# Daddy, what does tax mean?

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-tax-hating-businesswoman-reborn
- Themes: rebirth, humour, family, tax
- Life situations: curious about a child, after a relative dies

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

A businesswoman aunt in Sydney who hated paying tax dies; soon after, the nephew's baby is born. At three, seeing a tax billboard on a NSW motorway, the child asks what tax means, hears the explanation, and declares that if she gets any money she will never give any to the government — the aunt's characteristic, Brahm suggests, from a previous life.

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

this little three-year-old said Daddy what does tax mean and of course it's hard to explain to a three-year-old what taxi said look if you get any pocket money or you earn any sort of dollars you have to give part of that to the government that's called tax and these three year old turned around and said Daddy if I get any money I'm never giving any of it to the government characteristics you know from a previous life why would a thre

## Teaching point

Personality quirks that arrive fully formed in small children invite a longer story than one lifetime.

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

A businesswoman who hated tax died, and soon a baby was born in the family. At three, learning what tax meant, the child vowed never to give the government a cent. Ajahn Brahm smiles at the echo. Hold a newborn and you sense a being with history. Each child arrives with its own character; meet them as they are.

## Source

- [Reincarnation | Ajahn Brahm | 3 Feb 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIrtqS0LkYQ) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 59:21 to 1:00:00: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIrtqS0LkYQ&t=3561s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Past Life Personality | Ajahn Brahm | 26 January 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNlm0UmrcZ8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 42:17 to 44:48: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNlm0UmrcZ8&t=2537s