You won't see a cent of your pay until May 23

Tax Freedom Day will be on May 23 this year - two days later than last year. This is the latest it has been for taxpayers.

In other words, if people were required to pay all their taxes up-front, they would have to pay the government all the money they had earned until May 22. Only after that date, from May 23, could they start to think of it as their own.

Since 1972 taxes have increased as a proportion of the economy by 67% and spending by 80%. Since 1994, the increases have been 38% and 16% respectively.

The trend since 1994 is for Tax Freedom Day to be 1.26 days later every year on average, or about 19 days for every president, and an extra month per generation.

It takes five weeks longer to pay to the government today than it did in 1994 - and almost two months longer than in 1972.

The spending trend is more variable, but on average it is even more upward than the revenue trend.

Towards the end of National Party rule, there was a big rise in government spending and a drop in revenue when the party tried to appeal to new voters as it faced its first free election.

In its first few years, the ANC government had to reduce spending and increase revenue to deal with the inherited apartheid debt. But eventually spending increased sharply until the deficit became a problem.

In 2008, the financial crisis caused a recession and a lack of profits squeezed tax revenues but did not impede spending.

How bad is South Africa's situation by international standards?

Beyond the amount needed for keeping order and providing justice, there is plenty of evidence that increased government size slows economic growth. For an economy this size, the government is larger than necessary. The revenue spent on government consumption alone is especially bad for growth.

South Africa is in effect eating its seed stocks rather than planting them. And last year saw a shrinking rate of investment.

Rising tax levels reduce how much taxpayers personally benefit from their work. Already only about 60% of a person's labour goes towards their own welfare. Every year, they lose another day or two.

- BDLive