Black tax: To pay or not to pay?

Nailantei Norari  @Artnorari 

Times are hard. By June 2020, over one million people had lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic and its constriction of the economy.

While some people had emergency funds to tide them over as they looked for new jobs, most people did not.

What followed is a quick downsizing of cars, houses and sale of anything disposable.

One would think this would just be felt by the now unemployed populace, but the ripple effect of the job losses was felt all the way to the villages.  

A tax for blessings 

John (not his real name), lives in a two bedroomed apartment in Jamhuri. He lives with his cousin, whom he took through a tertiary institution and currently works as a mechanic understudy, and his younger brother who is still in university.

Despite having lost his job as a banker due to Covid-19, his cousin, brother and their relatives in the countryside still expect him to support them.

He is still sending monthly upkeep money for his parents while dreading any emergency call asking for any money to pay a hospital bill. 

John, currently working as an Uber driver with a car he had bought while employed, says he is scared of the future as he cannot fathom continuing to live a life where he cannot even afford to invest due to the weight of responsibilities.

He, however, believes he is all the family has as he is the first one to go to university.

His parents sold a huge chunk of land to take him through school and he, therefore, feels he owes them. 

John reveals he is envious of friends who are able to put themselves first and stop paying the black tax, despite seeing them as selfish and knowing he could never do it. 

By definition, black tax is income black professionals give to their families to support them.  

“It has always been the duty of the young to take care of their elders in the African community.

People would take pride in cooking for, cleaning and providing for their elders.

Among the Agikuyu, for instance, the last born son was supposed to inherit the hearth and was the one who would take care of their parents in old age.

He would stay in the parents’ compound in his own hut, marry, with his wife cooking for his parents as they aged and his children being sent on errands by grandparents. 

In some cases, the eldest son would take up the onus of caring for the parents.

Other sons and daughters were free to visit and chip in whenever they had time.

This cycle would continue from one generation to the next,” Dr Francis Kerre, a sociologist and don at Kenyatta University explains. 

He says even slightest thought of not helping out elders in favour of personal progress was unheard of.

One was expected to help not just their own aging parents, but their aging relatives as well.

It was one way of earning blessings of a long life, good health and wealth. 

However, while severing ties with the aging population is unheard of, more and more millennials are choosing themselves over their families.

They are choosing to invest in their futures rather than pour all their earnings back to their families as society expects.  

“It is okay to help out your less fortunate relatives. But you also have to think about your future and if you will be the one forcing others to pay black tax.

Save up and have an emergency fund and a sinking fund. An emergency fund is saved funds for an unplanned expense while a sinking fund is money saved for a foreseen expense such as a water tank for parents back in the rural home or their health insurance payment,” Susan Wanjiku, a financial advisor and founder of The Legacy Hub Kenya explains. 

Balancing act

She adds, “No one talks about retirement and how to prepare for it. It is erroneous to think that you will be young forever and that you will always be able to work and earn a living.

Start saving and investing for retirement. Work on having a passive income big enough to envision the lifestyle you would like once you have retired.

This is the only sure way to break the black tax cycle and ensure that we do not become a burden to our children or our relatives in old age.” 

She insists on need to balance supporting relatives with investing in oneself. She emphasises that no one specific rule fits all when it comes to this. It is all discretionary.

It is up to the person with the money to decide whether to give back to the family or not to.

She, however, insists on the importance of boundaries to stave off overzealous relatives who might take one for all they have got.  

“For boundaries to work, one needs to communicate clearly and concisely in order not to sever the relationship while ensuring they do not take up more than they can handle.

Communicate whether the help is a one-off to manage expectations. Opt to start something that would give your relatives income rather than them having to depend on you for handouts.

Decide who, when and where to show up not just for your relatives but for yourself.

At the end of the day, you are the one in charge. Do not just complain about black tax, apply wisdom and take back the control,” she says.