Randburg Local News

What Does a Ring Around the Sun Mean?

“A diffraction disc or Airy disc has similar appearance, but is a disk, rather than a ring, and has a red border on the inside. Its size depends on the size of the ice or water particles that cause it. These are also known as coronas, but are not to be confused with the thin streaming luminous gas that makes up the sun’s own corona.

NOAA Photo Library

In folklore, a ring (often called a halo) seen around the sun or the moon means precipitation (usually rain) is coming.

Cause

The ring is caused by sunlight or moonlight being diffracted as it passes through cirrostratus clouds that are usually at altitudes above 20,000 feet. Cirrostratus clouds are composed mostly of small ice crystals that spread out into a thin layer. They are sheet-like, and the sun and moon can be seen through them easily.

Types

Halos are most commonly seen as a white ring around the sun or moon, but sometimes they can appear as a rainbow-colored ring with red on the inside and going to blue-white on the outside. This is seen more often around the sun than around the moon.

Sizes

Halos most commonly form at a 22-degree radius. A more rare halo is the great halo, which forms at a 46-degree radius.

Good for Predicting Weather?

A ring around the sun or moon in the warmer months is a good, but not guaranteed, indication there might be precipitation within 12 to 24 hours. Cirrostratus clouds usually come before a warm front, which often brings precipitation.”

This article was originally printed by eHow Blog.
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5232115_ring-around-sun-mean_.html#ixzz1411XElc3

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Health Insurance Tax sends shockwaves

VAT increase, income tax surcharge among options. A national health insurance scheme funded by dedicated new taxes will be implemented for all South Africans from 2012.

Announcing the latest version of a plan that has been in the works for more than a decade, KwaZulu-Natal premier Zweli Mkhize yesterday released estimates showing the health department would need an additional R11-billion in the first year.

The scheme – to be implemented over 14 years – would guarantee a full range of healthcare services to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay, and is intended to make some private-sector facilities available to people currently denied access to private hospitals.

The forecast initial increase in the government health budget of R117-billion for 2012 is nearly four times the amount the government admitted it could not afford to pay public servants to end the recent strike. It is seven times the cost of the eventual settlement, which the government said would demand cuts in other spendings. Health’s share of government spending would have to increase by a fifth from 12% to 14.5% for NHI. Economists have warned South Africans to brace for significant tax increases to fund the new plan.

As it stands, all South Africans would have to be members of the scheme and everyone with an income would have to contribute, but of course, no one would be obliged to use its services. Private hospitals would be encouraged to join the system, but would not be obliged to do so. Individuals would be free to buy private medical insurance and to go to hospitals that did not participate in the scheme.

Economists were divided on whether the ANC’s plan to increase taxes in order to fund the national health insurance (NHI) would work.

The ANC said it was considering a tax surcharge, increasing value added tax and a payroll levy for the NHI, which seeks to provide universal cover for all citizens

NHI members will be free to decide which participating clinic or doctor in their area to register with, but will not have any choice about the specialists or hospitals they will be referred to if the clinic could not deal with their illness. Medical treatment will be free at the point of treatment.

It is said that South Africa had been massively set back by consistent underspending on health infrastructure between 1997 and 2007.  

Apparently, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan had given the scheme the green light and was working with planners on a funding plan. The biggest portion of the cost of NHI would come out of the existing health budget. The rest would be paid for by one or more of the following: a ring-fenced VAT increase, a surcharge on income tax, a special payroll levy and the abolition of tax exemptions for medical costs.

Some are very concerned about the increase in company tax, as they fear it may lead to some of the smaller businesses going bankrupt, while the larger companies may decide to move to countries with lower tax rates. Companies may also employ less people if they make less profit and this will reduce the amount government receives from the income tax and VAT those workers would have paid.

However, others claim that the NHI contributions would be lower than current medical aid contributions for most people. Existing facilities would need significant and expensive upgrading over the next year to 18 months.

Government income comes mainly from taxes. The four biggest sources are:

• Personal income tax (29% of government income): Income tax is paid by everybody who earns a regular wage or salary. Richer people pay a higher percentage of their income as tax and once a person earns below a certain amount they pay no income tax.
• Company tax (27% of government income): All registered companies have to pay 29% of their profits as company tax.
• Value added tax (VAT – 26% of government income): All people in South Africa pay 14% VAT on any item that they buy unless that item is exempted from VAT (like bread, fresh vegetables and paraffin.) Many people think that poor people do not pay tax, but VAT is the one form of tax that they make a big contribution to.
• Customs and Excise (5%): When you import things from other countries you have to pay a set amount in import duties or tax. The reason for this is to protect jobs in South Africa. If we could import cheap things without paying any tax on them, then South African companies that make the same products would suffer.