Mr Speaker, I wish to introduce before the House four section 77 Money Bills. They are the Bills that have just been read out: the Employment Tax Incentive Bill of 2013, the Merchant Shipping (International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund) Contributions Bill, the Taxation Laws Amendment Bill and the Customs Duty Bill, all of 2013.
The Employment Tax Incentive Bill is part of a discourse that we have had for some time in South Africa about how we tackle the high and unacceptable levels of unemployment that we have in this country. It is only one part of a wide range of measures taken by government as part of the youth and skills accords to improve the skills levels and employment levels of young people, but also generally of unemployed people of all ages. Clearly, what we are demonstrating as government is our determination that everything possible must be done to enable employment to increase.
So, through this Bill, we are creating a dispensation through which enterprises can share the cost of employing both older and younger workers, both inside and outside of special economic zones, under certain circumstances. In a sense, we are asking everyone to accept the dictum of Deng Xiaoping, the man who transformed China. We have to transform our economies and our countries by crossing the river by feeling for the stones. This afternoon, I am tabling this Bill, which has two legs: employment in special economic zones for workers of all ages; and employment outside of special economic zones to give opportunities to young, first-time job seekers aged between 18 and 29.
No developmental strategy can succeed if the time, energy and talents of a country's people are not harnessed to achieve higher living standards. Employment, as we all know, offers an opportunity to do just that. Finding a job is about more than economics, however. It is a way to contribute to the wellbeing of our families, households and communities. We also contribute to the welfare of our society and economy, more broadly, and our confidence, dignity, self-image and optimism are shaped by whether we have a job, or not.