Tag: criminal prosecution

It’s often said there are three tiers of government in South Africa: national, provincial and municipal. However, there is an unspoken fourth tier, namely residential governance through Homeowners Associations (HOAs). On paper, HOAs appear straightforward.

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) is no longer the passive revenue service many South Africans remember. With an injection of R3.5 billion from the national budget and the ominous launch of “Project AmaBillions”, SARS has entered its most aggressive enforcement phase in years.

Receiving a letter of demand from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) is never to be ignored, and often, where the correct response is not timeously delivered, spells the beginning of the end for the recipient taxpayer! In their war on non-compliance, the revenue collector issues scores of final demands on a daily basis, effectively serving as a “warning-shot” or last chance, for taxpayers to remedy the non-compliance detected.

The Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) brings to the attention of all accountable institutions, important information regarding penalties and administrative sanctions for non-compliance. This information applies also to those institutions included on Schedule 1 of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act 2001 (Act 38 of 2001) since December 2022.

Mining companies are under increased pressure from regulators, investors, and communities to manage social and environmental risks arising from mine closure and rehabilitation. Abandoned mines and their dumps are common features of the South African mining landscape.

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has created some nervousness in the South African tax base by embarking on an initiative to criminally prosecute taxpayers who fail to submit their tax returns. Whilst the threat of a criminal record and a fine ought to serve as sufficient incentive to submit one’s return, it is perhaps worth pointing out that submission of returns also gives taxpayers access to the Voluntary disclosure Programme (VDP), which affords acquittal from far more serious criminal sanctions.

The tidal wave of corruption, which has swept through South Africa, has been subject to public scrutiny and may potentially result in criminal prosecution...