Our welfare state will soon fall apart if we are not careful, and the poor who are the beneficiaries of social grants will be the biggest losers. When state-owned entities collapse, it results in thousands of jobs being lost, which could have contributed to our tax coffers.
With only 5% of the population paying taxes, the brain drain is making this group even smaller. This is a group that the government must give more incentives to stay, as they are big earners who are innovative and who contribute significantly to job creation.
However, the government is chasing them away to greener pastures. It is biting the hand that feeds it.
Eskom needs hundreds of billions of rand to be fixed. Ever-rising inflation, looting, privately owned businesses closing, and an ever-growing poor population will make social grants unsustainable.
Eventually, so much pressure will be placed on the few existing taxpayers that they will also be forced to leave. Where will the state be getting the money? What makes matters worse, the government is becoming increasingly desperate to hang on to power.
Divide and rule has therefore become an important strategy for the 2024 elections. They want to get the masses back on their side, but in the process they are chasing away the rich white taxpayers.
Hence, the timing of the job equity bill, when most jobs will be given to black workers. Then there is the controversial National Health Insurance bill, which taxpayers will also have to pay for.
The government is now creating a false impression for poor people to hang on to, but in the process they are also using them as voting fodder. These people would as a result never see any improvement in their lives during their lifetime.
* J. Hendricks, Bellville.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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