Taxation through an ordinance is not a lawful act and should be thrown out by the judicial institution. The Machiavellian philosophy that the state exists for the prince or for the state itself is in direct conflict with the concept of democracy. The rulers have no divine right as the state exists for the people and all affairs of the state must be run with the consent of the people. Any seizure of power by a dictator will always be an illegal act. And all taxes must be approved by the people through their elected representatives and the taxes imposed by bypassing peoples will would be called extortion and not taxation. The famous American saying 'no taxation without representation very appropriately describes the spirit of democracy. ABDUL BASIT, Muzaffargarh, June 3.