The Elephant in the Room — BLACK TAX
Understanding of Black Tax and how you could be paying it or experiencing its effects without knowing what it is.
Social gatherings of related families is no strange thing in Africa. Family get-togethers during festive seasons are a tradition. Family meetings, wedding preparations, graduations, Harambee's (self help group fund raising meetings)and even funerals bring the immediate and extended family together.
Sometimes, uncomfortable topics become the subject of discussion in the context of these social gatherings. It may be a cousin who got pregnant before finishing school or a favorite niece who is about to get married. One way or another, it always seems imminent why the subjects are uncomfortable. The conversations often tend to hint on what needs to be done or what solution can be procured to solve the problem or alleviate the burden.
“Now you’re a grown member of the family” . While elsewhere you may think of replying “that’s such a nice thing to say”, in Africa, this is a signal to recognize the elephant in the room.
As they beat around the bush some people are ambushed by remarks like “I bet they pay you well where you started working” or “Now you’re a grown member of the family” . While elsewhere you may think of replying “that’s such a nice thing to say”, in Africa, this is a signal to recognize the elephant in the room. Your family needs your financial support.
This subtle yet compelling approach has led many to pick up the mantle of being breadwinners and poverty eradicators. But it has also led to a case of some family members exploiting the efforts of income-earning family members. Being born in an African background earns you the title “community child.” The cost of your upbringing is incurred not just by your parent(s). If you’re an orphan or your parent(s) simply can’t provide all your needs, your uncle, aunt, older cousin or village chief, gets to chip in on your expenses such as school fees or food.
Once you get to a productive age and begin earning, There’s always an unspoken expectation to “appreciate” the sacrifice that your parent, guardian or relative made for you to get to where you are. It often seems like a substitution of roles; ‘I scratch your back so you can scratch mine’. Many Africans begin to take care of those who took care of them. Not just that but also helping whenever there’s an emergency. The truth for most Africans is that they may directly or indirectly be beneficiaries to this.
So in this line of thought, it would only seem logical for a young professional who earns monthly income to also offer financial aid and help where they can. They are however, only able to chip in financially in the same time frequency as the receipt of income (help/aid as you earn). Sooner or later this financial aid begins to become a planned deduction from their income to serve a specific purpose. This is Black Tax.
To some, black tax is an inherited financial burden. Others perceive it as their responsibility and a way to give gratitude. What do you think?
