By Sesethu Cekeshe
The conversations we have shape the lives we create.
The more we talk about our health, the healthier we become. The more we talk about our dreams, the bigger we dream. The more we talk about money, the more confident we become in managing it.
I believe the same is true for tax. Yet, somehow, tax remains one of the last financial taboos. We avoid the conversation until filing season arrives, until a SARS letter lands in our inbox or until a major life event forces us to pay attention. But what if we changed the conversation to understand that tax is one of the most powerful tools for building and preserving wealth?
South African women are increasingly becoming entrepreneurs, investors and leaders. According to the Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs, nearly 22% of businesses in South Africa are owned by women, with many aspiring to start and grow businesses despite ongoing barriers to funding and financial education.
This matters because wealth is not created by income or the money we make alone. It is created by understanding the systems that govern money and tax sits at the centre of almost every financial decision we make. It affects how much of our salary we keep. It influences our investment decisions, retirement planning, property ownership and business growth, and it also shapes how we transfer wealth and build legacies for future generations.
The women who build lasting wealth are often not the women who simply earn more. They are the women who become financially intentional. The women who ask better questions.
What are the tax implications of this investment?
How should I structure my business for growth?
Am I taking advantage of available tax incentives?
What decisions today will create financial freedom tomorrow?
As a tax practitioner, I have seen that financial anxiety is often not caused by tax itself but by uncertainty. When we do not understand something, we avoid it but when we understand it, we engage with it differently.
Research by the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women highlights that many women entrepreneurs continue to face barriers in accessing financial education and resources necessary to grow their businesses. Financial literacy, including tax literacy, is therefore an economic empowerment tool.
As women, we are having more conversations about investing, entrepreneurship and generational wealth than ever before. Tax deserves a seat at that table too. Perhaps the next frontier of women’s financial empowerment is not earning more. Every informed decision, every compliant business, every well-structured investment and every lesson we pass on to our daughters contributes to something much bigger than a tax return and it contributes to financial freedom and generational wealth.
So, can we talk about tax? Because I think it’s time we did.