SA in a nutshell?
 

Someone sent me the following quote this morning. I'm no economist, but it did resonate with me. I would guess the working classes here don't quite "get" this - but it does seem to encapsulate the South African situation quite nicely...

You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

Re: SA in a nutshell?
 

while I agree with the quote, I'm not sure who you are referring to as "working class here" ? Do you mean B.E or SA?

Re: SA in a nutshell?
 

Actually someone needs to plaster that to the desk of our fine American President. He wants to spread the wealth around to those happy to live off the handouts. :thumbdown:

Re: SA in a nutshell?
 

Ed: If we're doing quotations, you might like this one, from Alexander Fraser Tytler in 1770:

A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.

Re: SA in a nutshell?
 

Thanks Pablo - that's only 230 years old, so no chance of it sinking in yet! Only when the wheels come off the worldwide financial system will people realise that things have to change..

Oh - hang on.....Oops!

Re: SA in a nutshell?
 

SA.

B.E are a multi-cultural, multi-homogenous, multi-faith, classless society with nothing but compassion and good intent in their hearts.

Well, some of them.

Re: SA in a nutshell?
 

:lol: ok mate

Re: SA in a nutshell?
 

:rofl::rofl::thumbsup::cool:

Re: SA in a nutshell?
 

This top quote means in other words: every person who works and earns is impounded to sponsor another person who doesn't work and is supported by the government (the impounding force). Redistribution is not that, it is when someone makes an easy million, e.g. by favourable stock buy and sell, the tax authority takes a percentage to help the poor and needy, e.g. a handicapped mother of 6. That million was not made by hard sweat and tears, but by cunning investing skills. No efforts involved, nothing to be screaming about if the Government decides to redistribute a little. The quote is written in a skewed way to make the reader believe it is one person sponsoring another. Truth is, it is "a million made this year may sponsor 10 people this very year", by being taxed to 10%, delivering 10000, enough to add 1000 to the income of TEN poor people. The millionaire who made that million will definitely survive on the remaining 990000. Reading your original quote, you lead the reader to believe it is 500000 goes to the bloody lazy bastards who do **** all all year. If 50% tax was indeed levied on that income, it would never be allocated to ONE SINGLE BENEFICIARY, (SNIP)

Re: SA in a nutshell?
 

It's not my quote, so I don't lead anyone anywhere.

Anyway - nice to get an alternative view. Welcome to BE. May your stay be long and enjoyable.

Re: SA in a nutshell?
 

ok Saf13,I'll bite.

SA Population is 48 million give or take give or take 5 million illegal Zimbabweans/Mocambicans etc..
all of those contribute 14% of anything they purchase as well as stealth taxes on Fuel, Tobacco/lcohol etc each according to consumption.

Then there are 13 million taxpayers who contribute either as a salary Deduction or as Directors fees.
8 million of those pay site and dont have to file a tax return, they are on the base flat rate of 22% (if I recall)
5 million have to file a tax return and of those 1.2 million pay 70% of the total personal income tax recieved.

By your reasoning those 1.2 million should be happy to pay 70% of the tax because they can afford it.
I'll remind you of this old chestnut:

Suppose that every day ten men go for beer & the bill for all ten comes to £100.

If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes it would go something like this.The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay £1.
The sixth would pay £3.
The seventh would pay £7.
The eighth would pay £12.
The ninth would pay £18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay £59.

So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day & seemed quite happy with the arrangement until one day, the owner threw them a curve.
'Since you are all such good customers,' he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by £20.' Drinks for the ten now cost just £80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.
But what about the other six men - the paying customers?
How could they divide the £20 windfall so everyone would get his 'fair share?'

They realized that £20 divided by six is £3.33.
But if they subtracted that from everyone's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.
So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount & he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid £2 instead of £3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay £5 instead of £7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid £9 instead of £12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid £14 instead of £18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid £49 instead of £59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before.
And the first four continued to drink for free.
But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

'I only got a pound out of the £20,' declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, 'but he got £10!'

'Yes, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a pound, too.
It's unfair that he got ten times more than I did'

'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get £10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks'

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him.
But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important.

They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill.

And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works.
The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore.
In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier and weather is nicer.
(Thanks SF2)

Re: SA in a nutshell?
 

Brilliant Daxk..........now I know why I am paying waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much tax in SA,and the minions are still restless.Think next tax return I am going to try and offset some expenses for affirmative shopping too;)

Re: SA in a nutshell?
 

Affirmative shopping? That happens at busy intersections during rush hour when you aren't paying attention....

No doubt us whites are to blame for this too.

Re: SA in a nutshell?
 

Say what.........busy intersections,we still pay for that:confused:NO,NO.........I mean when they swipe one of my vehicles from outside my shop in broad daylight,never to be seen again,42 break-ins in my business in past 2-3 years.........TAKING what THEY think is rightfully thiers because the government has not delivered on promises they made.........SO we TAKE!

Re: SA in a nutshell?
 

"SO we TAKE!"
The next available Plane out.