By Keith Rogers, News24.com
If you want undeniable proof that democracy is dead, there’s a very simple test you can do right now: stop paying tax. Apart from the massive fines you are most likely to pay should you eventual decide to your pay, there is a very good chance you could even end up in jail for this. So why does this mean democracy is dead? Because if democracy wasn’t dead, people would be treated fairly and equally. That’s what democracy is about surely? That’s why my vote counts 1 and your vote counts 1 too. So why then do the rules not apply to everyone?
Let’s put aside the double standards that is so obvious in our modern South African lives and forget about things like the massive corruption where so many politicians are getting away with bloody murder. Let’s put aside that people are abusing their power to get tenders and the downright discrimination that causes unexplainable phenomenons like how the ANC can get away with massive, infrastructure destroying riots while the DA gets taken out for doing peaceful protests.
Let’s put all of that aside and go with one, simple example: tax. For those that don’t know or understand tax, it’s not a very complicated thing. You have income and you have expenses. Whatever comes in, as your personal salary, gets taxed at your tax rate. So, if you buy a 15 million Rand home, and your income is only 20 000 a month, chances are, something is very very wrong with your tax return and how you declare your income. So why does that math not add up for everyone like it would if South Africa was in fact the fair and equal place it claims to be?
Because democracy is dead. If I stop paying tax, SARS will knock on my door in next to no time. Sure, I will get a little bit of time to fess up and pay, but ultimately, if a few months go by and I don’t, I am going to be a world of trouble. So why, I ask, with tears in my eyes, do people like Malema and Zuma get away with this. How can we live in a country, that so clearly states „all are equal“, but these very specific people not only buy highly lavish homes and cars but also get to a point where as much as 16 million rand in tax goes unpaid? How is this even possible? The answer is simple: democracy is dead and our justice system is completely broken, and the truth is, some individuals are slightly more equal than others.
So let’s look at the math. If you owe SARS 16 million in tax, and for argument’s sakes, let’s say that amount was earned over 1 year. In order to owe SARS 16 Million in tax, it means you must have earned 40 million Rand in that year. Take a moment to let that sink in. For a second, imagine how many South African lives could be improved with that amount of money. Now ask yourself, what would happen to you, if you illegally obtained that amount of cash and then took one further step and had the audacity to also not pay tax on that amount. The truth is, your life as you know it will be over. You will go to prison.
How did things get to this point? How could we as South Africans be so stupid to allow this outright criminal behaviour to happen right in front of our eyes? And more importantly, why is nothing being done about this?
Wake up South Africa and realise this: if every person that is robbing our country would get tried fairly and equally, our economy would get the biggest cash injection it has ever seen and absolutely everybody would have a much better life. Whether you are a toilet cleaner or a CEO, this single act of holding criminals accountable for their crimes, would turn South Africa into the best country in the world. I’m going to end this article with this: Never ever settle for anything less than justice and equality. Because that is the single thing that could pave the way to a future for our children to grow up in the best country in the world. Anything less than that will ultimately lead to the complete destruction of South Africa.
