Pakistan's Transgender Tax Collectors Help Combat Debtors In Karachi (VIDEO)

Pakistan is going to great lengths in tackling tax evasion this season, and now, Karachi officials are employing a team of transgender collectors to visit businesses as well as private homes to force debtors to pay up.

As CNN is reporting, authorities believe the tactic to be quite effective in the very conservative Muslim society, where the vast majority of citizens avoid paying income tax. "Their appearance causes great embarrassment amongst the people," said tax superintendent Sajid Hussein Bhatti.

Chief among the transgender tax collectors is Riffee, who decided at the age of 10 to live as a woman. Since then, she's endured plenty of prejudice. "We're trying to educate society and show them how we like ourselves," she says. "But if your parents don't understand you or give you respect, how can you expect other people to?"

Watch CNN's video of Riffee and the gang here:

Comments

[Bellla]

08:08 AM on 04/23/2011

When life gives you lemons... This is hilarious! Hey Trannies need government jobs here in America too!

[Ghostberry]

03:36 PM on 04/22/2011

Just as my Pakistan newsday was about to send me to the bottle, i got to see this gem. I love it.

[JimR]

01:13 PM on 04/22/2011

That... is brilliant.

[llisa]

01:25 AM on 04/22/2011

I'd be afraid they would be assaulted.

[mtview]

11:17 PM on 04/21/2011

How bizarre.

[T Tauri]

08:42 PM on 04/21/2011

When tax collection is done they go back to jail.

[Bellla]

08:11 AM on 04/23/2011

Why would you assume that? People are born with their gender anomalous conditions, and you can't criminalize someone just for being born. It would be like making Spinabifeta illegal. Transsexuality is not a choice, it is a health condition.

[boomer7391]

07:53 PM on 04/21/2011

so just like here pakistan has a large population of tax hating conservatives

[nicenissey]

03:22 AM on 04/22/2011

Hahahahaha!

Though not a transgender, maybe Pres. Obama should send RuPaul over to Rand Paul and the GOP folks. Show them some sass. *snaps*

[William Diaz]

06:57 PM on 04/21/2011

Shouldnt this be in the comedy tab?

have a geat day!

[Michelle Black]

06:56 PM on 04/21/2011

Americans need to get over this idea that not paying taxes is bad.

[Mysteryprincess]

04:07 AM on 04/22/2011

Go back to the economics class you slept through.

[Leroy Laflamme]

12:16 PM on 04/23/2011

Indeed. And Americans need to get over this idea that being transgender is bad.

[Safire]

04:44 PM on 04/21/2011

It is cultural.

[pickle541]

11:00 PM on 04/20/2011

I don't understand this story. Pay your taxes, or we will sick a transgender person on you? And this is okay to the tax workers? Why? It sounds very dangerous for them.

[mtview]

11:18 PM on 04/21/2011

Right? They want to be accepted and yet they are letting themselves be used in that way. Strange. I guess they can't exactly find work easily.

[Mysteryprincess]

04:08 AM on 04/22/2011

Even in America, a nation far more progressive than Pakistan, transsexuals are often limited to sex work.

[MsVella]

09:11 AM on 04/22/2011

Honey trans people are treated like dirt in the developed western world, let alone over there. I'm sure that they didn't have any other options....

[Mysteryprincess]

04:07 AM on 04/22/2011

They're probably grateful to have jobs.

[Contents Under Pressure]

05:02 PM on 04/20/2011

Genius.

Absolute unadulterated genius.

[releafer]

04:49 PM on 04/20/2011

Is this a growing trend in America?

[MohammedAbbasi]

03:03 PM on 04/20/2011

LOL very creative way to tackle tax-dodgers!

[MsVella]

11:19 AM on 04/20/2011

Now that is bizarre...