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Bling it on – South African Revenue Service rakes in R474m as it cracks down on flashy lifestyles

Bling it on – South African Revenue Service rakes in R474m as it cracks down on flashy lifestyles
Daily Maverick
By Daily Maverick
29 Dec 2022
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This year the South African Revenue Service brought about changes that made taxpayers’ lives easier, but also made life hell for those who were noncompliant. SARS is Daily Maverick's SA Institute of the Year runner-up.

To ensure that it rakes in all taxes due to it, SARS introduced lifestyle audits this year. This was directed at taxpayers who were not declaring all income and were in fact underpaying. SARS introduced these audits after suspecting some taxpayers were living flashy lifestyles. An estimated R474-million was collected in lifestyle audits this year.

Some well-known names, such as musician Dr Malinga, had their assets repossessed for noncompliance.

Recently, Trevor Noah’s mother Patricia Noah was also said to be in tax debt of more than R24-million.

Apart from surviving State Capture, the institution has remained steady even during the lowest point of South Africa’s economy.

Read in Daily Maverick: “A champion of justice – for Andrea Johnson, it’s all about an intense belief in right and wrong”

During Covid-19, SARS introduced digital technology that ensured that the revenue service continued to deliver its services and on its mandate.

It came as no surprise when Intikhab Shaik, head of technology and solutions delivery, received the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa’s President’s Award as the Visionary Chief Information Officer of the Year. DM168

How we chose the People of the Year winners


In the past, Daily Maverick journalists decided who they thought warranted the title of Person of the Year, but for the second year running, we have asked readers to vote for their preferred choice, with the proviso that we still have the final say. Choosing the annual winners is a labour of love because that’s what it takes to get a bunch of DM editors to decide whether they agree or disagree with the choices of 13,000 readers.  Over the next few days, we shall republish online all the results in various categories. – Heather Robertson, DM168 editor



 

How readers voted in the SA Institute of the Year category.

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R25.

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