It’s time for SCOF to step up and scrutinise SARS’ handling of the SARS “rogue unit”
2 October 2017
South African Revenue Service commissioner, Tom Moyane, has notified the Standing Committee on Finance of his “dissatisfaction” with KPMG International’s handling of the controversy surrounding the SARS “rogue unit”.
SARS’ investigative review culminated in KPMG South Africa producing a forensic audit report entitled “Report on Allegations of Irregularities and Misconduct”, dated 04 December 2015, parts of which were subsequently repudiated by KPMG International.
The commissioner seems to want the committee to scrutinise KPMG International’s handling of the controversy surrounding the SARS “rogue unit”, when the committee should, in fact, be scrutinising SARS’ handling of the controversy surrounding the SARS “rogue unit”.
I have, therefore, written to the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance, Yunus Carrim, requesting him to schedule hearings to scrutinise SARS’ investigative review of the so-called SARS “rogue unit”.
To properly scrutinise SARS’ investigative review of the SARS “rogue unit”, it is imperative that the committee be granted access to a number of documents, prior to the hearing commencing, including:
- a copy of the final report, entitled “Report on Allegations of Irregularities and Misconduct”, dated 04 December 2015, received by SARS;
- a copy of the draft report, entitled “Report on Allegations of Irregularities and Misconduct”, dated 03 September 2015, received by SARS;
- copies of any other drafts of the report, entitled “Report on Allegations of Irregularities and Misconduct”, dated before 03 September 2015, received by SARS;
- a copy of the Service Level Agreement between SARS and KPMG South Africa;
- copies of all communication between SARS and KPMG South Africa on the mandate extension to include conclusions, recommendations and legal opinions, referred to in KPMG International’s press statement dated 15 September 2017; and
- copies of all communication between (a) SARS and KPMG South Africa and (b) SARS and KPMG International relating to KPMG South Africa’s investigative review of the SARS “rogue unit”.
It’s time for the Standing Committee on Finance to step up and fulfil its constitutional obligation to scrutinise the controversy surrounding the SARS “rogue unit”, which it has failed to do for years in Parliament.
Issued by David Maynier, DA Shadow Minister of Finance, 2 October 2017
