Sars under siege

Celine said:
ok so you worked on the e-filing system - so can you tell me why you didn't work out a system in which the practitioner is protected? when you answer my question I will believe you.
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I never worked on the efiling system. I worked on the portion that all the external providers communicated with. I never said i worked on the efiling system, open your eyes please.

But people here claiming it was a failure are clueless. I remember back in the day when my mother had to submit pages and pages of documents to SARS to get a refund. Now its just a click of a button and maybe a few capture fields. I never have an issue with my income tax. If you have an issue with efiling, why not contact interfile directly.
 
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saturnz said:
Just about everyone who buys things pays tax. You do not understand the difference between income tax and tax.
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You're just being stupid now. You know full well we are referring to income tax.
 
The revenue service has been rocked this week by the resignation of Barry Hore, chief of operations, and the suspension of deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay.

• Although Hore’s departure was presented as a friendly exit, Beeld, part of Netwerk24, has learned that all his technology and modernisation projects were halted by Moyane shortly after his appointment. Hore was widely lauded for establishing the successful eFiling and with modernising the country’s tax systems.
• Moyane’s reasons for suspending Pillay are now being questioned since it emerged a report into the activities of Sars’ investigations unit made no adverse findings against him.
• Beeld has reliably learned that Moyane is considering suspending more senior managers who were part of Gordhan’s top structure.
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Hopefully the resignation and suspension of the executives is not a result of undue interference to prevent modernizing the system.
SARS should focus on fixing the flaws in the system and not stopping progress.
 
E-Filling is more likely to prevent mistakes that could slip in as a result of human error.
The ability to submit my return from the comfort of my home and not stand in a queue works very well for me.
 
semaphore said:
If you have an issue with efiling, why not contact interfile directly.
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Because Interfile are the biggest bunch of incompetent, over-charging morons on this continent. I was unfortunate enough to work for a company that got Interfile to convert their paper forms to PDF, and it was a terrible experience. I can't count the number of times they deployed obviously broken stuff to the live servers, nor how many times we had to debug their badly-written and broken code because they'd deployed and gone home for the day. Oh and did I mention their exorbitant rates?
 
The_Assimilator said:
Because Interfile are the biggest bunch of incompetent, over-charging morons on this continent. I was unfortunate enough to work for a company that got Interfile to convert their paper forms to PDF, and it was a terrible experience. I can't count the number of times they deployed obviously broken stuff to the live servers, nor how many times we had to debug their badly-written and broken code because they'd deployed and gone home for the day. Oh and did I mention their exorbitant rates?
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Not to mention that one of their C-level executives received a permanent ban from Hore and was not allowed to ever visit any Sars offices - that in itself is funny enough already (that's what you get when you drop the F-bomb against Hore). Wrt to code - the Ekurhuleni issue rings a bell - http://www.htxt.co.za/2013/08/21/ekurhuleni-ebilling-is-system-also-leaking-your-details/ (knowing the background, they never ever had done any security audits or penetration tests)
 
LaraC said:
Hopefully the resignation and suspension of the executives is not a result of undue interference to prevent modernizing the system.
SARS should focus on fixing the flaws in the system and not stopping progress.
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Nope. Seems it's because they asked for fringe benefit tax from the No 2 and for import duty on a whole heap of yellow, black and green tshirts.
 
SARS SUSPENDS PILLAY FOR SECOND TIME

SA Revenue Services (Sars) deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay has been suspended for a second time in two months.

"Sars can confirm that a second notice of suspension was served on Mr Ivan Pillay on Wednesday...," it said on Friday.

"Mr Pillay had an opportunity until 16 January 2015 to submit to Sars reasons why he should not be suspended."

Sars said it would not make any further comments about the details of the disciplinary procedures against Pillay.

On December 5, Pillay and Sars's strategic planning and risk group executive Peter Richer were suspended amid allegations of a special projects unit engaging in illegal activities in Sars.

Sars said on January 6 that Richer had been officially suspended.

"Sars has considered Mr Richer's representations and remains of the view that the situation merits a suspension," it said at the time.

Both men challenged their suspension in the Labour Court. On December 17, Richer and Sars reached an out-of-court agreement that his suspension be lifted to give him time to make representations about why he should not be suspended.

Pillay went ahead with his Labour Court action for reinstatement. The court found Sars had breached its contract with him when it suspended him without written notice.

"Clearly... Sars acted in breach of the contract when it issued the suspension notice without complying with... the suspension policy," Judge Annelie Basson ruled on December 18.

"I am also persuaded that the applicant was not afforded an opportunity to make representations."

She ordered that Pillay's suspension be lifted and he returned to work on December 18. The Sunday Times reported that Sars gave Pillay a new suspension notice the same day. It gave him until January 12 to explain why he should not be suspended again.


Source : Sapa /gq/fg/cls
Date : 23 Jan 2015 11:53
 
GOOD PEOPLE RUNNING INTO DIFFICULTY: KASRILS

People who are trying to do good work, such as SA Revenue Services deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay, are running into difficulties, former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils said on Thursday.

"People who are trying to do a job, who won't simply abide by an instruction from on high, from the president.. and ministers... will certainly get into difficulties," he told reports in Johannesburg.

"I think it is quite clear that this is an expression of a disease increasing in the body politics of the state..."

Kasrils said he knew Pillay very well and believed he was "absolutely so clearly incorruptible".

"It's a reflection of the tensions within..."

The same went for the suspension of Hawks boss Anwa Dramat.

On December 5, Pillay and Sars's strategic planning and risk group executive Peter Richer were suspended for the first time amid allegations of a special projects unit engaging in illegal activities in Sars.

Pillay's suspension was overturned by the Labour Court in Johannesburg. However, earlier this month he was served with a second notice of suspension.

On Wednesday, the dispute between Sars and Pillay was settled but he remain suspended. The dispute was with regard to the suspension on December 5 was "amicably resolved" through conciliation at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.

On December 23, Dramat was suspended, apparently pending a probe into his alleged involvement in the illegal rendition of four Zimbabweans in November 2010.

Last week, the High Court in Pretoria overturned his suspension. Police Minister Nathi Nhleko is appealing the court's decision.


Source : Sapa /gq/jje
Date : 29 Jan 2015 13:47
 
VAN LOGGERENBERG RESIGNS FROM SARS

The SA Revenue Service's (Sars) group executive Johann van Loggerenberg has resigned.

Sars and Van Loggerenberg confirmed in two separate statements on Wednesday that they were parting ways and that it was amicable.

"Sars has accepted his resignation and hereby confirms that the parting of ways was amicable and agreed to be in the best interests of Sars," the revenue service said.

"Loggerenberg has served Sars for a period of over 16 years, a degree of loyalty Sars appreciates."

In September last year, Van Loggerenberg was placed on special leave pending a probe into alleged misconduct.

In November, Sars commissioner Tom Moyane reportedly formally suspended him.

Sars on Wednesday said it considered the matter "finally dealt with, completely so and in all respects".

Van Loggerenberg said his resignation was done in good faith and in the best interest of Sars and the country.

"I acknowledge that I erred in personal judgement concerning a matter in my private life and that this led to unforeseen consequences that were outside of my control," he said in a statement.

"I believe I need to take responsibility and accountability for this."

He apologised to Sars, its employees and the country.

Last year, lawyer Belinda Walter laid a complaint against Van Loggerenberg after their relationship ended.

The relationship between the two reportedly soured when Van Loggerenberg discovered that Walter was acting as a lawyer for the alleged tobacco smugglers he and Sars were investigating for tax evasion, fraud, and money laundering.

Walter reportedly confessed to Van Loggerenberg that she was also working as a spy for a unit of the State Security Agency (SSA).

The couple broke up in May. Van Loggerenberg subsequently went through hundreds of text messages he helped her retrieve as a favour, and started to piece together the existence of a special operations unit within the SSA.

The unit, which reportedly operated from a house in Pretoria east, had worked with the alleged tobacco smugglers. Convicted drug trafficker Glenn Agliotti, who testified against former national police commissioner Jackie Selebi in his fraud trial, allegedly recruited the smugglers.

The group allegedly had a hand in trying to reinstate former police crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli, in ousting National Prosecuting Authority prosecutor Glynnis Breytenbach, and in replacing Sars management.

Walter laid a complaint with Sars against Van Loggerenberg, reportedly calling him "mentally ill, unstable, corrupt".

On Wednesday, Van Loggerenberg said it was an honour to work for Sars and urged employees to support Moyane and his team.

"I confirm that the matter between Sars and I has been fully and finally dealt with, completely so and in all respects," he said.


Source : Sapa /gq/fg/th/lp
Date : 04 Feb 2015 11:12
 
The purge continues.

SARS a couple of days ago allowed staff to make a once off choice in the encashment of accumulated leave. One of the categories is called 'Old leave'. Here the option is all or nothing. You can sell all your old leave or nothing. I am pretty sure this was done to accommodate some people who wish to exit the organisation. If you resigned you lost this old accumulated leave, it was only paid out on retirement. Now you can cash it in and then resign (once off).

I know one guy with more than 400 days accumulated leave.
 
Vrotappel said:
The purge continues.

SARS a couple of days ago allowed staff to make a once off choice in the encashment of accumulated leave. One of the categories is called 'Old leave'. Here the option is all or nothing. You can sell all your old leave or nothing. I am pretty sure this was done to accommodate some people who wish to exit the organisation. If you resigned you lost this old accumulated leave, it was only paid out on retirement. Now you can cash it in and then resign (once off).

I know one guy with more than 400 days accumulated leave.
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Don't worry. They will be taxed on it. :)
 
Clifford also "retired" with immediate effect last week. Way to go and get rid of the good guys.
 
rza said:
Why do you say he was a good guy?
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He managed the people that worked under him extremely well (they will probably also leave soon).

But most important is the fact that he has values and morals and he is not corruptable. People actually respected him. He was the person that built his unit up from scratch and things worked in that unit.

Now the unit has been dissolved and everyone just moered into other departments.
 
The_Mowgs said:
He managed the people that worked under him extremely well (they will probably also leave soon).

But most important is the fact that he has values and morals and he is not corruptable. People actually respected him. He was the person that built his unit up from scratch and things worked in that unit.

Now the unit has been dissolved and everyone just moered into other departments.
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And Ivan Pillay?
 
I dont really know Ivan but from what I have heard he also seems like a stand up guy. All of the people that was mentioned in the news were good, hard working people. That includes Barry, Pieter, Clifford, Ivan etc.

Now just to wait and see who leaves with them.
 
the story about van loggerenberg and walters should be turned into a movie LOL.
 
The_Mowgs said:
I dont really know Ivan but from what I have heard he also seems like a stand up guy. All of the people that was mentioned in the news were good, hard working people. That includes Barry, Pieter, Clifford, Ivan etc.

Now just to wait and see who leaves with them.
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I think Barry was a ruthless arse who started to stick his fingers into places where he shouldn't - such as DHA. While he might have managed IT for SARS reasonably well he treated his staff and vendors like garbage. While he might have done good for Sars in the short-term, I think it is good that he fell off his mighty horse. He had way too much ego to throw around.

I heard Magashula on 702 the other day and everyone seems to have forgotten why he "left" Sars and now it looks like he is on to some new low-cost-mobile-phone BEE scheme. My dealings with Sars have been less than pleasant and I do not think that most of the people at the helm have been very professional and ethical. (I do acknowledge that there are some very hard-working and passionate/dedicated people working there, but if your leadership is rotten it does not set a good example for integrity for the rest of the workforce).
 
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