Kids eat weeds as criminals dine out on prohibited billions

takatatak

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Kids eat weeds as criminals dine out on prohibited billions

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's children are starving and livelihoods are being destroyed as government ignores science and continues a tobacco products sale ban that is turning criminals into billionaires, Tax Justice SA (TJSA) said on Sunday.

Hunger levels had “exploded” during the coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown in South Africa, according to weekend news reports. Almost half of households had run out of money for food and some children were having to survive on “wild plants”, TJSA founder Yusuf Abramjee said in a statement.

“Our ministers’ obsession with stopping people smoking tobacco is forcing poor children to eat weeds,” he said.

“In 16 weeks of the cigarette ban, more than R4 billion in sin taxes have been lost. That money could have paid for 26 million food parcels. But instead it is enriching criminals in illicit trade."

One of government’s leading scientists had admitted on Friday that there was no proven link between smoking and Covid-19. On Day 115 of the ban, smokers were still smoking – they just had to buy in the illegal market, where gangsters were making an average R100 million every day, Abramjee said.

“The government’s first duty should be to ensure children have food to eat. But our ministers seem more intent on pursuing a failed social experiment. Kids are eating weeds while criminals are dining out on the fruits of prohibition."

Professor Lucille Blumberg, deputy director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), said in a conversation broadcast online by the NICD on Friday that "there is no direct and very good information or good studies to link smoking with severe Covid-19”.

Meanwhile, other senior members on the ministerial advisory committee (MAC) on Covid-19 accused government of “gross inconsistencies and even hypocrisy” that had “broken the social contract” to prevent the spread of the virus, Abramjee said.

“Ministers have caved in to the taxi industry and sent millions of South Africans to work in mobile coffins. They have capitulated yet again to SAA, where they will pour away even more billions of taxpayers’ money.

“Yet, without sound medical reason, they have imposed the only Covid-related tobacco ban in the world, which robs the fiscus of vital taxes and threatens the jobs of 300,000 honest, hard-working citizens.

“It’s the politics of a playground where bullies reign, favouritism outweighs fairness, and the humble go hungry. The lesson being taught to decent South Africans is that crime pays. It’s a deadly education and one that threatens the survival of our most vulnerable,” Abramjee said.
 
And this, aside from the wishes of the many, is the whole point. With around 300 000 (IIRC) employed by the sector, well over a million people are not benefiting from the income generated by tobacco. The effects on public health right now are considerably worse than allowing people to smoke or vape during Covid-19 could ever be.

When that woman dies, they'll need to bury her in a urine-proof grave. I will make an annual pilgrimage to fertilise the ground she's planted in.
 
I dont know what they expect us to do, no work due to the ban and UIF has payed their tiny 3month joke. Maybe I should start a riot, loot what i need, burn a couple tires, sounds fun :swear::ZA:
 
I had a chat with my boss earlier today. Coincidentally enough, we both mentioned to each other this morning how many people we saw begging for food and money on the streets over the weekend. I am not talking about run of the mill homeless people, I am talking about decent looking people who are clearly down on their luck and must have recently lost their jobs. My boss said she lost count at around 40 in a 6km stretch.
 
I had a chat with my boss earlier today. Coincidentally enough, we both mentioned to each other this morning how many people we saw begging for food and money on the streets over the weekend. I am not talking about run of the mill homeless people, I am talking about decent looking people who are clearly down on their luck and must have recently lost their jobs. My boss said she lost count at around 40 in a 6km stretch.
It's really only just begun. The depression is still coming.

The media did a good job scaring everyone into compliance with the virus.
 
Seen in a comment to an article in Politicsweb this morning:

"The doektator."

Brilliant.
 
UK Poll Tax, 1989–93
Main article: Community Charge
In 1989–90, the government of Margaret Thatcher reformed local taxation in Britain by replacing Domestic Rates with a new tax known officially as the Community Charge, but more widely and disparagingly known as the "Poll Tax". Whereas Rates had been, at least to some extent, a progressive tax, the Poll Tax was a flat tax irrespective of income. Many people considered the new tax to be unfair, and a major non-payment campaign saw up to 30% of the population of some council areas refusing to pay. Draconian enforcement measures caused civil unrest, and ultimately led to the Poll Tax riots. The new tax became a major electoral liability for the Conservative Party, and was a significant factor in the ousting of Mrs Thatcher by her own party. Due to its unpopularity and the disastrous impact of non-payment on local authority finances, the tax was replaced by the Council Tax in 1993.
 
"Flatulence Tax" resistance, 2003
New Zealand farmers protested a livestock tax that was ostensibly designed to discourage and ameliorate methane emissions by announcing they would refuse to pay and by sending packages of manure to government ministers.[340]
 
My GF is an American scientist that has been reviewing scientific journals before they get released on Covid since December this year. She says the death rate for Covid in Gauteng is 0.67% and 3.74% in Cape Town...

She thinks Gauteng numbers are faulty, just like our government.
 
Kids eat weeds as criminals dine out on prohibited billions

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's children are starving and livelihoods are being destroyed as government ignores science and continues a tobacco products sale ban that is turning criminals into billionaires, Tax Justice SA (TJSA) said on Sunday.

Hunger levels had “exploded” during the coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown in South Africa, according to weekend news reports. Almost half of households had run out of money for food and some children were having to survive on “wild plants”, TJSA founder Yusuf Abramjee said in a statement.

“Our ministers’ obsession with stopping people smoking tobacco is forcing poor children to eat weeds,” he said.

“In 16 weeks of the cigarette ban, more than R4 billion in sin taxes have been lost. That money could have paid for 26 million food parcels. But instead it is enriching criminals in illicit trade."

One of government’s leading scientists had admitted on Friday that there was no proven link between smoking and Covid-19. On Day 115 of the ban, smokers were still smoking – they just had to buy in the illegal market, where gangsters were making an average R100 million every day, Abramjee said.

“The government’s first duty should be to ensure children have food to eat. But our ministers seem more intent on pursuing a failed social experiment. Kids are eating weeds while criminals are dining out on the fruits of prohibition."

Professor Lucille Blumberg, deputy director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), said in a conversation broadcast online by the NICD on Friday that "there is no direct and very good information or good studies to link weed delivery Alberta smoking with severe Covid-19”.

Meanwhile, other senior members on the ministerial advisory committee (MAC) on Covid-19 accused government of “gross inconsistencies and even hypocrisy” that had “broken the social contract” to prevent the spread of the virus, Abramjee said.

“Ministers have caved in to the taxi industry and sent millions of South Africans to work in mobile coffins. They have capitulated yet again to SAA, where they will pour away even more billions of taxpayers’ money.

“Yet, without sound medical reason, they have imposed the only Covid-related tobacco ban in the world, which robs the fiscus of vital taxes and threatens the jobs of 300,000 honest, hard-working citizens.

“It’s the politics of a playground where bullies reign, favouritism outweighs fairness, and the humble go hungry. The lesson being taught to decent South Africans is that crime pays. It’s a deadly education and one that threatens the survival of our most vulnerable,” Abramjee said.
  1. Starvation and Economic Impact: According to Tax Justice SA (TJSA), the ban on tobacco product sales in South Africa has resulted in hunger among children and economic hardship for many families. The lockdown measures, combined with the ban, have led to a situation where almost half of households in South Africa have reportedly run out of money for food.
  2. Children Eating Weeds: TJSA founder Yusuf Abramjee claims that some children in South Africa are being forced to eat "wild plants" due to the economic strain caused by the ban on tobacco sales. This is seen as a consequence of the government's focus on preventing smoking.
  3. Loss of Tax Revenue: The ban on tobacco sales has resulted in a significant loss of tax revenue, with over R4 billion in sin taxes lost in just 16 weeks. TJSA argues that this money could have been used to provide food parcels for millions of people but instead is benefiting criminal enterprises engaged in the illegal tobacco trade.
  4. Lack of Scientific Evidence: The article mentions that one of the government's leading scientists stated that there was no proven link between smoking and severe COVID-19. Despite this, the tobacco ban remains in place.
  5. Criticism of Government's Priorities: Critics argue that the South African government's decisions regarding the tobacco ban and other measures during the COVID-19 pandemic are inconsistent and prioritize certain interests, such as the taxi industry and struggling state-owned enterprises, over the well-being of the population.
  6. Social Impact: The article suggests that the government's actions have eroded public trust and broken the social contract between the government and the people. It accuses the government of favoritism and making decisions that harm vulnerable citizens.
Overall, the article portrays a situation where the ban on tobacco sales during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa has had far-reaching economic and social consequences, including hunger among children and the enrichment of criminal enterprises engaged in the illegal tobacco trade. Critics argue that the government's priorities are misplaced and that the ban should be lifted to alleviate these issues.
 
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