Corruption conundrum: I resent paying tax when R6 billion just disappears
A variety of South African Rand notes
Can someone please explain to me how you lose R6 billion?
I mean SIX…BILLION…Rand!!
Poef! Just like that. Missing. No clue…
I am of course speaking of one of the many revelations at the Zondo commission last week relating to the SSA.
Look, I understand that in the murky spy world there aren’t always receipts for every coffee, poisonous pens, or whatever else these shadowy characters spend money on, but surely someone in the department should at least know where the money goes?
Well…apparently not.
Like many South Africans, I have become rather punch drunk with all the corruption stories over the years. It’s not that I am blasé about it, but with all the revelations, it’s hard to get really upset unless it involves at least a couple of millions. However, I seriously draw the line when it starts getting to billions.
I know it didn’t help my mood that these SSA stories hit the airwaves in the same week that I had to submit my tax return. Like so many South Africans I work really hard for the money I make. Until a few years ago, I fairly happily paid my taxes every year – with no deductions – believing that it was my civic duty and one way in which I could contribute to righting the wrongs of the past.
Then the Guptas started to make headlines, and I got seriously grumpy when it came to my tax returns.
For the first time, I asked my tax advisors what I could legally do to minimize my tax burden. Of course, I quickly found out there aren’t many ways for ordinary folk to reduce their taxes – well, not legally. Unless you are super rich or a bit on the shady side (of which I am neither), you just have to cough up. (Sorry, I realise it is an unfortunate metaphor at this time, but as that video on social media said: “Even during lockdown level 5 there is one body that will never forget about you - SARS.”)
So, I have again dutifully submitted my return last week.
However, I want to say to all the politicians (in my best church English):
“I am royally pissed off about it. You don’t deserve my money, especially if you just stand by and lose R6 billion in one financial year.”
There! I got it off my chest.
After I grumpily pressed send to my tax accountants, I thought it might improve my mood to look at some of the ridiculous expenditure governments around the world make with taxpayers’ money.
In 2008 the Arts Council in Britain spent GBP77,000 (R1.6 million) to send a team of artists to the North Pole to make a snowman. It’s anyone’s guess why, but at least it involved real-life humans.
To celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary, the state of Ontario gave a festival in Toronto a CAD$120,000 (R1.5 million) grant to buy a six-storey, 13.4-tonne…wait for it…rubber duck. Then the government contributed an additional CAD$250,000 (R3 million) to take what was claimed to be the world's largest rubber duck on a six-city tour – lucky duck!
No, they spend their money on serious stuff like…the gambling habits of monkeys.
Of course, The US National Science Foundation won’t spend tax payer’s money on silly things like rubber ducks. No, they spend their money on serious stuff like…the gambling habits of monkeys. The aim of the USD$171,000 (R2.6 million) research project was to look at the hot-hand biases of monkeys and see if they had the same problem as human gamblers. Just in case you wonder, the research found monkeys do in fact also “love to gamble”.
Not to be outdone by the Americans, the EU paid €7 million (R128 million) for a real-life donkey to travel around Europe and blog about its experiences as it went. I kid you not. Apparently, the project was meant to promote a "year of intercultural dialogue". Heehaw!
As if the giant rubber duck wasn’t enough, the Canadian government also funded the Red Couch Tour in 2017. They paid CAD$155,000 (R1.8 million) of taxpayers’ money for a scarlet couch to travel around the country. They said it was to encourage Canadians to sit down and tell their stories.
After about an hour of reading about the many idiotic things governments spent money on, I felt a little less grumpy. I mean, a giant rubber duck…(And I did not even tell you about the fighting hamsters or the Swedish massages for rabbits).
Still, as entertaining and ridiculous as these examples are, they do not involve billions of Rands in a country where our national health care system is collapsing, where many public schools still have pit toilets in which little kids drown, roads that have potholes large enough to swim in, and many municipalities that can’t even provide safe drinking water.
And now there is talk about increasing the tax rates to make up for the loss in revenue and possibly a special tax to pay for the vaccines….
The government has to be very careful when considering this.
According to reports, the money Medical Aids saved last year because people sought less medical help during COVID is enough to pay for all the vaccines. My understanding is that, with the exception of Profmed (Shame on you!), they are willing to help. So, Minister Mboweni, go ask them…and if they say no – tax them, not us!
In addition, before you and your cabinet colleagues consider raising the individual tax burden - do something about the guys who are still happily sitting in Parliament and cabinet after “losing” R6 billion.
Show us that you are actually serious about dealing with corruption. I understand that these things take time and that Zondo has to conclude, but surely between the evidence of last week and the special investigation chaired by Sidney Mfumadi, steps can be taken against these individuals?
It is important for government to realise that it is not only the fiscal reserves that are running low. This last year has tested the resilience of people to the point where very little is left. The pandemic is taking its toll on people not only financially but emotionally. So, there is a real risk that in this time when more and more people believe that they have nothing to lose, ongoing stories of billions lost could result in serious civil unrest.