Pretoria - Government has congratulated the South African Revenue Service (SARS) on reaching a landmark R1 trillion in revenue collection.
“This is a historic achievement for the organisation and for the country,” said government in a statement on Tuesday.
On Friday, the revenue service announced that it has collected R1.0699 trillion in taxes for the 2015/16 financial year.
Speaking at a media briefing to release the preliminary outcomes of revenue collection - that was also attended by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan - SARS Commissioner Tom Moyane said this is the first time the revenue service has collected more than R1 trillion.
"The achievement of the target of R1 trillion is momentous, historical and a first for South Africa," said Moyane on Friday.
Cabinet spokesperson Phumla Williams said tax revenue is key to South Africa’s budget and government largely depends on this revenue to achieve its long term goals.
“It is within this context that we call upon South Africans to continue to cooperate with our tax laws. As government, we are extremely proud of the outstanding work that this organisation has done.
“Without a dedicated SARS team that worked tirelessly to ensure that South Africans cooperate with tax laws, we would not have achieved this. It is our hope that South Africans will continue to work together with government and its agencies to build this country,” said Williams. – SAnews.gov.za
