One more tax bracket

The finance minister lost a golden opportunity with this budget. The government keeps bleating about radical transformation of the economy and the need to drastically reduce the huge wage gap. So how come only one new tax bracket? The governing ANC believes in the Cuban theory of “economic paradise”, oblivious to all the evidence to the contrary.

Therefore, we the majority of blinkered twits want at least one more tax bracket — an 85% tax rate on anyone earning more than R2m. This will go a long way in narrowing the wage gap — rob Peter to dish out to Paul.

Of course, skilled workers and producers of wealth will gladly accept this — nobody would consider emigrating. Anyway, who cares if they take their scarce skills and entrepreneurial flair elsewhere. We have plenty of unemployed to fill the gap. The idea of reducing red tape and encouraging business growth — that’s not the Cuban way. Transforming the economy means massive government interference and ensuring everything runs as efficiently as state-owned enterprises.

Well done, finance minister, if you’re still around in the next few months maybe investigate countries that have economic policies that increase the tax base. Oh yes, what’s the plan for ministers whose departments continue to waste funds owing to incompetence and fraud? Check out the Department of Water and Sanitation.

Instead of punishing us to make up for the R30bn revenue shortfall, how about every department whose audit highlights waste gets a reciprocal reduction in budget allocation?

Howard Skeens Boksburg