–– Paul Schlehlein
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The black tax refers to the money black Africans feel obligated to pay in order to support their parents and siblings. Zimbabwean Masimba Musodza says the black tax is “when one person is seen as having made it and is obligated to support all the less well-off relatives, no matter how distantly related.”
So ingrained is the black tax in African culture that to request absolution from such expectations is like asking a cat to bark. Pardon from the black tax is impossible and should a man ignore it, he best prepare himself to be bête noire.
Indeed, the black tax contains some benefits, like family members looking out for each other. But the disadvantages are legion. This financial burden often drains the worker’s earnings, leaving him unable to support his own family. Pressure only increases when an African finds a professional job abroad, a windfall for family members who see this new appointment as an expectation for covering all their expenses. No sooner have the chemtrails disappeared over his homeland than his phone rings for financial assistance.
Emotional and Physical Needs of Parents
Flying at tree-top level, we’ve learned in this series of articles that God has given children (both young and old) the never-ending obligation to honour their parents (Dt. 5:16), which includes helping them in their emotional and physical needs. As Jacob sat paralysed with grief, “his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him” (Gn. 37:35). Later, when Jacob fell ill in his old age, his son Joseph gathered the family to visit Dad (Gn. 48:1).
In some ways, parents become more emotionally sensitive as they age, meaning children should take special care of them as their seasons in temperament change. “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief” (Pr. 14:13).
Financial Needs of Parents
But what does the Bible say about supporting one’s parents financially? Second Corinthians 12:14 states the general rule. “Children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.” Meaning, Johnny shouldn’t provide for Dad; Dad should provide for Johnny.
On the one hand, this verse chastises the parent who views his grown children as walking ATM cards. It rebukes the father who forces his son into a hated profession simply because it pays a lot. It scolds the mother for insisting her daughter become a high-paying career woman when all she wants is the status of a stay-at-home mom. The officious parent thinks: “Without my child’s career earnings, who will finance my car payments?” Paul’s point is that children shouldn’t have to pay their parent’s way.
On the other hand, Paul isn’t teaching that children should withhold necessary support from their parents. But what kind of provision is a child required to pay? Consider the following three categories.
First, children should strive to support their parents financially when they are alone, sick, or ageing (1Tm. 5:3-4). Even while dying on the cross, Jesus Christ—always the perfect Son—entrusted Mary to His disciple John (Jn. 19:27). By application, this may mean building a granny flat for a widowed mother or paying the doctor bills for the father with diabetes.
Second, children should focus on supporting the needs of their parents, according to their ability. Children have no obligation to go into debt over, say, a 50th Wedding Anniversary party for Mom and Dad. If money is tight, they should buy them a chocolate cake and show honour by righteous living.
Third, children should bury their parents with honour. They must never leave this duty to the State. Freeloaders do that. They shouldn’t cremate their bodies either. Pagans do that (2Kng. 21:6).
Instead, children should honor their parents by administrating, planning, and—if need be—paying for their funeral. I don’t mean bankrolling an extravagant entombment, complete with shiny hearses, a marching band, skyscraper tombstones, and meals to feed a village. All of this is common in even the poorest regions of Africa.
These luxurious displays have nothing to do with honouring Dad and everything to do with flexing one’s ego. Isaac’s sons buried their father in a well-chosen burial ground (Gn. 25:9) and that was enough to honour him.
Conclusion
Children owe a debt of gratitude to their parents for clothing them, feeding them and bringing them into the world. Sadly, there are too many kids that were born on third and think they hit a triple.
Instead, children must honour their parents, and this includes financial assistance, an obligation on par with giving to the church, and sometimes an even greater duty (Mk. 7:9-13). But these issues give rise to imbroglios of ethical dilemmas and “what about” scenarios, important questions we’ll address in the next article.