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702 opposing taxing of police family payouts
After listeners flooded Talk Radio 702's lines, and email and sms facilities, in support of changing the law dealing with the taxing of payouts for families of police officers killed in the line of duty, the Tax Break campaign was launched by morning show host John Robbie. In essence, it seeks to mobilise the public to register their support for tax breaks in the form of a petition.
John Robbie, 702 morning show host
Following the horrific Jeppestown massacre that claimed the lives of four police officers, it emerged that the payouts their families would receive would be taxed. Following three hours of heated, on-air debate over the issue, Robbie decided to take the issue further.
"People must not make the mistake and think I'm saying this is more important than crime, or health or education issues; I'm not," he explains. "But the situation we have regarding the taxing of these payouts is simply wrong - it's madness. As one listener put it, this essentially amounts to 'a fringe tax on death'. But it's something that can surely be fixed, something we want to see fixed."
Ernie Lai King, director and head of tax services at Deneys Reitz, is spearheading the legal side of the campaign, and will be approaching authorities with these petitions of public support.
According to 702, thousands of messages have been received through these channels already. "We have received overwhelming support from our listeners for this initiative so far," says Robbie.
"I really believe that this law should be - and can be - changed. It would send a message to the police that they are special, and, my goodness, they need to feel they're special with the job they have to do and the wages they get to do it."
"Gauteng is the deadliest province for police officers, with 23 killed in the province in the first six months of this year alone," says 702 station manager Pheladi Gwangwa. "We have the chance to make a difference in the lives of the families that are left behind, and that's exactly what we are doing with our Tax Break campaign. Our listeners have shown us how they feel about the issue, and now we're using our position in the community to take the process forward on their behalf."
The campaign has simple mechanics to increase listener participation: visit the Talk Radio 702 website at www.702.co.za and follow the prompts provided by the link on the "Tax Break" box on the front page, or email a message of support (with name, address and ID number details) to .
