Tributum Newsletter #27

Hello

Thanks to everyone that responded to Newsletter No 26 and its message. Firstly, I am glad there are so many of you that read the Newsletter, and secondly, I am blessed by the fact that I could make you stop and think. Hopefully that one did not set this Newsletter up for failure.

There were a few snippets of news from SARS in May. Closest to home for most of us will be the 2021 individual tax filing season that starts on 1 July 2021. Non-provisional taxpayers have until 23 November 2021 to e-file returns while provisional taxpayers have until 31 January 2022. For those who are expecting refunds, also expect to be audited so make sure your information is at head, especially if you want to claim home-office expenses.

SARS received 88 009 job applications following its advertisement for various roles. Hopefully, they can appoint people with the right integrity and the skills, as SARS and the NPA issued a joint statement confirming that they will prioritise the fight against tax crime. For our sake, let’s hope that includes tackling those implicated at the Zondo commission and the new job applicants should hit the ground running.

Hopefully, they will also have the skill, and the necessary will to tackle a taxi industry that is allegedly R90bn in size but paid only R5m in tax, including employment and income tax, during the 2021 fiscal year. That surely rubs salt in the wounds of our Gqeberha readers where a debilitating taxi strike resulted in damage to property, safety concerns and lost income for many workers. Why is it that those that pay the least in taxes feel they have the most right to break down the infrastructure funded by the taxes that others pay?

Talking about paying for things without return, loadshedding stage 2 started again about 30 minutes ago and I need to get the Newsletter distributed prior to our scheduled darkness. Also, the main power station supplying much of Gqegerha’s electricity experienced a fault last night, again, on a Sunday evening. Not only are things being broken, it’s also nor properly maintained.

I am sure that is what Finance Minister Tito Mboweni referred to as ineptitude when he lambasted municipal governance in parliament two weeks ago. Now, my English are not that better, but “ineptitude” seems like a euphemism (how is that comeback after the deliberate grammatical error) for “uselessness”. And not just at municipal level either.

However, we cannot save the whole world, we can only save ourselves and those we choose. By doing that, we are helping the world save itself. Remember, when your aim is to swim across the river, you don’t have to fight every crocodile in it. Pick you battles, do your best, don’t beat yourself up and most importantly, keep breathing. Until next time.