Stick it to the Tax Man

Just what has income tax to do with goin’ bassin’? Well, just how much of our taxes go to maintaining a clean and healthy environment in which we can continue to enjoy the sport? For people who are self-employed February is income tax month – on the 28th the final payment for the year to SARS must be made, and it better be accurate. For salaried people of course their tax is deducted every month by the employer and paid over to SARS. Paying tax is one of the two surest things in life, namely death and taxes – unpleasant thought but true. So what has income tax to do with goin’ bassin’? Well, just how much of our taxes go to maintaining a clean and healthy environment? It is after all every citizen’s constitutional right to have access to such an environment. It bears repeating here: Everyone has the right – (a) To an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being; and (b) To have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures that – (i) prevent pollution and ecological degradation; (ii) promote conservation; and (iii) secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development. It also incorporates International Environmental Law which includes the duty of care and that the “Polluter” will pay for polluting the environment, which creates liability for environmental damage caused. Wow! That’s powerful stuff, surely quite enough to ensure that we citizens have clean air to breath and clean water to drink; in addition, a healthy environment in which to enjoy whatever recreational activity we choose. Such as leisure fishing in general, and bass fishing in particular! It’s therefore unconstitutional that so few – if any, to be truthful – of our inland waterways meet the criteria of NOT being hazardous to our “health and well-being”. If I were to list all the instances of pollution in our rivers and dams I would need far more than just this page to do so. But rather than dwell on this sad state of affairs, it is most probably preferable to look for a positive spin on them. But where to go look? Well, zooming in on what is very close to the hearts of bass fishing enthusiasts, namely bass fishing opportunities, it is comforting to know that such opportunities are on the increase, despite the continuing damage to their habitats and indeed, to their very existence in the country. Even the short sighted legislation that refuses to accept that bass are naturalised citizens has, and will not, stop the spread of this species. Purists are quick to point out the cost to countries that alien and invasive species represent, and locally we are lambasted with accounts of indigenous angling species such as the Kurper being decimated by bass. Properly funded and scientifically credible research however has yet to prove this, while angler-based observations indicate exactly the opposite. I offer the following to substantiate this observation: last year Loskop Dam delivered a new national record bass of 7,192kg, and the angler, the well respected Protea artlure angler Wayne Naude , was of the opinion that there are still larger specimens in the dam. Oh yeah? With such big bass surely the prey fish species, of which blue kurper is one, should be taking a hammering? A fisheries official of the provincial authority insists this is so, indeed going so far as to legalise underwater spear fishing to rid the dam of bass. BUT – in December Protea artlure anglers, Bernard and Rudolph Venter, enjoyed what they reckon is some of the best kurper fishing they have ever experienced in Loskop, catching many fish up to 2kg. “Loskop’s kurper are plentiful and also very healthy”, Bernard commented. If I were in a court, I’d be quite justified in declaring: “I rest my case!”