{"id":907,"date":"2019-01-18T21:16:59","date_gmt":"2019-01-18T21:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kobotalk.com\/?p=907"},"modified":"2019-01-18T21:17:01","modified_gmt":"2019-01-18T21:17:01","slug":"black-tax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kobotalk.com\/BLOG\/black-tax\/","title":{"rendered":"Africa\u2019s Black Tax: A Sustainer of the Poverty Cycle"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Recently, Twitter was agog with a short but relatable tweet of a young lady (@Ojima4) <\/a>\u00a0– a tweet with content synonymous to what is known as the black tax in the southern parts of Africa. The black tax is a tradition so common that it earned a prominent spot in Trevor Noah\u2019s \u201cBorn a Crime\u201d, really beautiful book by the way.<\/p>\n

To properly explain the black tax, we can lend the words of Gerald Mwandimbira of the Savings Institute, South Africa. In an interview with Vukuzenzele<\/a>, a publication of the South African government, he said, \u201cBlack tax sees a person\u2019s salary portioned off to support older parents or an extended family while trying to raise a young family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further, he said, \u201cThis puts one\u2019s responsibilities in a \u2018sandwich\u2019 and hence this is often called the sandwich generation. The sandwich generation supports the generation above them, as well as the generation below. Making it difficult for the sandwich generation to save, which will, in turn, pass this tax down to future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The consistent trend of difficulty with savings due to this \u201ctax\u201d can lead to a vicious cycle of generational dependence if not managed. Probably the root of this culture can be traced back to a common African saying \u2014 \u201cIt takes a village to raise a child\u201d. Although there is a positive side to this saying, it also implies that enjoying success alone, as an African, is almost impossible.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t to say that there is anything noble in enjoying the benefits of your success on your own, especially without those that helped raise you, but when does sharing become harmful? When you find yourself not being able to take care of your necessities because you are too busy helping others, a line needs to be drawn. You need a balance to be able to sustain the help you lend out to others.<\/p>\n

A number studies suggest that a majority of Africans are doing a poor job with savings and investments<\/a>. Hence, sharing from what is probably not managed properly can only make things worse for the one who is being the good Samaritan. So the big questions are:<\/p>\n