DA “welcomes” Ramaphosa’s decision to suspend SARS’ Tom Moyane

After a day or so where reports of his defiance got the nation talking, President Cyril Ramaphosa took action. Of course, the defiant man is none other than South African Revenue Services (SARS) commissioner, Tom Moyane.

Read: SARS: All change as Tom Moyane suspended, replaced by Mark Kingon

On Tuesday morning, finance minister Nhlanhla Nene appointed a temporary commissioner, Mark Kingon to fill in for Moyane.

With Moyane becoming infamous during his SARS tenure, his removal has been welcomed by the opposition.

Democratic Alliance (DA) Shadow Deputy Finance Minister, Alf Lees, says Moyane’s removal was long overdue.

“Mr Moyane’s mismanagement of the tax authority led to a severe decline in taxpayer morality and has thus contributed towards the decline in tax revenue collections.”

“While the DA welcomes the resignation of Jonas Makwakwa, the SARS manager Corporate and Individual tax, and the suspension of Tom Moyane, we believe that more should be done to restore the integrity of SARS.”

Lees says the DA will now push for the full implementation of the recommendations of the Davis Committee in terms of appointing a new commissioner.

“The next SARS Commissioner must be an individual with a proven track record in tax administration and financial management. Their immediate task will be to oversee a restoration of taxpayer morality and improvement in tax revenue collections.”

According to Lees, the immediate task requires a commissioner to oversee a restoration of “taxpayer morality” and improvements to tax revenue collections.

The DA also wants SARS to look into the “special treatment” that the Guptas were given with a R70m VAT refund, as well as taxes owed by Jacob Zuma.

And if you’re asking yourself who this “Mark Kingon” guy is? We’ve got you covered there too. Be sure to check out our five facts about him via the link below.

Who is Mark Kingon? Five facts about the acting SARS Commissioner