Soccer star convicted for failure to submit tax return

taxpayers have been convicted and sentenced since April for failure to submit outstanding tax returns, South African Revenue Service (Sars) said yesterday, with football player Teko Modise among them.

Sars issued a statement yesterday with the names of offenders in terms of section 74 of the Tax Administration Act, and the Cape Town City star is among the 10 offenders who were fined and now have criminal records.

Modise and the other taxpayers were fined between R2 000 and R20 000, and admission of guilt fines were handed down by courts.

“Modise was among those listed for failing to submit returns for his personal income,” Sars spokesperson Janine Mqulwana told Fin24.

Modise’s football career has been dogged by financial issues.

In 2015, Modise lost his Johannesburg home after he failed to keep up with his bond repayments for several months, while in 2017 it was reported the former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns star blew R22 000 a month on repayments for his R2 million Aston Martin DB9.

Sars announced in April that it was embarking upon an initiative with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to enforce compliance by prosecuting taxpayers who have failed to submit their tax or 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.

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.

An additional 24 cases have been handed over to the police for further investigation, while 25 cases are currently still under investigation by Sars criminal investigations. – Citizen reporter