LETTER: Here is a better tax revolt plan
An alternative would be to divert tax revenues to a ‘trust’ account
Taxpayers, both personal and corporate, are shareholders in their country by virtue of their contributions to the fiscus. In this regard, the call by Western Cape premier Helen Zille to abandon tax payments is as anti-national as graft, and a punishable offence. The argument for withholding tax will in itself be a failure as payments are deducted from gross salaries, rendering a call for non-payment ineffectual unless there is co-operation from employers. The tax boycott was obviously suggested as a last resort to the rampant leaks in the Treasury that saw billions siphoned off during the ANC’s quarter century of governance. What would have been a great alternative would be to divert tax revenues to a “trust” account that would be untouched by the Treasury until the 12 months are up, and a new budget is declared. That way, accountability is ensured and no overlapping takes place where current incomes from taxes are used when the need arises, especially the unscheduled bailouts that ...
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