Unnecessary taxes are crippling the poor
THERE is a drive currently on in South Africa calling for a sugar tax.
We poor citizens are already over-taxed as it is, here is a call for more taxation without any consideration for the poor, overtaxed, working class.
I understand the intention behind the call for the sugar tax but the reality of the South African society is that this will just become another tax that our corrupt government can exploit and pillage for their own personal use.
We also hear that the government is considering reducing the number of policemen in the country, this while there is an increase in heinous crimes. We as taxpayers must now spend extra on security if we want to protect ourselves. An additional hidden tax! Why are we paying taxes? Not so long ago we had the media pushing for a “plastic bag” tax. It was implemented very haphazardly with the minister who suggested this tax saying that he only said what was on his mind at the time without having any strategic plans to combat plastic bag pollution.
Business (supermarkets) at first came to the party and provided “stronger” plastic bag that could be reused.
Since then they have reverted to the “cheaper” version of the plastic bags that break while the packers are putting the groceries into them, while the tax on the bags has increased. Big business don’t care – they are collecting the tax on behalf of the corrupt government.
Plastic bag pollution has not abated and the rubbish is still visible in our country. What happened to the funds collected? More unaccountable money to be pillaged by our corrupt politicians!
In this current corrupt and unstable situation in South Africa we must stop all unnecessary taxes (out of the government’s control) and look at ways to reduce the government’s take. Big business must stop collecting these plastic bag taxes. We should strive to reduce the taxes we’re paying, not increase them.