The Gal Tax

When the women around you force you to cough up extra cash to support them, just because the perception is that you have more, should you?

- Aduh Irene

Most people have, when among friends and family, been faced with situations where because they are deemed to be ‘financially-able’, they are expected to foot the bill during outings or to cough up a significant amount of money to sort out other people’s financial needs.

As you get older, finance in any relationship is a trying topic. What happens when girlfriends hang out and some in the group want the extravagant life compared to the rest of the group? Should there be a compromise or should they leave the ‘poor’ friends out of the equation? Should those who are financially able foot the bill for the rest?

Gal tax is just like black tax (The money that black professionals are expected to give every month to support their less fortunate and extended family) except in this situation, you give to the women around you. We should be able to identify situations that call for gal tax and handle them in a way that creates understanding and respect and not conflict.

Don’t get me wrong, a once in a while contribution out of the goodness of your heart is not the issue. Gal tax situations range from minor issues such as paying the bill when hanging out with the girls to extreme situations such as providing school fees for your sibling’s kids.

SPLITTING BILLS

When scheduling the time to meet up with friends, unless stated otherwise, one should always have some money to cater for their part of the bill. It is only courteous. The outings with children such as your child’s birthday, baptism, etc are your responsibility. Fortnately, most of the time, others in the group will contribute towards the expenses.