The acting commissioner says SARS is "going in the right direction but facing choppy seas."
Mark Kingon, acting commissioner at South African Revenue Services (SARS), presented the SARS annual report with results for the year ended March 2018 to parliament on Thursday, then testified before the Nugent Commission on Friday.
At the presentation of the annual report, he stated that SARS is “going in the right direction, but facing choppy seas”.
The annual report highlighted:
- 6.3 percent revenue growth year-on-year, with GDP growth of 1.3 percent
- 94 percent filing compliance
- 93.63 percent returns assessed within the first 24 hours of the receipt cycle
- SARS, which processes some R2 trillion per annum, is a target for fraudsters, and fraudulent claims amounting to R2.7 billion were prevented
- 17.2 million tax returns were submitted in 2018
In the year under review, SARS has established an illicit economy unit which is currently dealing with 58 cases such as the two officers who had been arrested for facilitating trade in fuel without payment.
Mark acknowledged the hard work of SARS’s employees in achieving these results.
Then on Friday, before the Nugent Commission, he apologised that the organisation had not been living up to its own values.
"For falling short of the high standards of performance we've always set for ourselves, for not living up to the Sars values and higher purpose, the poor communication, the unfair treatment and the fear and pain staff members may have been subjected, I give that apology unreservedly."
SARS Commissioner Tom Moyane was suspended in March this year, and the Nugent Commission of Enquiry has recommended that the full termination of his employment is a necessary measure in repairing the damage at the organisation.
