Government needs to stop making taxpayers the enemy: Duvenage
Any tax revolt or civil disobedience – like the opposition to Gauteng’s e-tolling system – is squarely at the feet of government, which insists on making taxpayers the enemy instead of constructively engaging with them.
This is according to Outa chairman, Wayne Duvenage, who says that government has been flippant towards the need for rational debate, and instead expects citizens to roll over and comply with irrational and unworkable processes.
In an op-ed published on the Daily Maverick, Duvenage said that despite admitting that it has made questionable choices and that something like the e-toll scheme was deeply flawed, it still insists on sitting in opposition to civil society when it does not accept these decisions.
This has been highlighted by the wide-spread opposition to the Gauteng tolling system – which has been met with more aggressive collection tactics by Sanral, with thousands of road users facing summonses on the basis of non-payment of the tolls they never wanted or agreed to.
On the backdrop of state capture and widespread corruption at state companies – along with the billions of rands spent on irregular expenses – there have been growing calls for a tax revolt, Duvenage said.
While government has made civil society and groups like Outa as the bad guys in this movement of ‘civil disobedience’, Duvenage said that it is government itself which is to blame.
“[Outa] took a responsible position and spoke out against the notion of a tax revolt. It was Outa that encouraged those not paying TV licences to do so once the new SABC board was appointed and Hlaudi Motsoeneng had left the building,” Duvenage said.
“It was Outa that posted opinions to encourage heightened tax morality once president Cyril Ramaphosa was appointed, and again when Tom Moyane was suspended.”
“Government needs to stop shooting itself in the foot when it comes to driving a culture of tax morality. Complying with meaningful engagement on matters that impact the public is a good start. It also helps to not position civil society as the enemy when it criticises Government policies and processes,” he said.
Through political meddling and its antagonistic positioning, government is driving and stimulating a culture of non-payment, he said.
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