Afrika Kusini: Wanahabari waiomba mahakama kufikia taarifa za kodi za Jacob Zuma

[The Sheriff]

Kituo cha Uandishi wa Habari za Uchunguzi cha AmaBhungane cha Afrika Kusini pamoja na gazeti la Financial Mail kimewasilisha maombi katika Mahakama Kuu ya Pretoria ya ili kuweza kupata taarifa za kodi za rais wa zamani wa Jacob Zuma na kupinga uhalali wa vifungu vya usiri wa kodi.

Hili ni kufuatia maombi yaliyotolewa kwa Mamlaka ya Huduma za Mapato ya nchi hiyo (Sars) mnamo Februari chini ya Sheria ya Kukuza Ufikiwaji wa Habari.

Mratibu wa utetezi wa AmaBhungane Karabo Rajuili alisema: "Hali ya kodi za marais na wamiliki wengine wa ofisi kubwa ni suala la maslahi ya umma. Umma unaweza kuuliza kwa usahihi, ikiwa rais hajalipa ushuru wake au kashindwa kufichua mapato yote. Kushindwa kiutawala kwa Sars kulikuwa kwa kiwango kikubwa jambo lililosababisha ukosefu wa uwazi katika taasisi hii muhimu. "

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SOUTH Africa's AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism and the Financial Mail have launched an application in the Pretoria High Court to be given access to former president Jacob Zuma's tax records and to challenge the constitutionality of tax secrecy provisions.

This was announced this week, following an application made to the South African Revenue Service (Sars) in February under the Promotion of Access to Information Act.

The journalists are seeking tax returns for the tax periods 2010 to 2018, when Zuma was South Africa's head of state.

The first request and a subsequent appeal lodged by the Financial Mail were all denied by the revenue service, citing secrecy provisions in the Promotion of Access to Information Act and the Tax Administration Act.

AmaBhungane advocacy coordinator Karabo Rajuili said: “The tax status of presidents and other holders of high office is of manifest public interest. The public may rightly ask, if the president does not pay his taxes or fails to disclose all income, why should they? The political capture and governance failures at Sars were to a large degree facilitated by the lack of public transparency at this important institution.”

“A vital part of rebuilding the integrity of Sars and improving tax morality is ensuring that investigative journalists and whistle-blowers have the right to access information and report on it, including how the tax authority handles the affairs of senior government officials,” she says.

Source: The Namibian