Use your voice

MANY South Africans feel helpless in the face of the grand theft of their hardearned tax money, and don’t know how to have their voices heard in protest of how the president is running (or running away with) the country.

While we have no choice about the tax deductions from salaries and other bills, we do have a choice about what other taxes we pay, and where and how we contribute to the economy.

We must act collectively and pressure those whose voices will be heard, specifically big businesses, from whom the government collects lots of our money in taxes. Some suggestions:

Rotate boycotts of supermarkets and service providers: boycott one of the big 5 supermarkets each week of the month (starting in the first week that begins on a Sunday to Wednesday): Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Massmart (Wallmart), Spar and Woolworths.

Buying big items: either delay buying houses/cars/holidays, source privately or through a small local company.

Hotels and holidays: stay at home/ with friends/ family, or at a locally owned venue, tell delegates its part of a citizens’ boycott against tax plundering.

Go solar: Year 1, buy a big solar battery and the first of 2 solar panels, get the 2nd panel in year 2, and build up a system over time.

Delay Christmas: instead of buying gifts this year, donate money to support the families affected by the many job losses that occurred because the Grinch stole Christmas.

The point of these measures is to tell the businesses that you will not be using/buying from them until they take up our fight and speak on our behalf, as they benefit from most of our disposable income and will not appreciate the business disruptions.

They need to use their influence with business forums, ministers and important people, and tell them of the pending loss of income and therefore taxes.

Money talks, and it’s a voice that citizens need to use when our leaders are not listening. Louise Martin Durban