, the awareness listening now doesn't feel old. The body is only the shell it lives in.

## Source

- [One Life, Many Lives | by Ajahn Brahm | 13-01-2012](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeKFsGSEi94) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 33:20 to 33:54: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeKFsGSEi94&t=2000s