DESPITE WORKING HARD AND MAKING MONEY, BLACK TAX WILL MAKE YOU POOR AT 50YRS OLD IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL

DESPITE WORKING HARD AND MAKING MONEY, BLACK TAX WILL MAKE YOU POOR AT 50YRS OLD IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL

Have you ever paused for a moment and thought to yourself “I must be doing something wrong with my life, how come I don’t have a single profitable investment running under my name despite working diligently for all those years?”

Yes, you have the zeal and willingness to invest…but somehow, things seem not to be going your way. 

Maybe you even have a job, with a steady monthly salary and you do your best to save something at the end of the month. But still somehow, you have not been making any meaningful progress.

If you are in business, despite toiling and moiling all your life, you still can’t narrate any success stories worthy of a gossip blogger’s attention. 

It’s a painful reality that most of us prefer to not to talk about. It yields a sense of hopelessness and can easily make you wonder what your purpose in life is.

As it turns out, making it in Kenya (or Africa) is not as easy as it may sound on paper. Despite the fact that Africa is on the rise, we still face subtle problems at an individual level. 

This is partly because of the society we are born into and partly due to microeconomic factors.

Top among these factors is the “Black Tax trap” that makes it twice as difficult to ditch a peasantry lifestyle. 

First let's define Black Tax.

Black Tax is an expectation/obligation to send your parents/siblings/relatives money out of your earnings simply because you are doing well financially. 

Black Tax comes from a point of entitlement and guilt trapping and it is a very toxic arrangement. 

A hand-to-mouth kind of lifestyle is the biggest enemy of development. Unfortunately, most of us lead this kind of life due to the high dependency ratio in this part of the world. 

You find that a typical hard-worker, let’s call him Mr. X, receives his salary every 30th of the month. He rushes to the bank to pay rent and on his way out he receives a text from his house-wife concerning a few items lacking at home. So, he immediately walks into the nearest supermarket for some household shopping.

While at it, Mr. X remembers that his mum had called him a week earlier requesting for money to run a few errands back in the village. So, he walks to the nearest Mpesa shop and sends something. 

On his way out, he passes by the nearest wines and spirits outlet to restock his mini-fridge with a whole month’s supply of liquor.

The next Sunday, Mr. X will attend a church whereby you have to contribute some hefty sums in order to receive blessings. 

Mr. X has not even paid for his kids school fees and medicare. His inlaws and siblings are on his neck. And at the same time he still owes his local kiosk guy and butcher a tidy sum from last month.

Such is the reality of life around here. We have people busy working but with little or no progress to show. Why? 

Because the moment you start making a few cents in your new job or business, you come face to face with routine demands.

This is unlike other parts of the world where the society naturally gives you an opportunity to thrive. 

Around here, once you start showing signs of progress, the society naturally starts to feed on the embryo of your success. You become stunted.

Instead of creating opportunities for others to succeeds, we create cycles of dependency. Needless to say, many of the would-be good investors end up stuck in this rat race. 

Note that sending your parents something out of your own free will isn't Black Tax.

Black Tax is when you are obligated to do so and you even go to the extent of taking out loans just to meet these demands.

Many black people especially those that work in the cities and abroad know what I'm talking about.

This is what you need to know;

1. You need to learn to put yourself first. It's good to help others but do it to the level that you can and don't forget yourself.

2. Set boundaries - your parents and siblings should understand boundaries and respect your family. Some marriages actually end because of such issues and this is unacceptable. 

3. Keep your earnings a secret - People don't need to know how much you make. Stop telling everyone your Business. 

4. Learn to say NO - it will save you from a lot of crap.

5. Empower your siblings - it's easier to empower your siblings through school, business or a job connection rather than feeding and housing them and their children for years.

If you are overburdened with Black Tax, take time to think rationally about the situation you are in.

It's okay to say, I can't afford this.

Written By: Elijah Nugi

Business Man & Mentor

+254758387013