Sars cracks anticorruption whip

SA Revenue Service is set to root out corruption not only within its own ranks but among all those involved in corrupt activity with its officials – and arrests are imminent. That’s the word from Clifford Collings, head of the Sars anticorruption unit, who told FTW that these arrests would include not only Sars officials, but also members of the SAPS and freight forwarders. He said for every corrupt Sars and customs official there was someone who had recruited them. “You need to make sure you are not a participant in that corrupt transaction,” he said. “We are going to make examples of those people because the reality is that the majority of people are legal and want to be legal. It is a small percentage of people tarnishing everyone.” Collings said they were taking the time to understand what corruption was taking place and why. “We want to address the real issue and not just the symptoms.” He said the message was clear – those found to be involved in criminal activity would face the full wrath of the law. “We will deal with you in a serious way. So protect your reputation and have integrity in your business dealings. Don’t do the wrong thing and fall for a bribe. At the same time we also ask you to come forward and report those who are breaking the law.” He said Sars had adopted a compliance model in its efforts to root out corruption. “Revenue collection is going up year by year and not just because of the change in the economy, but because the integrity of people is improving and more revenues are being declared,” he said. “It is not sustainable to catch every person who is corrupt or fraudulent, so we have focused on getting more people compliant.”