January: A month of despair, despondency

be moving out at this time of the year.
The reasons are many, but the majority of house owners seem to increase their rent charges as some leases expire at the end of the year.
Other developments are the increase in school fees and school levies to meet the costs of incentives for teachers.
Not to be outdone are the looming strikes by workers especially the civil servants who bear the brunt of increases in school fees and levies as well as rentals and food prices, which they can hardly meet from their meagre salaries.
The major problem is that the fiscus does not have any appreciable revenue at the beginning of the year.
The National Budget would have just been passed by Parliament on the presumption that the financial figures on paper could be met during the year.
Another looming financial headache is borne by the motorist, who has to bear the heaviest burden of the tax regime.
Why the motorist is regarded as the major earner is difficult to understand. Maybe, the increase in the population of cars on the roads, causing so much congestion in the CBD especially in Harare, gives a wrong impression of wealth by those who own cars. Another factor is the lifestyle a motorist seems to enjoy.
If motorists were a wealthy class of people, then the insurance companies could be awash with money from yearly renewal of vehicle tax.
What is amazing is that the majority of motorists take out third party insurance even if the vehicles are in very good condition or relatively new.
In years gone by, insurance companies were the major financial institutions that made huge investments in the economy as well as being the first port of call by Government for long-term borrowing.
Those days are now over, unfortunately. Many people hardly take out suitable insurance because of lack of disposable incomes.
In many developed countries, the month of January is the time for companies in the retail business to offload their merchandise at reduced prices.
Major sales of items not sold during the festive season are offloaded as bargains to be snatched by the public.
In Zimbabwe, retailers seem to hang onto their merchandise as the costs of replacement are huge.
The retailers cannot afford to lose any money if they find it difficult to restock.
Even in food supermarkets, the prices do not come down but actually rise to make it difficult to make ends meet for the ordinary person.
What gives away the whole thing about lack of money are the shorter queues at the tills.
Where can the motorist get the money to pay all the taxes and bills during the month of January?
Some motorists abandon their cars for public transport, which is cheaper although it is inconvenient to use the erratic kombis with all the hassles involved.
For some motorists with school-going children, it is a major problem to find time to ferry the children back from school after waking up early to meet the time for the beginning of school lessons.
What I find so hilarious are the endless predictions of good economic returns for the coming year.
Even before any revenues have been collected from the tax-paying companies and the public, predictions for economic growth rates, inflation, etc, are written about, sometimes without any shred of evidence at all.
As other economic experts have said, economic fundamentals are determined by boosting confidence in people and the business sector.
If making money was just through people’s confidence, then there would be no need for schools of economics.
Another factor that may affect the economic performance is the erratic rainfall, which has been disappointing in some areas normally associated with heavy rainfall.
This may reduce the yields in agriculture, which will likely affect the predictions of improved agriculture output.
The beginning of the new year does not only cause headaches in financial terms but also gives a strong indicator of what the year may bring not only through wild predictions but through economic facts on the ground.
To the ordinary person, it is the new year which may bring despair and despondency.
For students that await results of their November examinations, the month of January brings anxiety and gnashing of teeth. What would the future hold for Ordinary and Advanced Level students?
It is not only the student who faces the hard choices but also the parents that have to fund whatever choices the students may make.
Will there be enough money for university or college?
What will happen to those whose ambitious hopes could be derailed by failure to get the anticipated results?
What of those that may have surpassed their expectations but cannot finance their studies?
No amount of planning can save the situation in these difficult times but life has to go on regardless.