There's
one word guaranteed to get my wife fuming: ITIS. She thinks that it's
insulting to her that the Income Tax Department can take whatever
money they like out of her wages and yet refuse to talk to her about
it because that's her husband's business. And she's right. It is
insulting. It's not just insulting to her, it's an insult to every
human being on this island.
Curiosuly
enough I raised this very point at St Martins when I stood for
senator 8 years ago. A person raised the issue of women's rights and
I used this very example and I asked how can a civilised society in
the 21st Century continue to allow such a deplorable practice. The
result was that a female journalist wrote an article in the JEP to
tell me off. She said, how dare I suggest that the women of this
island needed the help of me or any man to fix this problem. They
were empowered feminists and could change it without my help, thank
you very much
So,
for the last 8 years I've done nothing. If the feminists didn't want
my help, that's fine.That is their democratic right. But sadly, I've
not been the only one that's done nothing.
So
what am I going to do about this obscenity in the future? Absolutely
nothing. Not a thing. Actually I'm lying - I'm trying to be a
politican after all - I'm going to do just one thing. I'm going to
encourage the female candidates, in no particular order - Moz,
Kristina, Tracey and, of course, Sarah - to get together with the
female constables and the female deputies and change this stupid and
offensive law.
If
I may suggest a tactic: I would demand that, until they treat women
as human beings and not as property, the income tax department be
stopped from taking money from any wife's accounts or wife's assets
because only humans can earn income tax. I bet the law will get
changed pretty damn quickly when the Tax department realises that it
may lose revenue
So
I'd like to end by leaving you with one question to think about:
How
much longer will it be before we start acknowledging women as human
beings? Surely not another 8 years, please.
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