Nowhere to hide for the illicit economy and tax abuse - warning from SARS interim head

LONDON — The man accused of being involved in smuggling cigarettes and falsifying documents, Adriano Mazotti found himself to be in the firing line of a new drive by SARS to clamp down on the illicit economy. High Court Sheriffs attached and removed all movable property from his house and a warehouse in Johannesburg. SARS says Mazotti, who is a known backer of the Economic Freedom Fighters, owns the taxman R71.9m. In a news conference before Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s budget speech, acting SARS Head, Mark Kingon did not want to comment on the Mazotti case, but warned that it is not only the tobacco space that they will be focusing on. - Linda van Tilburg