#Budget2020: DIY tax clock shows you where your contributions go

When you put in long hours of work each day, you’re not just working for yourself.

Unless you’re breaking the law, you’re also working to pay your share of taxes that help keep the country running.

But what are you actually paying for?

OpenUp, a civic tech organisation, has updated its annual Tax Clock with the latest tax information from Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s Budget. It is part of OpenUp’s mandate to build free tools that promote active citizenry and help people make informed decisions for positive social change.

Tax Clock is easy to use and calculates the time you spend each day contributing to government services, such as education, health or national debt – and the time that you spend working for yourself.

All you need to do is go to www.taxclock.co.za and fill in your salary. You’ll get a minute-by-minute breakdown of how much of your workday helps pay for different parts of government costs such as debt, education and defence.

Adi Eyal, director of OpenUp, says the Tax Clock is an opportunity for people to engage with the Budget through the money they earn – and the tax they pay.

“When the Budget comes out, people are usually only interested in how much they will be paying and if there are any rebates they can get. But they don’t engage with what the Budget is really about,” he said.

“The Budget is a statement of intent by government that says what our priorities are, and what we are going to spend your money on. So, it’s important for people to understand what they are working for. The Tax Clock will show them how they have contributed toward things like education or helped pay off national debt in a day.”

This new version of Tax Clock incorporates up-to-date personal tax details from Mboweni’s Budget speech delivered in Parliament on Wednesday February 26, 2020. DM