Sars on the warpath against tax defaulters
TEN TAXPAYERS have been convicted and sentenced since April for failing to submit outstanding tax returns, the South African Revenue Service (Sars) said yesterday.
Fines ranging from R2 000 to R20 000, as well as admission of guilt fines, have been handed down by the courts. These taxpayers have now submitted their outstanding returns.
The taxpayers who were convicted and sentenced include former Bafana Bafana star and current Cape Town City midfielder Teko Modise.
Sars announced in April that it was embarking on an initiative with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to enforce compliance by prosecuting taxpayers who have failed to submit their tax or value-added tax (VAT) returns, after continuous communication with the relevant taxpayers did not yield the required results.
“The taxpayers who have been convicted now have a criminal record, as it is a criminal offence not to submit a tax return within the prescribed time for any of the tax types a taxpayer is registered for in terms of the Tax Administration Act,” said Sars in a statement.
The other people on Sars’s “name and shame list” were:
■ Anapurani Samson Joseph, representing Tidal Investments in Port Shepstone.
■ Christopher John Fletcher.
■ Farhad Ebrahim Limalia, representing Aquawood Linen in Durban.
■ Kevin Trevor Benjamin Steele, and Suzanna Magdalena Steele, representing Thermo Dynamic Cooling Solutions in Durban.
■ Michael Sonnyboy Moloi and Regina Pulane, representing Happy Recordings and Transcriptions in Johannesburg.
■ Niraj Ramral, representing SPS Distributors in Port Shepstone. ■ Pieter Yzelle Morrison, representing Taxkon Ficksburg.
■ Sivalingam Govender, trading as Trans SA in Durban.
■ Thinyane Duncan Leboea, representing Qwaqwa Funeral Parlour.
Since April, the NPA has issued 35 summonses to taxpayers and VAT vendors to face criminal charges relating to their failure to submit returns.
To date, 10 cases have been finalised and 20 cases have been remanded after the first appearance of the relevant taxpayers in court. Some taxpayers have opted to make representations to the NPA.
“An additional 24 cases have been handed over to the police for further investigation, while 25 cases are still under investigation by Sars criminal investigations for hand-over to the relevant authorities for further investigation and possible prosecution,” Sars said.