Ex-Sars boss ‘begged Zuma to submit his tax returns’
FORMER SARS deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay‚ while he was still in office‚ begged President Jacob Zuma to submit his tax returns.
This is according to Jacques Pauw in his book‚ The President’s Keepers‚ in which he says Zuma failed to submit his tax returns for the first five years after he assumed office.
“I have impeccable sources in SARS. Around 2011-2012‚ it was common knowledge at SARS that Zuma had not submitted tax returns‚” Pauw said on Radio 702 yesterday.
“This is also contained in documents I have that refer to a meeting between then-acting SARS commissioner Ivan Pillay and Jacob Zuma in February 2014‚ at which Zuma was urged to please submit his tax returns.” Pauw said Pillay begged the president to submit his returns‚ and he told him he could not be treated differently.
“Less than a year later‚ the top structure at SARS was gone. Ivan Pillay was gone, they were all gone. Tom Moyane took over SARS.”
Zuma has denied Pauw’s allegations.
“The presidency rejects the allegations contained in media reports, claiming wrongdoing by President Jacob Zuma in relation to some undeclared funds‚” presidency spokesman Bongani Ngqulunga said. In his book‚ Pauw says he distinguishes between the old SARS and the new SARS – the new SARS being the regime of Moyane.
“It is possible that after Tom Moyane took power – remember‚ he is a crony of Jacob Zuma – he helped Zuma to be tax compliant‚” Pauw said.
“Certainly during the regime of the old SARS‚ Zuma did not want to submit his tax returns‚ probably because he was scared about what SARS knew‚ and how they would react.”
The crux of his book‚ Pauw said‚ dealt with the destruction of the law enforcement agencies – including SARS and the National Prosecuting Authority.
“I do make a statement that at least as far as the destruction of SARS is concerned‚ it was certainly to exonerate Jacob Zuma and his cronies.”
According to Pauw‚ SARS is in financial crisis‚ not only because of the economic climate‚ but also because of the destruction of investigative capacity at the revenue service.
Referring to his claim in the book that ANC presidential hopeful Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma had received money from self-confessed smuggler Adriano Mazotti‚ Pauw said: “Mazotti is a very notorious person . . . the Zuma family runs like a golden thread through my book.”