WHY NOT TAX THE AIR WE BREATH?

CERTAINLY LIFE ON PLANET EARTH IS BECOMING NO JOKE because of worldwide increasing TAXATION!       There is little doubt, as one reads the papers and watches TV news, that internationally governments are progressively finding new ways to fill their coffers via Inland Revenue - TAX..
You will all know of Joshua and Miriam Mbithi's trauma with the Kenya Revenue Authority, where two dedicated Kenyans engaged in caring for HIV babies and infants are being hounded to pay Kenya Shillings eleven million. (approximately eighty eight thousand pounds sterling).     They themselves have no personal income,working virtually as volunteers, and often in need.    All for the love of God and of the unfortunate and destitute children of the State which in liable to provide the care themselves without charitable intervention.      And in doing so are now expected to PAY the Government for the labour of assisting them.      And not the Mbithi's only but ALL Charitable works and ministries are being threatened, including ourselves, with the same determination to extract funds from donations given for the poor of the Country.     Does anyone cry SHAME?     I have not heard any!
INDEED Kenya is even now considering increasing VAT on essential commodities.    Increases that will impoverish the general population even more, reducing many to penury and perhaps near starvation levels of  existence.     A step that will definitely lower the standard of living for the majority.Let me insert here part of an article from The STAR printed on the 19th June this year.

Kenyans Mobilise Against Taxing the Poor

On a side street in Nairobi's bustling neighbourhood of Shauri Moya, Gaisal Ngila shouts to street vendors, motorbike taxi drivers and pedestrians - 'Do you know taxes are increasing in Kenya?'     He is trying to drum up opinion against a new Bill currently in front of Parliament.  The Bill seeks to apply a 16% VAT rate on basic commodities that have remained un-taxed until now.  These to include Rice, Bread,Maize, Flour, processed milk, and sanitary pads!... ...............many worried citizens are worried about the Bill's impact on their already meagre incomes.     'I am not really working.    Sometimes I do casual labour washing dishes and clothes' says Julia Njoki, a mother of four.   'If they add tax to maize bread and milk I will not be able to buy anything.'

The current average wage for the non-skilled majority in Kenya is often seven thousand shillings or less in a month.    (approximately Fifty-six pounds sterling a month).         Few such families can afford, even now, to include MEAT in their diet,which amounts mainly to maize flour and vegetables.      The general prospect is not promising.
Reading another article found in a Readers Digest published in South Africa in 2004 I was interested to read the following-

GARTH ZIETSMAN a statistician with a major South African Bank states that an average South African worker toiled from January 1st to April 30 just to pay his or her year's Tax - approximately 31.7% of the working year paying taxes alone.   Stated differently all the money spent by governments is taken in taxes from the people.   It is mainly the salaries of the cabinet, parliamentarians, provincial council members, civil servants, the army, police, teachers, judges, magistrates, city councillors, municipal official, health workers and all the other people on the government payrolls that swallow up the first 116 days of earnings of the entire nation.  AND you thought your children were your only dependents.........   !!                                         ............At some stage the increases become an intolerable burden on a country's productive citizens and reduce their capacity and will to produce goods and services.       ............... .................Government expenditure was declining in the '90s but has increased again in the last three years.   Even worse, government has promised to increase its spending even more in the near future, so get ready to pay higher taxes.    This is an unfortunate prospect considering that freedom from excessive taxes encourages people to work harder, produce more, and hire more workers..'

Recently world media reports that governments worldwide are going to increase tax in the coming months.
Is it necessary?   Is such increase justified.......Consider Kenya's parliamentarians and senators demanding higher salaries - and they WILL get them one way or another - and the proletariat will PAY whilst taking a lower standard of living themselves.      It was this kind of selfish, greed motivated attitude to deprive the French nation of bread two hundred years ago - they finally rebelled with disastrous results not just for themselves but for the world.     An increase of 16% on our basic expenditure on food and essentials will increase our monthly outgoings by more than 200,000/-.         Many charities are already closing down.  
What will happen to Kenya's poor when the majority of the free help and aid channelled through charity is forced to be taken somewhere else?     Will the Nation find the shortfall and fill the gap?    It is very unlikely -  the poor will be poorer,     Many will not survive.      It is going to be a world wide experience.   Woe to the World.

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SOME THREE WEEKS ago I wrote about some boys in our High School who had maligned three or four of our Teachers through the Internet and on Face book.       Out of about SIX who had conspired in this matter TWO (the ringleaders and chief perpetrators) were expelled.      They had finished their Course-work for their final year in High School, and have two months left for Revision before sitting for their examinations.     Though Expelled they have been given permission to return to sit their Mock and Final exams and additionally provided with all text books they need for revision.        I had hoped it might not have had to come to this myself, but the damage done has been ongoing with one of the teachers having her marriage almost destroyed, and the other two feeling quite demoralised.      The facts of the matter as reported on the Internet were all proved to be false, including photos that had also been published in support of the text.  We were able to trace the Web Page Owners and had it deleted.

To have the boys back in class would have meant to loss of at least two of the teachers who were victims; they would have found it untenable to teach the culprits of the case equably.     To have boys back in class would have meant that any student could virtually get away with anything.    School discipline and respect for staff would have slumped, and morally none of our parents would have been able to trust the management to deal effectively with such unethical behaviour.

The Department of Education feels we have acted in an 'imature' and incorrect manner.    They feel every child has the right to learn, and that NONE should be expelled without their permission.    We acted without asking what they thought, and they felt slighted - although we did later carefully present all the evidence of the case and explained our position, and the reasoning behind our opinion.      The Director of Education merely said (to their face) that our teachers were 'imature, and should grow up' and that the so called crime was no worse than 'writing graffiti on a toilet door.'    We were admonished and reminded that the Right of the Child came first, and that indeed it was what was best for the child that should came before consideration of the adults feelings.

Apparently discipline had no place in the objective judgement of the Director.       However she refused to DIRECT us to reverse our decision, only strongly urging us to do so.      We have not done so, and have little intention of doing so.    

A SERIOUS kind of week, but we all continue well in the midst of rain and coolness.

During the next week I will be writing to those of you who may have sent a gift to us over the last two or three months.       I  may also be sending a monthly Prayer Letter via E.Mail to all those whose address I have no record.      The BLOG may still continue, but some may not have time to accessing it and it may be  easier for some of you to just pick something up from your mail.

Our continuing Love an good wishes to you all from us all

John and Esther & Daryl and Carol.