The DA welcomes the decision taken by President Cyril Ramaphosa to serve former SARS Commissioner, Tom Moyane, with disciplinary charges for alleged misconduct in the discharge of his duties while he was still the head of the tax authority.
This move is long overdue and we are confident that retired Constitutional Court judge, Kate O’Reagen, who has been appointed to preside over the disciplinary hearings, will ensure that the process will be fair and transparent.
Mr Moyane must be held to account for his role in the erosion of institutional governance at SARS and the decline in tax morality due to low public trust in the tax revenue service.
The DA is hopeful that the disciplinary hearings will be the start of a new chapter for SARS as it begins the long and arduous process to be a tax authority that all South Africans can all be proud of.
Early signs of institutional restoration are already evident under the acting SARS Commissioner, Mark Kingon and we hope that he will be given all the necessary support to help refocus SARS to deliver on its core mandate without fear, favour or political interference.