If there's one thing actress and comedian Celeste Ntuli has learnt about black tax, it's the importance of being able to say "no".
Ntuli told HuffPost SA that her comedy show, 'Black Tax', was inspired by her own experiences.
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"I decided to call my show 'Black Tax' because everyone is familiar with the term and most of the black people in my generation pay it and it affects almost all of us. We might not understand economics, [the] stock exchange, junk status, trading, GDP [gross domestic product] and deficits ... But everyone knows black tax and budgeting," she said.
Ntuli, who comes from a large family, said black tax was the only way to survive. "I'm from a family of eight siblings, so helping each other financially is normal ... I've received black tax as much as I have paid it. Christmas and holidays are the days when we pay it most."
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She said she had, at times, supported family members unwillingly, comparing it to emotional blackmail.
Asked how she dealt with this situation, Ntuli said she had to draw the line. "Drawing the line is important, otherwise one can never grow financially. Having limits to how much you spend on [supporting family members] is best," she said.
Ntuli believes her show creates a "much-needed dialogue". "I find that [the comedy] material is relevant to what we're going through as a country right now. The show ... raises funny debates about financial freedom, which is a great topic to laugh about."
Come July 29, the 38-year-old will crisscross the country for her 'Black Tax' tour, scheduled to stop in Durban first.
"The demand for the tour is amazing. I'm visiting [some towns] for the first time but for Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Newcastle the show was requested by popular demand. I am recording the one in Johannesburg and I had to move to a bigger venue [Silverstar Casino]," Ntuli said.