This arrived in my mailbox: "After [the author] was a victim of crime in 2000, [the author] attended many crime discussions, brain storming and therapy sessions. At each of these discussions the question came up on how to tackle the symptoms of crime. The only question never raised was:Question: "What is the influence of crime on the S.A. Govt?"
Answer: Crime generates millions and millions of Rands for the S.A. Govt.
Here are the facts:
Example 1:
Take just one million home owners in Gauteng who pay for "armed crime reaction" (not crime prevention) where private security companies react AFTER the crime has taken place - no wonder they never make any arrests!
This service costs on average R250 p.m. Therefore 1 000,000 x R240.00 X 12 months x 14% VAT, generates R403 million in tax revenue for the S.A. Govt!Example 2:
A car thief steals a R500,000 car and receives between R10,000 and R30,000 for his deed. The car owner is paid out by insurance and then purchases another similar vehicle, on which he pays 14% VAT of approx R70,000 as a direct result of crime. Who profited the most? The thief or the S.A.Govt?
We must begin with a mechanism whereby the S.A. Govt is forced to reconsider this unconstitutional and immoral practice of profiting from crime!All South Africans should demand that all payments related to protection of life and property should be VAT free and Tax deductible!This principle should also apply to replacement of stolen property as well as estate duty. If a person dies as a result of crime we should also demand that estate duty not be paid. How much do you think the S.A. Govt has made out of estate duty from the murders of 1300 South African farmers?The S.A. Govt likes to compare us to overseas. Well overseas your safety and security is covered by your income tax and is tax deductible!It is time that South Africans stood together and made the Govt and public aware of the Govt's "income" from crime. In the meantime crime is the goose that lays the golden egg Is it also not unreasonable to expect victims of violence and hijackings to pay their own medical costs? The Govt should pay for these expenses as well as family counselling for victims!Come on South Africa, ask the right questions and demand the right answers!
2 comments:
Donn, you're not being logical! I can use the same argument about security companies loving crime, insurance companies assisting in crime to increase their premiums, car dealers stealing cars to increase sales of cars - yes even computer programmers like you deliberately coding programs to cause your clients to call you in again and again to increase your revenue.
Not everyone is a criminal, and you don't have proof that government really likes crime because it increases tax revenue, just as I have no proof that any of the people/industries mentioned above deliberately cause the crime that provides them with so much money.
No, I'm sorry, the emails that are spreading are no different from Bill Gates offering you $10 000 for testing his email services.
Good point. I'm not saying that the government encourages crime, but once crime starts hurting THEIR pockets then they'll take it more seriously.
At the moment the pressure is political: people die because of crime. If it becomes political AND financial then the pressure increases.
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