Pro Bono or Money for the State

As some of us already know, the National Agency for Fiscal Administration “is rocking” a new visual identity as a result of an auction (of course), which I also wrote about here.

But that’s not what this is about this time. I read a discussion thread on Facebook with many comments on a post about the questionable quality of the National Agency for Fiscal Administration’s new visual identity. Without question, the result is worthy of an amateur boutique. Among those comments, I noticed that the idea of working pro bono for the state came up several times, for the National Agency for Fiscal Administration in this case, if the institution would have asked a reliable agency to provide processes and results of professional quality.

I want to refute the idea that working pro bono for the state is a good thing to do and here is why:
– the state is a client like any other;
– the state takes my monthly tax money, like it does with any other citizen or company;
– the state does not grant me facilities, why would I do that for them!?
– the state has repeatedly proven that it doesn’t know how to manage my money well;
– the state and its employees are paid in full from my taxes. Why wouldn’t I want a part of it back!?
– a pro bono project for the state does not enrich my portfolio, activity or professional prestige;
– the state is like a dairy cow – pragmatically speaking – as it turns out to be the case for others. So why wouldn’t this be the case for me as well, someone who always does their job right?
– my patriotism, my colleagues’ and the company’ patriotism cannot be justified in this way;
– the state collects my money every month, but others are spared. Look up how much VAT the State does not collect, according to its own statistics;
– I do not at all understand why the State should have a special regime in relation to an agency’s work;
– and, last but not least, pro bono is usually done for a noble cause, and the state is far from being that.