The mood is bleak here at the top of the beach.
Yet again, good friends had their home and lives threatened and violated. The
incident was just a further reminder that our country treats its citizens as simply
a source of wealth to be plundered in one form or another. No one is spared in
this appalling and frightening despoliation of our beautiful homeland. An
elderly pensioner waiting in the sun for her pension payout got into the path
of a bullet earlier this week when an armed gang raided a rural pay point. She
was killed. Despite even big wigs getting hit, the elected leaders appear
unconcerned about this awful wave of lawlessness that is breaking over us all. Criminals
are gladly taking advantage of the dreadfully low rates of detection, arrest,
conviction and punishment. Like
education, health and defense, the other areas where we sorely need but do not
have competent government, there are scant skills and virtually no experience
left to call upon. The astonishing
reservoir of goodwill and optimism that was discovered twenty years ago when we
first unfurled the flags of the new South Africa, is nearly empty.
National Treasury is virtually the sole
department operating effectively and perhaps we should think about using that
channel to send the message that we are scared and desperate. Calling outright for
a tax revolt is probably rather frowned upon, however. But here is a small idea
that might raise awareness that every one of us is actually paying for this useless
and bloated bureaucracy and their political bosses. The suggestion is that businesses
amend their invoices and till-slips so that the actual cash amount of the VAT
contribution is given huge prominence. It could also be accompanied (in the case
of a R100 bill naturally) by a narrative such as: “R14.00 of your payment is
tax and will be handed to the government.”
Most of our fellow citizens are
ignorant of what terms like VAT and % actually mean to them and their purse. Recipients
of social grants will likely be horrified to see that a fair proportion of
their payout heads straight back to their benefactor. It is also not widely
grasped that the only money the government has, it pries from each of us with
threats, menaces and on occasion heart-warming stories of grateful beneficiaries.
Highlighting the actual amounts that one is
paying to the state at each visit to the shops might hopefully start a
groundswell of dissatisfaction at the dreadful value for money everyone is
receiving! Dissatisfaction with poor service delivery could intensify when it
is discovered that no one is exempt from paying for it. Getting people to focus
on the revenue side and what it means for them might just catch the politicians’
attention.
Investors who think that sharp drop in share
prices this week was the bear market and that now it is all done and dusted are
likely to be disappointed. It is going to take way more
than a 7% correction – even now being erased – to return the majority of shares
to the value level they showed in 2008/9. Even the dollar price of gold is
displaying some resilience despite chalking up some sort of record intra day
loss. The fact remains that the same suits with much the same ideas about
massive debts being not serious are still in charge all over the world. In
these circumstances gold is unlikely to lie down for long.
A standoff between fans determined to uphold
the tradition of gathering on the fields around Kings Park
for a braai and a beer and embarrassed authorities slamming a stable door
promises to be as fierce as the match in the stadium itself. Perhaps the
promised deluge will dampen both contests.
James Greener
19th April
2013
