Service, not living off fat of the land

You cannot avoid death or taxes, so the saying goes.

- 

And over the years, the SA Revenue Service (Sars) has become more efficient and, possibly, ruthless, in extracting even more blood out of the South African taxpayer stone.

For what is, in reality, a developing country, our individual tax rates are comparable to, or higher than, those in some industrialised nations. That is painful, especially when one adds in the indirect taxes like VAT, excise levies on booze and smokes, property transfers and the fuel levy.