Maintain integrity of Sars

BUSINESS Leadership South

Africa (BLSA) welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to suspend South African Revenue Service (Sars) Commissioner Tom Moyane.

This move is long overdue, in the context of all the state capture and corruption allegations that have been levelled against Sars.

It allows Sars to begin the process of addressing the governance failures that have plagued the institution over the past few years and, most importantly, it will enable Sars to focus on the urgent task of improving revenue collection and illegal, as well as illicit, capital flows that have robbed the fiscus of billions of rand.

The integrity of Sars is of paramount importance for the country’s economic health and, as such, the institution is among the vital state organs that should be protected. Regrettably, there is an intention by Moyane to resist his removal from office citing technical and procedural flaws.

While we respect his right to challenge his suspension, we believe that it is important for him to step aside to enable Sars to focus on its constitutional mandate.

We would like to see the commission of inquiry, announced by former finance minister Malusi Gigaba and the President, established urgently to address the governance and administrative concerns that have hampered Sars’ ability to collect taxes.

We welcome the news that the president is to finalise the commission’s terms of reference, as well as the appointment of its head imminently.

Following the suspension, the priority must now be to constitute the requisite disciplinary proceedings against Mr Moyane to bring this matter to finality. Sars is too important to be mired in controversy and uncertainty, regarding its senior leadership.

Together with the public,

BLSA believes that the task of returning Sars to its former glory, of being one of the most efficient and effective state entities, is more urgent in light of the budget shortfall and the need to address all the developmental challenges facing the country.