Business

How far can lies go? – NewsDay

When a person lies, there are certain visible momentary twitches that occur in small muscles on the forehead and around the eyes, which can become detectable by the average person, usually after practice with feedback.

WE speculate about the honesty of others hundreds of times a day. In the media and in our social circumstances, perhaps at work in particular, there are often only a few seconds available in which to make a judgement or decision about a purchase, a health matter, a social relationship or a business decision.

Our estimates of “truth” are often based on “gut feel” or “hunch,” but social psychological research shows that our decisions are much more likely to be accurate if we have been tutored in lie detection, from visual cues, and conversations with other people, for example.

It has been found that, in Western cultures a focused look in the eyes from the other party does not so much indicate honesty, but is more likely to be associated with deception.

Another form of assessment of lying is physiological. For example, voice stress analysis is a technology, which has been developed to determine whether or not a person is likely to be lying from the stress shown in micro vibrations of the voice.

These can be detected by a computer, and from the readout it can be determined how likely the individual is to be lying when answering “YES” or “NO” to a focused question.

The more complex polygraph assesses, in addition, the Galvanic Skin Response, which measures extra perspiration which occurs under stress. This happens very quickly, and it can be detected at the same time as voice stress, pulse rate, and blood pressure increases.

Thus the polygraph measures several aspects of stress reactions to lying. Polygraphs are available worldwide, and variously used, or tolerated, with respect to legal acceptance, police usage, and scientific evaluations of validity. If you refer to Artificial Intelligence (Bing) you will be correctly advised that the polygraph is “controversial.”

However, research has shown the voice stress analysis method to be no less valid than the more complex and comprehensive polygraph. It is also quicker and less expensive to use. The polygraph is difficult to administer, and requires complex interpretation and analysis. Thus human error can become a significant factor in reducing validity. Voice stress analysis is used in Zimbabwe in attempts to “clear” the innocent from the need for further investigation.

The police use it as a guide, but the results have not yet been accepted in court as evidence.

How often do we lie? Many of us have been brought up by our parents to regard lying as immoral or even disgraceful behaviour. We may even be convinced that we personally do not often lie. However, social psychological research shows that people lie close to a hundred times a day, in various ways, in social interactions amongst family, friends, acquaintances and work colleagues.

We are frequently deceived by body language, attitude, or tone of voice. Written lies appear frequently in the media and can have huge impacts on our lives.

During the Covid-19 crisis Former chief medical advisor to the President of United States Anthony Fauci appeared hundreds of times in the media making various assertions about Covid-19 control measures and the effectiveness and safety of vaccinations that have subsequently been proven to be wrong.

For example, masks, insisted upon as being essential, have been shown by research to be ineffective in preventing the transmission of the Covid-19 virus.

It has also been found that Covid-19 vaccinations do not prevent the vaccinated from infecting un-vaccinated persons. Therefore, the demand that we accept vaccinations in the interests of society as a whole has been clearly invalidated. Recently the knee-jerk announcement by the New York Times and many other media outlets that Israel was responsible for the recent hospital bombing has subsequently been shown, by very clear evidence from several sources, to be false.

The bombing was the outcome of a misfiring from a couple of kilometres away, from a Hamas unit. This lie has been clearly exposed, but in communities all over the world demonstrations, sometimes violent, have been mounted by groups who claim to have believed the lie.

In the 1960s, British nutritionist John Yudkin announced that sugar is a highly toxic substance, responsible for many disease syndromes. There was immediate, malign, panic rejection of this finding. However, 60 years of accumulating research has shown Yudkin to have been absolutely correct!

For example, South African Professor Tim Noakes was fairly recently pilloried by the media in South Africa basically for his rejection of carbon-based diets in favour of “low-carb” and low processed food.

Numerous sectors of the population, including the medical, nutritional and food production establishments, attacked him. He lost his professorship, and he bravely fought a court case, against massive pressure, which he finally won in 2017.

Noakes’ professorship was re-established, and to the credit of the scientific establishment, he has received many accolades and rewards for his honesty in adjusting his views in the light of the evidence that became available. He also received for the advances in nutritional knowledge that have been stimulated by his research.

This was despite much continuing worldwide resistance promulgated by the processed food industry, and by a substantial portion of the medical establishment, who typically receive minimal training in nutrition, but much better, intensive tuition, on the use of pharmaceuticals in controlling the symptoms of diseases, such as the metabolic syndrome and diabetes, in particular.

The world population continues to be lied to by the medical, nutritional, food processing and pharmaceutical establishments, which make enormous fortunes by intentionally misleading (lying to) the populations of the world.

A statistical analysis of the quantum of human suffering, instigated daily but incrementally, by processed food lifestyles leading to expensive, drug-dependent painful old age produces a higher degree of net human misery per diem than daily war injuries throughout the world. A distressing but valid contrast! (For scientific evidence McCulloch, Teicholz, Noakes, Campbell, Fung, Malhotra, — original articles/books or YouTube)

Harrison is the managing director and senior consultant with Human Resources (Pvt) Ltd, Internationally Qualified Psychologist, ex professor, lecturer at University of Zimbabwe. — 0772 400 220/024 2700867, 2700643; [email protected]; www.hres.co.zw.

Business

Mthuli squeezes consumers, businesses – NewsDay

In his 2024 national budget presentation in Parliament, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube increased taxes to raise an additional ZWL$10 trillion to meet the new revenue targets.

GOVERNMENT yesterday announced a cocktail of tax increases, pushing up the cost of living and ease of doing business after reviewing its 2024 revenue projection upwards by 22,22% to ZWL$53,9 trillion.

In his 2024 national budget presentation in Parliament, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube increased taxes to raise an additional ZWL$10 trillion to meet the new revenue targets.

Treasury initially projected revenue collections to total ZWL$44,1 trillion for the 2024 fiscal year.

“Mr Speaker Sir, in line with the projected economic growth of 3,5%, total revenue collections in 2024 are estimated at ZWL$53,9 trillion, (18,3% of GDP), broken down as ZWL$51,2 trillion tax revenue and ZWL$2,7 trillion non-tax revenue,” Ncube said.

“Guided by the expected revenue envelope and the desired fiscal path, expenditures in 2024 are projected at ZWL$58,2 trillion (19,8% of GDP).”

Ncube announced an upward review on the Strategic Reserve Levy by US$0,03 and US$0,05 per litre of diesel and petrol, respectively, with effect from January 1, 2024, pushing up the cost of fuel.

Ncube also raised tollgate and passport fees beginning next year.

“I, therefore, propose an upward review of toll fees on premium roads, that is, Harare-Beitbridge and Plumtree-Mutare and other roads, with effect from January 1, 2024. Revenue derived from the increased fees will be remitted to the Consolidated Revenue Fund,” Ncube said.

“I, further, propose that passport and selected fees charged by the Central Vehicle Registry be increased, with effect from January 1, 2024. Additional revenue generated from the above measures will be ring-fenced towards road infrastructure development.”

Ncube also introduced a US$0,02 levy per gramme of sugar contained in beverages, a development that will push up the prices of beverages.

He said the move was in response to growing concerns on the adverse effects of the consumption of sugar contained in beverages. Tax on beverages has also been implemented in a number of countries, including in the Southern African Development Community.

Ncube also introduced a new wealth tax to ensure that high-income earners pay taxes.

“In order to ensure that every person contributes to the fiscus in line with their levels of income. I propose to introduce a wealth tax levied at a rate of 1% of market values of residential properties with a minimum value of US$100 000,” he said.

“Resources derived from the levy will be ring-fenced towards urban infrastructure development, in particular roads, water, sewer and community health centres. Principal private residential properties owned by elderly persons above 70 years will, however, be exempt from the tax.”

While the minister reviewed the tax-free threshold on incomes to ZWL$750 000, from the previous ZWL$500 000, inflation has rendered the move mute because of the rising cost of living.

Ncube also targeted foreign companies by introducing the domestic minimum top-up tax (DMTT).

The tax ensures that qualifying entities located in Zimbabwe with an aggregate effective tax rate below 15% be charged a top-up amount, raising the cost of doing business.

“Under the GloBE Tax Rules, where a tax incentive results in an effective rate of less than 15%, the tax jurisdiction where the multinational is headquartered collects the difference between the effective tax under the tax incentive and the minimum effective rate of 15% (the top-up tax),” Ncube said.

“The DMTT allows the country where the low tax profits arise from the tax incentive to collect the top-up tax rather than ceding taxing rights to the headquarter jurisdiction.”

He said the calculation of the DMTT would be based on the effective tax rate charged on the jurisdictional profits, not the jurisdictions’ statutory corporate income tax.

“I, therefore, propose to enact DMTT rules to guard against ceding taxing rights to foreign jurisdictions on top-up tax arising from tax incentives that are provided to those investments,” Ncube said. The corporate tax rate was also reviewed upwards to 25% from 24%.

Ncube, however, reduced the mandatory value added tax (Vat) registration threshold to US$25 000 from US$40 000, starting next year.

Operators with a minimum annual turnover of US$25 000, or local currency equivalent thereof, are now required to register for Vat.

Failure to register will see applicable penalties invoked, Ncube said.

He said traders registered for Vat purposes and in possession of valid tax clearance certificates would be eligible to procure goods from manufacturers.

“The tax deferred will, however, be fixed at the foreign currency amount payable at the time of importation, albeit, payable in local currency at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of importation, albeit, payable in local currency at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of payment.”

Business

Mthuli squeezes consumers, businesses – NewsDay